UNLV expects UNR’s best shot

RENO -- UNR coach David Carter has a good idea what it would take to knock off UNLV. He would need to add a couple of NBA players to his lineup.

"I wish I had those two guys who are playing with the Portland Trail Blazers right now," he said.

But Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson ditched school early for the draft, leaving Carter to rebuild the Wolf Pack's roster. The second-year coach has 10 new players, including six freshmen.

So while Carter took some lumps in November, Rebels coach Lon Kruger could not lose with a veteran team.

"If I can call Lon and ask him to postpone the game until my kids become sophomores, I wish I could," Carter said.

The game will go on as planned. UNLV, 7-0 and ranked 24th, is a 16-point favorite against UNR (1-5) at 8 p.m. today at Lawlor Events Center. Kruger is seeking his fifth straight win in the series.

"We're not going to take them lightly," Rebels junior forward Chace Stanback said. "We respect every team but fear no team. That's our philosophy this year."

Stanback, averaging a team-high 16.4 points, leads a deep UNLV team that also features seniors Derrick Jasper and Tre'Von Willis, junior Oscar Bellfield and sophomore Anthony Marshall.

The Rebels boast high-profile victories over Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.

The Wolf Pack beat Montana in the season opener before losing to Pacific, Pepperdine, George Washington, Boston and South Dakota State.

"We could play a perfect game and still may not win," Carter said. "It's not one or two guys with UNLV. It's a collective group. You have to stop the team. One night it's Willis, one night it's Bellfield, one night it's Stanback and one night it's Marshall."

Carter has experimented with different lineups, but his top players are junior forward Dario Hunt and sophomore guard Malik Story.

Hoping to have Babbitt or Johnson, if not both, back this season, Carter set up a tough early schedule. UNR has traveled to games in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Brookings, S.D. -- a total of 7,782 miles -- in a span of about two weeks.

"No one likes to lose, but we're in every game. The guys are fighting through it," Carter said. "It's just learning how to win, and the turnovers and missed free throws at crucial times."

Kruger has stuck with his same starting five. He said Willis, who was suspended for the first two regular-season games, will come off the bench against the Wolf Pack.

"There's no need to disrupt anything at this point," Kruger said. "We've got nine or 10 guys who are playing a lot of minutes. Tre coming off the bench makes the next five pretty effective."

Willis, the Rebels' leading scorer last season at 17.2 points per game, is averaging 8.4 points and shooting 37.5 percent from the field in five games.

"I would like to shoot it better. My percentage is terrible right now. But I really don't have to score for the team to win," Willis said. "This is when teams grow -- through the adversity, through the travel and away from your comfort zone."

The Wolf Pack will become stronger when 6-foot-7-inch forward Olek Czyz, a transfer from Duke, becomes eligible for a Dec. 17 game against Arizona State.

"The kids are growing and getting better. I don't use that as an excuse," Carter said. "There's a lot of basketball left. The wins will come."

UNR is down at the moment, but UNLV's Marshall said he's ready for a struggle.

"It's a rivalry game," Marshall said. "We know the crowd is going to be electric."

UNLV VS. UNR

■ WHEN: 8 p.m. today

■ WHERE: Lawlor Events Center, Reno

■ RADIO: KWWN (1100 AM, 98.9 FM)

■ LINE: UNLV -15½

NO. 24 UNLV AT UNR

■ RECORD: UNLV 7-0

■ Coach: Lon Kruger (144-62, seventh season; 462-295 overall, 25th season)

■ ProBABLE starters: