Struggling Rebels take aim on upset of UCLA

Steve Carp

Friday, Dec. 11, 1998 | 10:09 a.m.

So, what's it going to be, UNLV?

Is it going to be the Rebels who played so unselfishly against Weber State and Nevada-Reno and gave Kansas all it could handle in the first half? Or is Saturday's game with 15th-ranked UCLA going to resemble the Rebels' other forays with the Pacific 10 Conference this year, when it fell to Southern California and Arizona State -- scoring droughts, turnovers and a lack of defense?

Nobody knows. And if they do, they're lying.

You can hope, as coach Bill Bayno does, that these Dow Jonesers will be on the upswing at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion and give the young, talented Bruins a battle -- or maybe even come away with an upset to take back to Las Vegas.

Then again, it's hard to determine whether a week's worth of preparation, team and individual meetings and time alone to think about things will cleanse this team's inner soul and restore some much-needed harmony on the court.

"We know what we have to do," senior co-captain Kevin Simmons said. "We just have to go out and do it.

"We've got to find a way to keep it going when things are going good. That's all it is."

Guard Greedy Daniels agreed.

"It's nothing big," he said. "Guys just have to make sacrifices."

Bayno has told the team all week to do the simple things, such as keep feeding the hot hand, look to be unselfish and remain patient. According to Bayno the players are complying in practice. Now, it's a question of whether it will carry over to Saturday's game, which the entire nation will see courtesy of Fox Sports Net (Cox Cable 49).

"We've gotten better this week," Bayno said, despite the absence of leading scorer and rebounder Shawn Marion, who missed practice Tuesday and Wednesday with a chest cold. "Our intensity is better. Our execution is better. We're doing a better job contesting shots."

UNLV will have to do all of that and more if it hopes to upset the 4-2 Bruins, who have regained the services of floor leader Baron Davis.

Davis missed the first four games while recovering from knee surgery last spring. The sophomore point guard gave the Rebels fits last year at the Thomas & Mack Center, scoring 11 points and snaring 13 rebounds as UCLA posted a 65-57 win.

"Having Baron back is critical," Bruins coach Steve Lavin said. "The backcourt is an extension of the coach."

With Pac-10 play just around the corner, it was important for the Bruins to get Davis back on the floor. By the time the conference opener with Arizona rolls around Jan. 2, Davis will have six games with the five freshmen Lavin brought in.

UCLA could be a dangerous team for the rest of the league to deal with.

"I like the direction we're heading," Lavin said. "The Maryland loss (UCLA was beaten 70-54) was good for us. We're playing some of our best basketball and having Baron back is a big boost for us."

The Rebels have never beaten UCLA in three tries. And if they're going to stop that run Saturday, it's going to take a complete reversal of last week's performance at America West Arena.

"We've got to get back (on defense) in transition," Bayno said. "We can't give up any easy baskets.

"They go on huge runs. They'll go on a 10-0, 15-0 run. We can't let that happen. We have to do a great job rebounding and we've got to be patient offensively."

But can the 4-3 Rebels do all that? And if they do, will it be enough to leave Pauley with a W?

"It's a big game," Simmons said. "Saturday can get us back on track."