Lopez’s game looks good, but the haircut needs work

Don't worry. Carlos Lopez didn't lose a bet.

And don't believe UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice, either.

"He saw it," Lopez said. "He was looking at me all kind of crazy in (pregame) warmups, like, 'What is up with his hair?' Just a look, man. It was just time for a haircut.

"Crowd loves it. I like it. Makes me look good."

That last part is open to interpretation.

This isn't: When he is focused and playing well, the sophomore Lopez gives UNLV an extra ingredient that can help turn a close game into a rout, an important part of the Rebels' attack that isn't always present but always welcomed.

Lopez sported a new mohawk Saturday night -- the kind most try but can't pull off -- and UNLV had an impressive 80-63 victory against New Mexico before a sold-out gathering of 18,577 at Thomas & Mack Center.

Lopez isn't Samson. He obviously doesn't need hair for strength, not after tying his career high for points (14) in as many minutes. He owns the most upside of any UNLV center, which means something some nights and nothing others, on a team defined by guards and wings who run opponents breathless. On this night, it meant a lot.

"Carlos was fantastic," Rice said. "He was aggressive. The energy he brought off the bench was (great).

"I didn't notice mohawks."

And yet, I wouldn't have been shocked to see Rice holding hair clippers and chasing Brice Massamba and Quintrell Thomas down hallways afterward.

What the coach did notice Saturday was how well his players ran in the second half, how well they spaced the floor, how well they again shared the ball. It's not complicated. UNLV is hard to guard because of how unselfish it is. The Lobos know a lot about that today.

If this was the more desperate team before tipoff, which many surmised given New Mexico's not-at-all-strong-NCAA Tournament resume, it forgot the part about showing it for an entire 40 minutes.

Or, truthfully, didn't have the numbers to do so.

New Mexico is playing to convince anyone it's NCAA worthy (it's not today) and the Rebels are playing for the highest seed they can earn, but you would have never guessed those roles here.

When it came time for someone to flip a switch, to defend a little harder, to play with more purpose, UNLV was far better at all of it. This became one of those games where the depth that has carried the Rebels to an 18-3 record and No. 14 ranking nationally showed itself on the scoreboard and the faces of a New Mexico team that couldn't keep up.

This wasn't about Rice substituting for the heck of it, running guys in and out for the sole purpose of discovering anyone who could do something well, much as the Rebels did in losing at San Diego State to open Mountain West Conference play.

This was about nine players scoring for UNLV, about seven playing 14 minutes or more, about 17 assists and 26 fast-break points to zero for the Lobos.

"It's a situation where (New Mexico) is a good team and we did a good job guarding them," Rice said. "We are really starting to understand spacing and pace. We got away from it a little at San Diego State but in the last two games, have gotten back to playing Runnin' Rebels basketball. A terrific team victory for us."

Lopez didn't get a chance to offer that nifty Euro-fake pass of his offensively, maybe because he has been convinced players with any sort of clue that pay attention in film sessions won't bite.

It works against Canisius, but not so much against the New Mexicos out there. But what he did do was establish a presence inside and attack the rim when thrown the ball. Lopez shot 14 free throws and made eight, slightly below his career 56 percent average.

And yet the number of attempts might be the bigger story. UNLV has a chance to play deep into March, and such opportunity will only be heightened if its post players contribute.

"Any good post player for any team makes it beneficial," UNLV forward Mike Moser said. "With Carlos, he can score in so many ways, it can take pressure off everybody. Off the other bigs and the guards. In those (games), we don't have to run as many plays. We can dump it inside and let him do some things."

One thing he did this week was visit his favorite barber.

"Of course I did," Lopez said. "I couldn't do this all by myself."

Again, open to interpretation.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday on "Monsters of the Midday," Fox Sports Radio 920 AM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.