Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Ray Brewer:

Instant Analysis: UNLV couldn’t buy a bucket against Utah, still a work in progress

UNLV vs. Utah basketball

L.E. Baskow

UNLV forward Christian Wood, right, deflects a shot under the basket from Utah forward Chris Reyes at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014.

UNLV Basketball Falls to Utah

UNLV head coach Dave Rice shouts orders to UNLV guard Cody Doolin (45) and teammates during their  basketball versus Utah at the MGM Garden Arena on Saturday, December 20, 2014. Launch slideshow »
The Rebel Room

Calm Before the Storm

Las Vegas Sun sports writers Ray Brewer and Taylor Bern dig in to Tony Sanchez's first moves as UNLV's football coach and discuss what lessons we learned from Rebel basketball's victory at South Dakota ahead of a very difficult stretch.

The program’s first game on the Strip didn’t exactly go as planned for the UNLV basketball team.

The Rebels had flashes of good play but couldn’t do enough to hang with No. 14 Utah in a 59-46 defeat at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Here are some observations from the game.

What went wrong: In the first half, UNLV held Utah scoreless for about eight minutes in taking a brief lead minutes before halftime. Even during the Rebels' rally, you could sense Utah was going to pull away. Eventually, the better team would impose its will. UNLV is a work in progress. Its players are still learning how to play at this level — and with one another. That was glaringly obvious tonight. There will be plenty of game film to break down and mistakes to address.

UNLV made too many of those mistakes to win this game. And they also couldn’t make a shot. The Rebels committed 15 turnovers and had just five assists. Did I mention they couldn’t buy a bucket?

Goodluck a bright spot: It’s going to be fun watching Goodluck Okonoboh develop over the next few seasons. He finished with six blocked shots, including five in the first half, and was active all night in the post in creating scoring opportunities. He was able to draw fouls but couldn’t convert from the free-throw line in making 3 of 9 attempts. The potential is there, though. He’s 6-foot-10 and has the frame to add bulk. And, despite being limited offensively, he gets good looks at the rim. If only a few more of those looks would turn into points.

Lack of assists troublesome: Cody Doolin is still a pass-first point guard and the Rebels’ floor general. But the senior, and his teammates, have struggled distributing the ball. UNLV had just five assists tonight, including one by Doolin. In the past two games, Doolin had three assists in each contest. The lack of assists can be credited to poor shooting and too much individual play, which is expected with most of UNLV’s key contributors 10 games into their college careers.

The gang that couldn’t shoot straight: It was an awful shooting night for the Rebels, including 10 of 23 from the free-throw line. From the field, UNLV made just 32 percent of its shots, including 2 of 11 on 3-pointers. Can’t win if you can’t score. The Rebels weren’t necessarily taking bad shots. They just couldn’t get anything to fall, and the rims weren’t exactly kind. A handful of shots rimmed in and out.

Kendrick shows promise: UNLV senior Jelan Kendrick is pictured on posters throughout the MGM lobby promoting tonight’s game, which I initially assumed was odd. There are at least five other UNLV players who are more recognizable, and his two-year Rebel career hasn’t exactly been a success. He’s far from the face of the program. But, as I finally learned tonight, he’s an invaluable part of the rotation. And it’s more than his experience, a must on UNLV’s roster of mostly underclassmen. Coach Dave Rice pleaded with players multiple times to push the ball up the court in transition, and Kendrick was one of the lone players to constantly look to attack. He’s aggressive and fearless with the ball. He finished with five points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes, including a 3-pointer during UNLV’s scoring rally at the end of the first half to give the Rebels a brief lead. For UNLV to be good, Kendrick needs to be good. Tonight, he was solid in the first half but inefficient in the second. But, then again, so were most of his teammates.

Up next: I’m a big fan of the 24-hour rule in sports. No matter whether you win or lose, or if you suffer a tough-to-stomach defeat like UNLV did tonight, forget about the result and look ahead to the next opponent. And do so within 24 hours. For UNLV, that next opponent provides another chance to make a statement. Eventually, the Rebels will win one of these marquee games, right? The Rebels on Tuesday host No. 3 Arizona at the Thomas & Mack Center in the most significant home game of the season, giving the Rebels one more chance at knocking off a ranked foe. Arizona might be impossible for UNLV to beat. The Rebels are 0-3 against superior competition, losing each game to opponents from the Pac-12. Arizona is that league’s best team.

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