Rebels hit road as clowns arrive

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005 | 8:13 a.m.

By Rob Miech

UNLV's free-throw percentage. No Rebel who shot free throws Saturday agai' pts, as UNLV went 7-for-17.

If it's the last few days of November or early December, a thick layer of dirt trails from a Thomas & Mack Center parking lot into the arena, and a thick rug crosses the muck between the locker room and the Cox Pavilion practice court.

Cowboy boots are more appropriate than high-top Nikes.

The National Finals Rodeo is moving in, which means the Rebels (2-1) are moving out for a road swing.

"In terms of basketball, we'd rather not play four games consecutively on the road at this point," UNLV second-year coach Lon Kruger said. "But that's fine. We got what we've got. We won't lose any sleep over it. That's something you can't control."

UNLV plays Oklahoma State (4-1) tonight in Stillwater, Okla., then heads to Corvallis, Ore., for a game against Oregon State (1-2) on Saturday. Hawaii (2-1) on Tuesday and Minnesota (2-1) on Dec. 10 round out the road trip.

The Golden Gophers, whose 38-percent shooting was exacerbated when they made only one of 14 attempts from 3-point range, lost to lightly regarded Gardner-Webb, 73-72, at home Monday night.

"I think these four will make us tougher," Kruger said. "They'll make us get better. What that translates to winwise, I don't know. Whether we win all four or lose all four, either way we'll be better."

HURTIN'

Rookie guard Jo'Van Adams spent the end of Monday's practice doubled over in a chair far away from the practice court. But his pain had nothing to do with a hangover from his 4-for-17 shooting effort Saturday against UNR.

A stomach virus took hold of him Monday morning, and he spoke in a whisper.

"Coach told me to start taking it to the hole, working it inside and outside, and letting the game come to me," Adams said. "We were probably too hyped, with the crowd and everything. We rushed the offense and didn't knock down shots. Just too hyped."

Kruger said he has told Adams to stay aggressive in the aftermath of Saturday's poor performance.

"We don't want to take that away," Kruger said. "Yet, you can stop and get better shots. That's the whole thing, shot selection. Three or four of his shots had no chance of going in, so you try to eliminate those and just get better shots."

ALSO NOTED:

* Since UNLV won a 118-88 game at Colorado in 1975, the Rebels are 0-9 on Big 12 Conference courts. Those defeats have been by an average of 15 points. In practice, Kruger has stressed to his players to be physical against the Cowboys tonight at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

"That's important everywhere, especially on the road against a team that will get after you," Kruger said. "You have to be physical. You have to be strong, play with a good base, move the ball, execute, set good picks ... when you go on the road, (those) take on greater significance."

* The oddity continues for senior forward Louis Amundson. As a sophomore and junior, his field-goal percentage (52.5 and 56.1, respectively) was better than his touch at the free-throw line (52.2 and 28.8).

This season, he's hitting 54.3 percent of his shots from the field and 50 percent at the line.

Rob Miech can be reached at 259-4087 or at miech@lasvegassun.com.