Columnist Dean Juipe: Rebels let upset win slip away

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2000 | 10:17 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

Everyone seems to have taken a conciliatory tone toward UNLV's Monday night loss in Maui, including one of the TV announcers who was working the game.

"Billy Bayno's got to feel as good as you can walking out with a loss," ESPN's Bill Raftery said following the Rebels' 74-69 defeat to No. 8 Illinois.

But for those who looked closely -- and maybe those who expect greater things from the UNLV program -- this was no loss to take pride in and Raftery's slant was quizzical at best. The Rebels could have and maybe should have won the game, given the 14-point lead they enjoyed midway through the first half.

A more demanding broadcaster or fan could have raked them over the coals for letting this one slip away, considering the big early lead and Illinois' relatively shoddy play from start to finish. The Illini didn't look or play like the nation's eighth-best team.

Yeah, right, it wasn't the blowout loss we've come to expect from the Rebels in a big game, so there's something to be said for that. But it was a golden opportunity to make amends for one or two of those previous pastings and UNLV, perhaps because it didn't think it could win the game, just didn't do it.

On the bright side: The Rebels have the talent to once again compete for the Mountain West championship.

On the negative: Bayno's teams may have confidence problems and they've become accustomed to coming up short when thrust to the national stage. He may not be helping matters with his "we're only a mid-level program" twist he continues to espouse when the spotlight comes calling.

Why not aim a little higher?

UNLV has an obvious soft spot in its lack of depth in the middle, but it can compensate with an array of excellent shooters and it seems to have stumbled onto a real find in Jermaine Lewis. If his 19-point showing off the bench against the Illini is any measure, he should supplant Danny Brotherson in the starting lineup and give the Rebels a more formidable offensive unit.

It was good to see Lewis and Trevor Diggs lighting it up, especially with center Kas Kambala reminding everyone -- including the many NBA scouts that were in attendance -- that he sometimes plays small despite his big body. Size alone has kept many a bulky and towering man employed and maybe this will be Kambala's destiny, even if it doesn't seem as if he's realizing his potential.

He needs to exert himself for the good of the team and for his own personal gain, something Bayno may want or need to stress to the too-friendly giant. (By the way, what's with Kambala's bleached hairdo? I mean, it's better than last season's bald look but, come on, it appears as if he's ready to audition for a pro wrestling gig if his hoops career falls apart.)

It's a long season and it just got started, so let's not put too much emphasis on this single game. By the time you read this it may already be old news in some respects, as the Rebels are playing again this afternoon against Louisville.

But geez, continually losing to the country's better teams has gotten old. And it begs the question of patience and just how much longer will it be before the losses are flat out unacceptable.