Rebels aim to fatten up on patsies, including Colorado State
As problems quickly piled up, UNLV coach Lon Kruger sorted through the mess and found no easy answers.
Kruger said his basketball team is “pretty beat up mentally and physically, and the confidence level is a little low right now,” on the heels of a three-game losing streak.
But a temporary solution appears obvious, and it’s a soft spot in the schedule. Four creampuff opponents will line up and present the Rebels with a shot to fatten their record and feel better again.
UNLV, 19-7 and 7-5 in the Mountain West Conference, looks to get back on the winning track at 3 p.m. today, when it faces Colorado State (15-10, 6-5) at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Rams are not patsies by strict definition, because they own a winning record and coach Tim Miles no longer fields a team that’s the butt of the league’s jokes.
Colorado State has two legitimate post scorers, Andy Ogide and Travis Franklin, and a promising freshman guard in Dorian Green.
But in a realistic view, if UNLV loses to any of its next four opponents to close the regular season — including Texas Christian, Air Force and Wyoming — it would be considered inexcusable.
The Rebels are 15-point favorites over the Rams, who were crushed 92-70 on their home floor by Brigham Young on Wednesday. BYU also battered Colorado State by 44 points in January.
“The guys are anxious to get back out there and get a chance to change directions,” Kruger said.
Junior guard Tre’Von Willis is doing what he can through actions and words to inspire his UNLV teammates.
Willis scored 32 points, 20 in the second half, in an admirable effort Wednesday at Utah. It wasn’t enough, as the Rebels fell 66-61 to a Utes team hoping to sneak into the National Invitation Tournament.
“Everything was looking pretty good up until this last three-game stretch,” Willis said. “But we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves. I’m going to keep doing my part and keep being positive and keep trying to lead my team in the right direction.”
When asked what else he can do, aside from scoring more than half the team’s points in a game, Willis said, “I’m not sure, and that’s the frustrating part to me, because I want to do everything I can do to get this team to win.”
Willis is the most intense and vocal player on the team. He said the reasons behind the Rebels’ “sluggish” first half at Utah were a mystery to him.
“Tre really stepped up and did everything he could do to give us a chance to win the ballgame,” Kruger said. “He’s really anxious to take charge and take ownership of this group. Tre has really matured in that way.”
But while Willis has emerged as the leader, some of his followers — Oscar Bellfield, Chace Stanback and Kendall Wallace — have started to fade.
To compound problems, junior forward Matt Shaw sprained his left ankle in warm-ups Wednesday and is not expected to play today after missing Friday’s practice.
Kruger said a lack of confidence is dogging his mostly emotionless team. UNLV also has been shooting poorly, defending casually and rebounding weakly. That about covers the checklist of issues that have led to a three-game skid.
On the bright side, the Rebels are returning home and taking a significant step down in competition.
Rivals.com college basketball editor Mike Huguenin even has UNLV included in his latest NCAA Tournament projection. He slotted the Rebels as a No. 10 seed with an asterisk — they must win the MWC tournament to get in, according to Huguenin’s guess.
“I’ll try to keep everybody seeing the big picture,” Willis said. “There’s a lot of basketball left to be played.”
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.