Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 | 9:10 p.m.
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 ...
Thomas & Mack Center
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas,
NV
89119
702-739-3267
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.