Kruger mulls lineup changes

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004 | 9:37 a.m.

THE GAME: UNLV (3-4) vs. Gardner-Webb (5-2).

WHEN: Tonight, 7:30.

WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center.

TV: None.

RADIO: 920-AM.

STORY LINE: After banging heads with one of the nation's elite programs in Oklahoma State, the Rebels get to flex their muscles against a team that has never won on the road against a Mountain West Conference team.

With his new team sputtering out of the gate with an unimpressive 3-4 start, UNLV coach Lon Kruger hinted he could be making some changes in the starting lineup for tonight's game against Gardner-Webb (5-2) at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"Right now we anticipate going (with the same starting lineup)," Kruger said Monday after his team's 2 1/2-hour practice at the Cox Pavilion. "But we're still kicking some things around. If we do decide to make a change, it will be a game-time thing."

And if Monday's practice was any indication, those changes could involve senior swingman Andy Hannan and senior forward Odartey Blankson. Hannan spent much of Monday's workout working with a first unit that included point guard Jerel Blassingame, shooting guard Romel Beck, center Louis Amundson and Blankson moving inside to power forward.

"We might look at some different combinations," Kruger said. "It's not so much players moving to different spots but to try and mix it up a little bit. We're going to play different guys and different combinations."

With starting center Dustin Villepigue still hobbled at times with a bruised shin, the insertion of Hannan in the lineup would give the Rebels a quicker and more athletic team against a Gardner-Webb squad that goes by the nickname of "The Runnin' Bulldogs."

Hannan, who hit a game-winning jumper to beat Cal earlier this year, also has one eye-popping statistic to his credit. On a team that averages 16.8 turnovers per game, he has turned the ball over just three times in 102 minutes on the floor. He also is one of the team's better defenders and seems to understand his role on offense.

"Taking good care of the ball, which we haven't done, is a priority in this game," Kruger said.

Blankson, who had 19 double-doubles a year ago at the power forward spot and is arguably the top offensive rebounder in the Mountain West Conference, has struggled badly at the small forward spot so far this season. Although he still leads the team in scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg), he is shooting a dismal 22.7 percent (5 of 22) from 3-point range.

With back-to-back home games against Gardner-Webb (5-2) and Florida Atlantic (1-6) the next two nights, the Rebels have a good chance to enter the Christmas break back above .500.

"We need these two games," Beck said. "We learned a lot coming out of the Oklahoma State game (a 79-67 loss on Saturday night). If we can get these two games right here, it would be real good for us."

Kruger, who continues to preach daily improvement in his team, said he will be looking for a much better start in tonight's contest than against Oklahoma State, when the Rebels trailed, 17-6, in the first seven minutes.

"Hopefully coming off the Oklahoma State game we recognize that we have to be more physical and we've got to play with more strength and make better decisions," Kruger said.