Rebels, Rams have similar game plans

Steve Addy

Friday, Jan. 28, 2000 | 10:03 a.m.

When UNLV drew up its offensive blueprint before the season, this was the plan: Kaspars Kambala would be Mr. Inside, while Trevor Diggs and Mark Dickel would bomb away from the perimeter.

In the broadest sense, as the Rebels' 12-4 record shows, they've achieved that balance, despite Diggs' ongoing shooting woes.

But UNLV's next opponent, Colorado State, might be following the Rebels' blueprint better, only the Rams' record doesn't reflect it.

They have their Mr. Inside, power forward Ceedric Goodwyn, who preceded Kambala as the Mountain West player of the week two weeks ago and averages a team-high 18.3 points. On the outside, the Rams are leading the NCAA in 3-point shooting at a blazing 42.9 percent, led by starting guards Aki Palmer (48.8) and John Sivesind (44.0) and backup Andy Birley (50.9).

Stopping that inside-out firepower will be UNLV's quest at noon Saturday when it plays the Rams at Fort Collins. At 3-1, the Rebels are alone in second place in the MWC, but maintaining their status will be a big challenge at Colorado State (12-7, 2-3) and Monday at Wyoming (11-8, 1-3).

This is annually one of the Rebels' toughest trips, though they won at CSU last season 64-61.

"These are probably the two best outside shooting teams in the league," UNLV coach Bill Bayno said. "With Colorado State, you have to be ready to double-team Goodwyn, but you have to close out on their guards and contest outside shots. This team can hurt you in a lot of ways."

That strategy has been the Rebels' defensive focus all week. They will devote an extra defender to Goodwyn, whom Bayno calls "a first-round pick, no doubt," but their rotations must be fast enough to prevent Palmer, Sivesind and Ron Grady from getting deadly open looks on the outside.

"They really do shoot the ball well. We are going to have to identify shooters a little better than we have been," Dickel said.

"They're No. 1 in the nation, so if we give anyone an open shot, you might as well assume it's going in," Diggs said. "No open shots; that's what we're saying about this game. And if a guy does get open, you have to fly at him and even scream at him, like, 'Ahhhhh.'

"We can't let them make a bunch of shots on their court. We've got to get ahead and take their crowd out of the game."

Based on their previous trip, though, the Rebels no longer seem intimidated away from home. The sweep at Air Force and New Mexico two weeks ago proved they can thrive in hostile territory. If they can at least split these two, they will be well-positioned for the rest of the MWC season.

"On the road, it's always fun, because basically everyone is against you," Diggs said. "It's not like you have family or friends in the crowd, where they can give you a little sign, so you depend more on your teammates. You play more like a team, and guys make the extra pass.

"We feel we can win on the road, because we've done it. We have confidence in ourselves. After getting beat by 40 (at Cincinnati on Jan. 2), that could've destroyed this team. But instead we have come together."

Colorado State is coming off a 75-67 home win over San Diego State on Thursday. The Rams played tough at Utah on Monday night before losing 76-70.

"It wouldn't have hurt us had they beaten Utah. It would have helped the league," Bayno said. "But even though they lost, they got a lot of confidence out of it."

* REBEL NOTES: Dickel's back felt better Thursday and he returned to practice after sitting out Tuesday's workout. ... Bayno's weekly radio show is moving to Barley's in Green Valley (4500 E. Sunset Road) for the rest of the season. It airs on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on KBAD-920 AM. ... Point guard Dinno Daniels, brother of former Rebels guard Greedy Daniels, verbally committed to Miami (Fla.) Thursday. UNLV had shown mild interest in Dinno, who's playing at Tyler JC in Texas.