UNLV Basketball
Playtime is over for now. UNLV has won its first two basketball games to open what should be a highly successful season, and yet we have learned just a couple of things about the Rebels, neither of which will mean anything when Wisconsin visits Saturday.
If there is such a thing as a big shot in the second half of a blowout, UNLV junior Chace Stanback hit one Wednesday night.
Running the fast break for UNLV, Anthony Marshall lobbed a pass to Derrick Jasper for a dunk. The play started with tough defense, the key to getting easy baskets.
You knew what kind of UNLV basketball opener it was going to be when the biggest question had nothing to do with the Rebels’ opponent, but rather whether a kid who has never played a minute of college ball would see action.
UNLV is a heavy favorite to win its first game against UC Riverside at 7:30 tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Highlanders, 12-17 last season, have five new starters and are picked to finish near the bottom of the Big West Conference.
UNLV junior forward Chace Stanback was benched for the first half Tuesday, forced to sit for not fulfilling his academic responsibilities over the summer. Stanback made up for lost time, scoring all of his 23 points in the second half to help the Rebels defeat Washburn 88-53 in an exhibition game at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Adjusting to a new school is one of many challenges facing Karam Mashour, who left his hometown of Nazareth, Israel, this year for unfamiliar surroundings in Las Vegas.
