Experienced roster a big benefit for us

We were fortunate to take over a program that returned 11 scholarship players -- including eight who played last year -- and we felt really comfortable going into the season with all that experience on our roster. We have incorporated some new things, but one of the areas where we tried to stay similar was on the defensive end.

Offensively, we have tried to push the ball as often as possible. Even with all the experienced players we have, it is something that still takes some time, especially with incorporating two players who didn't play last year in Mike Moser and Kendall Wallace. Reggie Smith is another addition to our team who can start playing in games after this month's final exams.

We have been pleased with the start of our season. People have asked what our philosophy is in terms of team goals, and it is simple. We try to practice as hard as we can in preparation for our next game, and we try to win that next game. Win or lose, we use that same philosophy for each game we play. We feel that if we do that enough times over the course of a season, we will have had a good year.

Our nonconference schedule has challenged us and will continue to do so. We have had some good victories. We are proud of becoming the first UNLV team since 1989 to beat a team ranked No. 1 and also becoming the first team in the 13-year history of the Mountain West to beat No. 1 (in both polls). The win over North Carolina was certainly a signature win for us, but we don't want our program to be defined by one victory. We want to be judged on the consistency of our program over the course of the season and several seasons. But we know that to be judged positively, we need signature wins such as the one against North Carolina.

We were excited to get the national recognition, but we are keeping that in perspective. People asked if we were pleased with being ranked, and we were. It is positive for our players to get that recognition, it's great for our fans and it helps with recruiting. However, we understand that whatever our record is and whatever we may be ranked, we need to continue to make progress and to get better every game. For the most part, we have done that this season.

Our seniors have provided us great leadership. Oscar Bellfield, Chace Stanback, Kendall Wallace and Brice Massamba bring a lot of experience, and our entire team has committed to making this a memorable year for those guys.

I can speak from experience having been an assistant coach here that we completely understand the benefits of hosting the National Finals Rodeo. But it is a difficult time for our players, in terms of our inability to play games in the Thomas & Mack Center, and more important that it takes place the two weeks prior to final exams. It places a great burden on our players in terms of a lot of travel during those two weeks. Our tough nonconference schedule will prepare us well for a competitive Mountain West Conference season.

We are appreciative of the great fan support that we have at UNLV. Our fans are tremendous and give us a great home-court advantage. We are looking forward to being back at home Wednesday, when we play Texas-El Paso.

UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice writes a weekly column for Rebels Report.