Instant Analysis: Four-game winning streak gives Rebels confidence heading into March

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 | 9:18 p.m.

One small disclaimer before breaking down the UNLV basketball team’s convincing 90-77 victory Saturday: it was just Wyoming, a 10-win team that is going through a coaching change and plays virtually no defense.

After all, the last time UNLV played at home, it only managed to make 14 fields goals Feb. 15 in scoring a season-low 49 points against Air Force. Tonight, the Rebels had 54 points by halftime.

Regardless of the opponent, this kind of offensive output is critically important for a UNLV team whose shooting struggles have been much documented this season.

In two weeks, UNLV has gone from being on the verge of the NCAA Tournament bubble to firmly projected in the field. They have won four straight games entering March and are playing with the confidence they had in early December, when they were 11-0 and ranked No. 20.

The confidence makes them a fun team to watch — such as the alley-oop pass Tre’Von Willis threw to Chace Stanback in transition for a dunk midway through the first half, and Anthony Marshall's two-handed slam with about six minutes to play.

Sure, it was just Wyoming. Only time will tell if the effort will be duplicated the rest of the season, especially against the likes of league powers BYU.

But one thing is certain: the players certainly had more confidence in themselves following Saturday night’s contest than a month ago when they lost to Colorado State at home, or two weeks ago when they blew a late lead against San Diego State.

Here are some more observations:

• Oscar Bellfield connected on a 3-pointer 45 seconds into the game to start the hot shooting for UNLV. The Rebels connected on 65 percent of their field goal attempts in the first half, including 6-of-10 on 3-pointers. For a team that lives and dies by the outside shot, this isn’t exactly the great news it appears to be. UNLV has often settled for heaving it up from the outside but needs to stay balanced in the attack — driving to the basket and pounding the ball inside — to have the best opportunity to win. That balance was obvious when the Rebels won two big road games at Colorado State and New Mexico, and that’s the formula they used in nearly upsetting San Diego State. The balance opens up more looks on both the inside and out.

• The Rebels, even during their dry spell during league play, have typically played with enthusiasm and displayed great hustle every game. That was definitely the case Saturday. The energy the players had in the first half, when they were seemingly feeding off each others’ emotion, brought so much buzz into the home arena. With the league tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center in two weeks, that kind of atmosphere will give the Rebels a fighting chance.

• The Rebels still lack that killer instinct. For as good as UNLV played in the first half in building a 15-point halftime lead, they weren’t able to finish the job. After the 54-point first-half outburst, UNLV only had 12 points in the initial 10 minutes of the second half in allowing Wyoming to trim its deficit to under double digits. UNLV’s lead should have been so convincing that walk-on seniors Tyler Norman and Mychal Martinez should have received the significant playing time on Senior Day they deserved. After all, the reception the duo received when they were inserted with 35 seconds remaining showed what kind of teammates they have been: valuable practice players and all-round good guys. Martinez, a local product from The Meadows School in Summerlin, proved in the final seconds what a class act he truly is. He had a wide-open shot with seconds to play but elected to not take the shot and risk running up the score with UNLV comfortably ahead. That says a lot considering Martinez has four total points in his two-year UNLV career.

• Stanback finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Willis had 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. If UNLV’s two top players continue putting up those kind of numbers, it could be an interesting March.