Ex-Bruins thrive in new homes

It's not hard to find the most dominant big man in the Mountain West Conference. New Mexico senior Drew Gordon stands out as the obvious choice, because he's basically the only one.

Gordon, a 6-foot-9-inch, 245-pound power forward, poses a matchup problem for every opponent in the league.

"I know Drew very well," UNLV sophomore Mike Moser said.

A more athletic 6-8 forward who runs the floor and plays inside and out, Moser will see how he matches up against Gordon when the 14th-ranked Rebels (17-3, 1-1) host the Lobos (15-3, 1-1) at 7:15 p.m. today at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Moser and Gordon were UCLA teammates for six games during the 2009-10 season. Gordon transferred to New Mexico, after also considering UNLV, at the semester break. Moser left the Bruins after the season and relocated to Las Vegas.

Gordon, who was voted the conference's preseason Player of the Year, is averaging 12.6 points and 10.4 rebounds. Moser, arguably the league's top player after two months, averages 14.0 points and 11.4 rebounds. Each player has nine double-doubles.

Both players have found a home -- and are thriving in their second chances -- in the Mountain West.

But it doesn't stop there, much to the dismay of UCLA. The Rebels' leading scorer, senior forward Chace Stanback, also transferred out of the Bruins' program after his freshman year.

The Mountain West is a superior conference to the Pacific-12 this season, and second-chance players such as Gordon, Moser and Stanback are a big reason for the shift of power.

"There are a lot of transfer guys who are impact guys in our league," UNLV coach Dave Rice said. "I have to give the coaches a lot of credit for the evaluation and the recruiting because it tends to work out very well when guys transfer to our league."

Rice said "there is a huge upside" to taking transfers. Most times those players were top high school prospects who initially wanted to play in higher-profile conferences.

The players arrive at their next program with a greater sense of urgency and have experience dealing with some of the harsh realities of college basketball. Gordon, Moser and Stanback all said they didn't feel a comfortable fit in UCLA coach Ben Howland's program and went searching for better options.

"They know what Division I is about, and so maybe some of the adversity that guys go through the second time is easier to deal with because they have been through it once before. I think that's a big part," Rice said. "We're always going to be very careful and evaluate guys because there is always a reason why a guy has left an institution, so we need to get to the bottom of what that reason is.

"We still want high school guys to be the foundation of our recruiting, but transfers will continue to be something we look at all the time."

Moser said Gordon's ability to "control a game" has the Rebels' attention.

"Drew's a talented big, and his presence is so important for that team," Moser said. "We're going to give him different looks."

The Lobos are not a one-dimensional offensive team, however, as they shoot 40 percent from 3-point range and make eight per game. Tony Snell, Phillip McDonald and Jamal Fenton each shoot better than 42 percent from behind the arc.

"Gordon certainly is worthy of a double-team because he's a terrific player. But the scary thing is how many shooters New Mexico puts on the floor," Rice said. "What good teams are is balanced.

"We have to do a good job on Gordon in terms of limiting his opportunities. But it's hard to put more than one guy on Gordon because we leave a lot of other guys who can shoot. If we leave those guys open, that's dangerous."

Moser will be one of many Rebels to take turns defending Gordon, who had 15 points and eight rebounds Wednesday as the Lobos were upset 75-70 by San Diego State at The Pit.

New Mexico coach Steve Alford said the loss "puts our back against the wall early in the conference race."

Rice said UNLV, which opened league play by losing to the Aztecs on the road, needs to play with more desperation than the Lobos.

"Coming off a loss, that feeling sucks, and it gives you a jolt for the next game. So I know they're going to be hungry and come after us hard," Moser said. "It's definitely a really big game. I like the pressure."

■ NOTES -- The game was not a sellout as of Friday night, when approximately 1,000 tickets remained. … The Rebels swept the series last season, winning 63-62 at the Thomas & Mack and 77-74 in overtime at Albuquerque.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.