Rebels remain positive as second half of Mountain West season begins

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Fortunately for UNLV coach Dave Rice, the basketball season does not end today. If it did, he might be sitting on a hot seat that’s standing on thin ice.

The Rebels are eighth in the Mountain West standings, and if they finish in the same place, they would be embarrassed.

But it is possible to put a positive spin on the story. This is just the beginning of the second half of the conference schedule, and UNLV is two games out of third place with a month remaining.

“We’re obviously not satisfied or happy with our position in conference play,” Rice said, “but the good part is we’ve got nine games to do better.”

The climb back to respectability for the Rebels (13-9, 4-5) begins against Colorado State (19-4, 6-4) at 1 p.m. today. This is the teams’ only regular-season meeting because of an 18-game unbalanced schedule in the 11-team league.

Rice is winless in three previous games at Moby Arena, losing by five, seven and 18 points, with the blowout happening last season. But that is history, and Rice hopes UNLV’s first-half struggles are left in the past, too.

The Rams are “fighting to get to the NCAA Tournament,” Rice said, while his team needs to block out the big picture and focus on winning one game at a time to start a climb.

The Rebels, who lost six of seven games from Dec. 31 to Jan. 21, are riding a three-game winning streak and looking to make a run at a high seed in the conference tournament.

“It was a rough patch for us. But I think we have confidence from winning three close games,” Rice said. “We have the league standings up in our team room, and so our guys see it and they see our position.”

He called it a “fine line” between third, where Boise State is 6-3, and eighth. San Diego State and Wyoming are tied atop the standings at 8-2. UNLV has lost road games to those top three teams and still gets to host all three. So that’s another positive spin to the story.

“Obviously, that is not where we want to be,” senior point guard Cody Doolin said, “but I think it’s pretty wide open. We are just trying to make a run here and finish as high as we can in the Mountain West.

“I think we’re pretty happy with how we played the past few games. Three victories in a row was big for us.”

The Rebels’ three recent victims — Air Force, UNR and Utah State — do not qualify as high-quality opponents. Colorado State, Doolin said, is “probably our toughest test in a while.”

The Rams are coming in angry off a 59-48 loss at Wyoming on Wednesday, when they shot 3 of 25 from 3-point range. Colorado State starts three seniors — guard Daniel Bejarano and forwards J.J. Avila and Stanton Kidd.

In comments to the Fort Collins media, Kidd called UNLV “the most talented team in the league.”

Kidd referenced freshman guard Rashad Vaughn and sophomore forward Chris Wood as “two draft picks.” Vaughn and Wood are getting extensive looks from NBA scouts, making the Rebels’ eighth-place standing more mysterious.

Rice has a young team, but it no longer can lean on inexperience as an excuse. UNLV is starting three freshmen, including guard Patrick McCaw, who was promoted into the lineup Jan. 17 and figures to make a significant difference down the stretch.

“Pat is just a really good basketball player,” Doolin said. “The way he’s shooting the ball is really helping us a lot, and he can be a nuisance on the defensive end, as well. He’s really a big part of what we’re doing.”

The Rebels just had a week off, which Rice used to emphasize conditioning and defensive rebounding, areas he expects to be the biggest keys during the second half of league play.

McCaw and Wood are two of the players he’s counting on the most.

“McCaw has emerged as a third scorer. He’s shooting the ball well, and he’s making plays,” Rice said.

“I think Chris is just trying to be more consistent. The challenge was and is for Chris to bring it every day in practice and bring it in every game. I think Chris has made huge strides. It’s all about his effort, because we know how talented he is. You have to bring it every time.”

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