Rebels not thinking letdown

Steve Carp

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 1997 | 12:29 p.m.

They've been through the drill once already, so they should have it down pat.

Struggling team comes to town in advance of national power. Look ahead and you run the risk of getting embarrassed. Play down to the other team's level and you risk the coach's wrath the next day at practice.

So what will it be for 4-4 UNLV? Will it come out ready to avenge Saturday's disappointing loss to Syracuse? Or will the Rebels allow UC Irvine to dictate the terms of tonight's nonconference game at the Thomas & Mack Center?

"Irvine's going to try to change the way we play," coach Bill Bayno said of the 2-6 Anteaters. "We have to be mentally prepared to play 35 seconds of defense every possession. They're going to try to slow it down and make us play their tempo.

"We need to get out and push the ball and make plays. I thought we ran well against Syracuse (in a 71-64 loss Saturday) and I liked our intensity. We just need for that to carry over to Irvine."

Bayno said the Rebels had a good practice Monday.

"I think we've improved from Michigan and Rhode Island," Bayno said of two more recent losses. "It was just good to get back on the practice floor last week and get everyone healthy again."

It certainly showed in Tyrone Nesby's performance. The 6-foot-6 senior forward has been struggling with his shooting as well as a lengthy viral infection. But Nesby has been putting in some additional work with assistant Dave Rice and had a strong game against Syracuse, scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

"Tyrone's got his focus and strength back," Bayno said. "He didn't have any legs. That's why he was struggling with his shooting."

One Rebel who won't have a problem with focus tonight is Brian Keefe. The 6-4 junior guard gets to play against his former school, but he's not making a big deal about it.

"I hadn't thought about it until you brought it up," he said about what emotions he would feel by playing against the Anteaters. "I think it would be a bigger deal if the old coaches and players were still there."

Keefe is more concerned with bouncing back from his scoreless effort against Syracuse. He attempted just two shots and while he played good defense during his 18-minute stint Saturday, he expected better from himself.

"I couldn't get my rhythm," he said. "I was playing hard, but it seemed like I never got into the flow."

Keefe played for Irvine from 1994-96. He was a member of the Big West all-freshman team in 1994-95 and averaged 16.4 points his sophomore year. But with the program struggling, Keefe looked for greener pastures and thought he found a haven at Boston College.

But with the Eagles in turmoil last year, the Winchester, Mass., native contacted his old coach from Irvine, Greg Vetrone, Bayno's right-hand man and chief assistant.

"The only real tie I have to Irvine is my girlfriend," Keefe said. "She still goes there. But it seems like all the people I knew when I was there are gone."