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Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
UNLV forward Mike Moser drives to the basket past UC Irvine forward Will Davis II during their game Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 at the Thomas & Mack.
Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 | 9:10 p.m.
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If the UNLV basketball team only makes 22-percent of its attempts on 3-pointers in the first half, you could easily assume the Rebels would be involved in a closely contested game or trailing.
Well, the Rebels were just 2-of-9 on 3-pointers for 22-percent in the first half Wednesday against visiting UC Irvine. And, believe it or not, the cold shooting touch was no reason to hit the panic button.
That’s because this year’s edition of the UNLV basketball team doesn’t live or die with its performance from the perimeter. The Rebels badly beat UC Irvine 85-57 because of a better arsenal in the attack — taking the ball to the basket.
After all, when you have two or three of the best players on the court every game, aggressively attacking the rim against a weaker defender should be the first option.
Of UNLV’s 34 first-half points, 18 of them came in the paint and another eight came from the free throw line. One of the 3-pointers came from 6-foot-11 post player Carlos Lopez-Sosa on his second career 3-point attempt. (Later in the game, another 3-point attempt was an air-ball).
This was the fifth UNLV game of the season, and in each one, the likes of Anthony Bennett, Mike Moser and Bryce Dejean-Jones regularly beat defenders off the dribble for easy points in the paint. Those Anthony Bennett dunks where the rim and backboard continue to rattle for seconds after the basket need to be more important than Bennett — or others — stepping back for a 3-pointer.
When they attack the basket, better opportunities will be created for shooters hanging around the perimeter. It’s a balance previous UNLV teams failed to accomplish with offensive success relying too heavily on the 3-pointer. That’s not the case this year. UNLV, which never trailed and scored 51 second-half points, wound up making 5-of-18 of its 3-pointers in finding a good balance of attempts that should be beneficial in future games.
Here are some other observations from Wednesday’s game:
Coach Rice will be happy: UNLV had 22 assists on 27 field goals made — a comparison coach Dave Rice constantly refers to when evaluating his offense. Wednesday’s effort was near perfect — they had just seven turnovers. Point guard Anthony Marshall led the charge with nine assists and just one turnover, and when Marshall was getting a breather, Katin Reinhardt had three assists and no turnovers running the offense. The willingness to make the extra pass and the unselfish play, is a good indication Rice’s offensive philosophies are sticking. While UNLV only had nine fast break points, its performance in the halfcourt offense is yet another speak volumes. This year’s team is ahead of the pace of last year’s game in terms of its offensive development.
Don’t forget about this freshman: Compliment after compliment have been used to describe freshmen Anthony Bennett and Katin Reinhardt. And, rightfully so because they are a pair of top-30 prospects who have lived up to their recruiting hype. Just don’t forget about the kid from Philly. Savon Goodman isn’t as prolific offensively as Bennett or Reinhardt, but he frequently impacts the game in a similar fashion. He always makes the most of his minutes, scoring four points and grabbing seven rebounds in 16 productive minutes against UC Irvine. Last weekend against Iowa State, he made 4-of-6 shots for eight points in 14 minutes. More important, he plays with a chip on his shoulder and isn’t afraid to be aggressive in the paint.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or ray.brewer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.
Nice second half Rebels! Looking forward to more as the season progresses.
Excellent article and analysis, Mr. Brewer, I agree the Rebels are starting to figure it out. Rice's substitutions are a little crazy but I guess he's still trying to find the rotation. Reinhardt was very impressive tonight, as you mentioned, zero turnovers. Fantastic. We're still getting defensive lapses and fouling too much, but what's the old saying in basketball...it's easier to improve your defense than improve your offense. Great game, Rebels
Not sure about this team so far. I see 2 different sides of them. Q, Savon, Moser, Bennett, Hawkins.. seem to be trying to play unselfishly and as a team. The rest of the guys are forcing shots and trying to get theirs. Marshall is stuck in the middle somewhere, it is obvious he is uncomfortable in his new PG role. The Rebels are going to need to figure out their identity pretty soon or they are going to get blasted on this road stint.
I disagree Brian. I think this team has proven to be very unselfish the last couple of games. I mean, you can't do much better than 22 assists on 27 made field goals. And the ones you didn't mention like Reinhardt and Quintrell Thomas I think are very unselfish and don't usually force shots. As mentioned elsewhere, Jones was questioned quite a bit for his shot selection in the Oregon game and rightfully so, but he has been much better at picking his spots the last two games. And he's been the best player in practice for a year, so I think he's still readjusting to how to play in games.
Then, don't forget that Khem Birch will be playing soon and adding a defensive and rebounding presence down low, which is exactly what this team is missing right now. I think about 75% of UC Irvine's field goals last night were on drives to the rim, so put Birch in there and see how many of those teams will get. They've only played 5 games and have shown vast improvement in playing smarter basketball the last couple of games.
I don't think this team will fizzle out at the end like it did the last few years, but instead will progressively get better, which is what we all want. I'm very curious to see how they play on the road and if they fall into old, bad habits. One thing this team has that previous teams did not is toughness. Bennett, Jones, Goodman, and Reinhardt are not going to back down and Reinhardt has already proven that he can make big shots with the game on the line. In fact, he seems to play better in the clutch. That's one thing the Rebels haven't had in recent years - who's going to hit big shots in close games? Well this year, there are several options and I think they will come through. As long as it's not Anthony Marshall trying to drive and make a layup at the end! That has not been successful, but a drive and kick to Reinhardt for an open 3-pointer to win the game - I'll take that option.
Savon is my favorite player. Kid is bouncy and does indeed play with some good natured attitude. It'll be fun watching him - and the other young bucks - as they get more experience.
And as was pointed out by ILMM, Birch coming back is huge. The Rebels front court could be among the nation's best come March.