Miller, ’Zona another test for Rebels

If there is a weakness in Sean Miller, it’s tough to find and even tougher to exploit. The Arizona coach is one of college basketball’s rising stars, a strong in-game strategist who recruits at the highest level.

The 46-year-old has almost everything. His resume has it all but a Final Four appearance, and he might finally add that line this season.

The third-ranked Wildcats (12-0) roll in to face UNLV (7-3) at 7 p.m. today at the Thomas &Mack Center, where the Rebels need to feed off the energy from a crowd of around 16,000, rise to the level of competition and play a near-perfect game to upset a loaded team with a perfect record.

“Our guys look forward to these games,” coach Dave Rice said. “Even though we have a new team, I felt the best way for us to prepare for conference was to play this type of schedule and play hard games.”

Rice has five freshmen in his regular eight-man rotation, and the growing process has been painful. The Rebels are 0-3 against Pacific-12 Conference opponents this season, getting routed by Stanford and Arizona State by 20-plus points before falling to No. 14 Utah 59-46 at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday.

“UNLV is a very talented, but very young team,” Miller said. “They have a lot of talent, and it’s evolving. You can see that there are things just with a team that’s as youthful as they are that you work through some things in the months of November and December.

“But where they potentially could be in January and February, or for that matter against us, they have the type of team that can really get better and improve by leaps and bounds.”

When the teams tangled in Tucson last December, the Rebels took it to the wire before losing to the Wildcats 63-58.

This time, UNLV is a 12½-point underdog. According to The Gold Sheet, it’s the first time since December 1995 the Rebels have been double-digit ‘dogs at home.

“It’s a talented team that on a given night, I think, can beat anybody in the country, especially on their home court,” Miller said. “We are really focused on this game for all the right reasons.”

Miller won 69 games in his first three seasons at Arizona, two fewer wins than Rice compiled in his first three seasons at UNLV.

But in Miller’s sixth season, he runs the top program on the West Coast.

The Rebels are not an NCAA Tournament-quality team today, but here are five ways they can upset the Wildcats:

■  Play at a fast yet controlled pace and be solid in defensive transition.

Arizona has more talent, an advantage it can capitalize on in a game with more possessions. UNLV is better offensively at an up-tempo pace, but its transition defense could break down in an open-court style that favors the superior team.

“We’re going to be at our best when we have a fast pace,” Miller said.

The Wildcats were forced into a slow-down game at Texas-El Paso on Friday in a hard-earned 60-55 win.

Similar to last year’s matchup, Rice can use a combination of defenses — man, 1-3-1 zone and triangle-and-2 — to help control half-court sets.

■  Cody Doolin must be a playmaker and scorer.

The Rebels’ senior point guard was not himself Saturday while fighting symptoms of the flu. He attempted one field goal and finished with three points, two assists and and two turnovers. He needs to outplay Arizona senior T.J. McConnell.

“Doolin does a little bit of everything. I’m really impressed with him,” Miller said.

■  Rashad Vaughn has to be the best freshman on the floor.

Vaughn is UNLV’s leading scorer at 17.3 points per game. Stanley Johnson, a 6-foot-7-inch freshman wing, is the Wildcats’ top scorer (14.7).

“We are very impressed with a number of their players. Vaughn can really get his own shot,” Miller said. “I don’t think he has necessarily hit his stride shooting yet, but he’s capable of scoring 20.”

■  Defend the interior, be physical and rebound.

Johnson, 6-9 forward Brandon Ashley and 7-foot Kaleb Tarczewski possess the ability to manhandle the Rebels in the low post. However, UNLV outrebounded Utah 41-37 while allowing only four offensive rebounds and shutting down the Utes’ low-post scorers.

Miller called Rebels forwards Goodluck Okonoboh and Chris Wood “maybe the best shot-blocking tandem in the country.” Okonoboh and Wood must live up to that hype.

■  Shoot a high percentage from 3 and at the free-throw line.

UNLV was offensively inept against Utah, shooting 32.7 percent from the field, including 2 of 11 on 3-pointers, and 10 of 23 on free throws.

The nation’s No. 3 team is not going down unless the Rebels shoot them down.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.