UNLV must rebound - literally and figuratively - at SDSU

By Ryan Greene

Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 | 5 p.m.

Moments after UNLV's 76-66 home loss Wednesday to No. 15 New Mexico, a look at the stat sheet only aided in giving Rebels forward Matt Shaw the worst feeling a ballplayer can have.

"I was embarrassed," said Shaw, whose team was out-rebounded, 45-23, by the Lobos, resulting in 16 second-chance points for the visitors. "For them to have doubled our rebounds just shows that the effort wasn't there, it wasn't where it needed to be and it's unacceptable.

"We can't allow that to happen again."

The No. 23 Rebels (19-5 overall, 7-3 Mountain West) don't get the luxury of a soft landing after getting whipped, battered and served inside Wednesday, though.

Awaiting UNLV's arrival for Saturday's 1 p.m. tip is San Diego State (17-7, 6-4), which is quite possibly not only the league's most athletic team from top to bottom, but also, by the numbers, the MWC's most adept rebounding squad.

The Aztecs won the battle of the boards against UNLV, 44-35, in a 76-66 Rebels victory Jan. 13 at the Thomas & Mack Center. They produced 16 second-chance points off 15 offensive boards.

The Lobos coupled their dominance in the paint Wednesday by hitting 11 of their 21 3-point attempts. SDSU, however, was just 2-of-16 from deep and committed 20 turnovers in its earlier game against UNLV.

San Diego State has seen improved guard play while going 5-2 since the loss to UNLV, with those two defeats coming by just two points each, Jan. 23 at BYU and in overtime Saturday at New Mexico. Leading the way has been freshman Chase Tapley, who has scored in double figures in four of the Aztecs' last five games.

But without stepping up against San Diego State's powerful and explosive front line, it might not matter how either team shoots.

Small forward Kawhi Leonard is practically a lock to be named the Mountain West's Freshman of the Year. At 6-foot-6 with an NBA body, he crashed the offensive glass better than anyone on the floor against UNLV the first time around, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds, six on the offensive end. He's averaging 12.4 points and 9.5 rebounds a game, and scored a career-high 26 points in Wednesday's 88-57 rout of Wyoming.

"If you rotate onto him, you've got to box him out," forward Chace Stanback said. "Just like Billy White and (Malcolm) Thomas. You've got to get those two off the boards, too."

Thomas has been just as much of a consistent dual threat as Leonard.

The junior, who transferred in this season from San Diego City College, is averaging 10.5 points and 8.2 boards, and White — a Green Valley High grad — is averaging 10.4 and 4.7, respectively, while still getting back into the groove following a high ankle sprain suffered just a week before playing UNLV.

"We know it's going to take a lot more than what we've done," Shaw said. "We're going to have to play a lot harder, everyone's going to have to be prepared for that. Hopefully we're prepared for the fight and do a good job blocking out and rebounding."

One way UNLV will try to combat this will be by giving über-athletic freshman guard Anthony Marshall some more time on the floor.

Coach Lon Kruger wouldn't give it a clear-cut confirmation, but hinted that Marshall could get his second career start on Saturday, replacing junior Kendall Wallace in an effort to match San Diego State's athletic explosiveness.

"I think Anthony's done a really good job defensively, rebounding, attacking offensively — He's giving us some good minutes," he said. "I think he's getting more comfortable in every way. Even the shooting. I think he's shooting the ball with more confidence."

UNLV suffered a big loss in the rebounding department when junior guard Derrick Jasper went down Jan. 26 in a home victory over Air Force. He suffered a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee, and is still roughly three weeks away from returning to game action.

At the time he was hurt, Jasper was the Rebels' second-leading rebounder at 4.9 boards per game, and at 6-foot-6 with incredible leaping ability, he'd shown a knack for swooping in from the perimeter to make his presence felt on the defensive glass.

Wednesday was the first time in three games played without Jasper that his absence was truly felt.

Marshall had five defensive rebounds in 23 minutes against San Diego State in the first meeting, and was again effective Wednesday with four points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal in 16 minutes.

With his above-average vertical leap and wingspan of more than seven feet, Marshall's the closest thing the Rebels have to another Derrick Jasper, which could prove important against the Aztecs.

"They're very athletic ball club, I'm one of the more athletic players on the team, so I've got to go in and contribute right away as opposed to coming in off the bench and giving that little energy," he said. "I'm pretty calm at this point. It's been a long season. I've got all the nervousness and that out of my system. Now I'm ready to play ball, help my team and contribute any way I can."

Matching athleticism is one thing, but matching intensity is another.

Shaw added that a big part of the Rebels looking flustered early and often Wednesday wasn't the cushion New Mexico quickly created by hitting its first five 3-point attempts.

"I just don't think we knew the significance of that game," he said. "That was a game for first place in the conference. We have to realize that in games like that, things aren't just going to happen. We have to get out there and make them happen."

Efforts such as the one given Wednesday will not only likely transfer into struggles on the floor, but also can do nothing to help the team's chances of playing its way into a sure-fire bid to the NCAA tournament. On the other hand, San Diego State is scurrying to both pad its résumé and potentially catch up with the likes of UNLV, New Mexico and BYU in the league's regular season race.

In other words: Focus now, worry less later.

"We knew (Wednesday) was a big game, but I didn't think we came out as a team and played together with all five guys on the same page — myself Included," Stanback said. "This one is definitely the one we've got to get."