Rebel hoping to stun Cowboys

Steve Carp

Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1998 | 9:26 a.m.

There's no way Bill Bayno would ever make a bold prediction. But the UNLV coach is hoping his 4-5 basketball team can be rewarded for its improved play with an early Christmas present at 9 tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center.

That would mean beating Oklahoma State, which despite a 6-3 record, is still ranked in the top 25, albeit at No. 25. The Rebels have not defeated a ranked team in a nonconference game since Dec. 28, 1995, when they upended Michigan 66-64 at the Thomas & Mack. The Wolverines were ranked 19th in the nation going into the game.

It has been a rugged road the Rebels have traveled since late November and they have paid a price, having lost four of their last five. Oklahoma State will be the third straight ranked team UNLV has played and the Cowboys figure to be in a nasty mood after losing Sunday at Creighton, 66-60.

"They're going to come in here and try and play us physical," Bayno said of OSU. "The biggest thing for us is to take care of the ball when they press us. We can't turn it over in bunches."

During the losing streak, the Rebels have averaged 20 turnovers a game. That is way too many. Of the seven players who see regular minutes, only two -- guards Mark Dickel and Greedy Daniels -- have more assists than turnovers. But Daniels leads the team with 35 miscues (he has 41 assists).

Donovan Stewart, who had a tough time in his brief three-minute stint in Saturday's 86-73 loss to Cincinnati with three turnovers, will get another chance tonight off the bench. So will Chris Richardson, the freshman who did a nice job in the second half when UNLV tried to press and trap its way back into the game after being down 12.

"We'll play both of them," Bayno said. "I haven't given up on Donovan. He's had some tough matchups the last two games (UCLA and Cincinnati). I thought Chris gave us a nice lift defensively."

But the real key for UNLV to break this skid is to continue to develop some offensive continuity. The concept of staying with the hot hand is just now starting to sink in and when the Rebels find the right man and keep getting him the ball, they are able to compete with just about anyone.

The problem has been sustaining the offense. The field-goal droughts have to be shortened, if not eliminated altogether. But in the last two games, the shot selection has been better.

"We've been getting some tough breaks," Bayno said. "But that hasn't stopped us from playing hard."

The roles seem to be more clearly defined, at least with the starters and Daniels. Dickel and Brian Keefe are the starting backcourt, Shawn Marion, the team's top scorer and rebounder, is getting early touches while working well in tandem with power forward Kevin Simmons, and center Kaspars Kambala is playing with newfound purpose and intensity.

Daniels is seeing regular minutes at both backcourt spots and Ike Epps will likely see more time in the middle, either backing up Kambala or playing alongside him, as he did briefly against Cincinnati.

"As long as we keep playing hard and getting better, I'm proud of the effort," Bayno said. He'd just like to see the progress rewarded.

Cowboys limp into town

UNLV isn't the only team struggling. After getting off to a quick 4-0 start, Oklahoma State has dropped three of its last five after falling Sunday to Creighton.

It's a junior-dominated class that Sutton brings to the Thomas & Mack tonight as 10 OSU players are juniors. One of them, swingman Glendon Alexander, recently became eligible after transferring from Arkansas and has scored in double figures in two of his three appearances to date. He was held to just five points Sunday on 2-of-7 shooting.

OSU's main thrust comes from its perimeter scoring. Senior Adrian Peterson is averaging just under 20 points a game and junior guard Joe Adkins averages nearly 15 a game. Forward Desmond Mason averages around 16 a game. Between Peterson and Adkins, they've taken over 100 3-pointers in the Cowboys' first nine games.

"They're more perimeter-oriented than usual," Bayno said of OSU. "We're going to have to do a good job of getting out and contesting shots.

"But they're still big and they're still physical. They don't get their offense from their front line."

Hoop du jour

This is already Oklahoma State's third trip West this season and it's not even Christmas. The Cowboys played in Hawaii in mid-November and lost to UCLA Dec. 5 in the John Wooden Classic at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim. The UCLA defeat was part of a two-game losing streak (OSU fell to Florida Atlantic at home Dec. 1). ... This is the third meeting between UNLV and Oklahoma State, the series is even at 1-1 with each school winning on its home court -- UNLV won in 1990, 100-84, OSU prevailed 73-54 in 1997 at Stillwater. ... The first 2,500 fans through the turnstiles tonight will receive a limited edition "Hey Reb" beanbag character. There is a limit of one per family.