Rebels not looking at Hawaii yet

As tempting as it is to daydream about an impending trip to Hawaii, junior guard Derrick Jasper insists UNLV's basketball team is not looking beyond tonight.

The Rebels are scheduled to board a flight Sunday to Honolulu, where they will play three games in the eight-team Diamond Head Classic that wraps up on Christmas.

First on the schedule, however, is a game against an opponent with an unrecognizable name.

UNLV (9-1) hosts South Carolina-Upstate (1-8) at 7 p.m. today at the Thomas & Mack Center, and Jasper said it's imperative to focus on taking care of business before thinking about a pleasure trip.

"Hawaii is going to be fun. It's going to be a great atmosphere," Jasper said. "But I think we're holding off talking about it. I'm pretty sure after the game everyone will be excited to take off for Hawaii.

"Any team, any night can come in here and beat us, so we've got to take USC-Upstate seriously."

That might not be easy. The Spartans, from Spartanburg, S.C., and members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, are coming off losses to Winthrop and Florida Gulf Coast after suffering a series of beatdowns from major-conference opponents.

USC-Upstate has lost road games to Indiana, Miami and Nebraska. After visiting UNLV, the Spartans play at Arizona State on Wednesday.

The Rebels face a tall task in at least one aspect: USC-Upstate's top player is Nick Schneiders, a 7-foot-3-inch, 260-pound senior.

It's also possible UNLV will be without leading scorer Tre'Von Willis, who was hobbled Friday by a sore back and ankle. Willis probably won't start, coach Lon Kruger said, and the junior guard might sit out.

But Willis has shown a willingness to play through injuries in the past, so it would be no surprise if he sees minutes. Willis scored nine points in 23 minutes off the bench Thursday night to help the Rebels defeat Weber State, 72-63.

UNLV is looking to build on that effort, highlighted by its 10-for-23 3-point shooting and strong rebounding. Junior forward Matt Shaw made four 3-pointers in his second start of the season.

"We finally put two decent halves together," said Jasper, who grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds.

Junior guard Kendall Wallace called the Weber State win "one of our better performances this year."

Kruger's ideal starting lineup would seem to include Willis, Jasper, point guard Oscar Bellfield, forward Chace Stanback and Shaw in the post.

Wallace started the past two games in place of Willis. Wallace, who has hit a team-high 14 3-pointers in 10 games, said moving into the starting five has been an adjustment.

"You've got to come out with intensity at the start, so it's a lot different than coming off the bench," Wallace said. "But I like both roles.

"It has been a pretty tough week with three games. But we know if we do what we're capable of doing against South Carolina-Upstate, we should come away with a win."

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