Rebels regroup for stretch run

By immersing himself in Twitter, junior guard Anthony Marshall has sought to develop a strong connection with UNLV basketball fans, for better or worse.

Most times, Marshall enjoys the interaction. But last week represented the worst of times, and after the Rebels suffered embarrassing losses at New Mexico and Texas Christian, he posted messages that acknowledged the team's sorry performances.

"I feel like I owe the fans and the Las Vegas community an apology," he said after practice this week. "They spend a lot of money to watch us play, and we have the best fans in the world. When we go out and display a lackluster performance, I feel I owe them an apology."

When some fans are angry and frustrated, Marshall, who was raised in Las Vegas and graduated from Mojave High School, feels the pain. He is often the face and voice of the program.

On Saturday, in a depressed locker room after a 20-point loss to the Lobos, Marshall spoke up to encourage his teammates.

"I feel like I'm one of the leaders on the team, so I tried to keep the group together," he said. "We've still got a lot to play for, and we're still in a good position."

Back-to-back losses dropped UNLV from 11th to 21st in The Associated Press poll, and its hopes of winning the Mountain West Conference are fading fast.

But the Rebels (22-6, 6-4) get a shot to regroup with three of their final four regular-season games at the Thomas & Mack Center, a stretch run that begins against Boise State (13-12, 3-7) at 7:15 p.m. today. The Broncos have won three in a row.

"We've got to finish strong," Marshall said. "The important thing for us is staying together as a team and not worrying what the outsiders have to say."

UNLV's weaknesses have been exposed, especially on the road, where it is 2-4 in league games. Both wins came in overtime, including a 77-72 decision at Boise State on Jan. 25.

In general, the Rebels' problems stem from a lack of defensive intensity, poor execution in half-court offensive sets, perimeter shooting woes, the absence of a go-to scorer and weak rebounding.

UNLV coach Dave Rice said "a very difficult week" might have revealed another underlying issue.

"I think Anthony apologizing to fans I believe it explains to a degree why we haven't played as well of late. I do believe, and it's not an excuse, but I do believe that our guys have felt somewhat overwhelmed with the pressure of the expectations of the town," Rice said. "It's brand new for our guys.

"The program (since 1992) has been good, but it never has been ranked as high as it's ranked this year and never had people speculating on whether we can make it to the Final Four. I think it's been hard on our guys to have to deal with that, because it's the first time they have been through it. I truly believe that."

Whatever pressure there was is now mostly relieved. The Rebels are playing to improve their potential NCAA Tournament seeding and focusing on their goal of winning the conference tournament. The Final Four talk has been quieted.

"It's all part of the process. It's a great problem to have, and we'll deal with it a lot better the next time," Rice said. "These are good kids, kids who want to please not just their coaches, but they want to please the fans."

Some shots from critics have been aimed at Rice, too, essentially saying the first-year coach is not making the right adjustments or motivating the players.

Marshall hears and sees the complaints, as do other players.

"The ones who are on Twitter are hearing it. I get it all the time. I'm getting crazy tweets and all type of stuff," Marshall said. "I go on different message boards -- Rebel-Net.com and stuff -- and I just like to read what people have to say.

"It could bother some people, but personally, it doesn't bother me. It's a gift and a curse, one day they love you, then the next day they hate you. You've got to be man enough to accept that."

But Marshall does want to dispel the talk that UNLV peaked at 16-2 in early January. "The exciting thing about this team is I feel like we haven't reached our peak yet. We can play so much better," he said. "But respect is gained through performance, and we've got to go out there and perform."

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