Rebels start season as men of mystery

Several unknowns surround coach Lon Kruger as he begins his sixth season on the UNLV bench. He has a sense of what to expect and what he hopes to see, but there are few guarantees.

Kruger's starting lineup includes no seniors, and six of his top 11 players did not see action last season. It's not a formula for instant gratification.

"Every team offers different challenges. When you have so many new faces, that's a challenge in itself, but a fun one," Kruger said.

"It will take a little time. It will be awhile until we get totally settled in because we do have a lot of different combinations and a lot of guys have not played for a year."

The first step should be the easiest. The Rebels open their regular season against Pittsburg State, a Division II team from Kansas, at 7 p.m. today at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Gorillas, coached by Kruger's longtime friend Gene Iba, were whipped 103-45 by No. 1 Kansas in an exhibition game Tuesday.

In a scheduling quirk, this counts as a regular-season game for UNLV but as an exhibition for Pittsburg State. Instead of lining up a low-ranked Division I opponent, Kruger opted to play a D-II team because the game does not figure into the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), a measurement tool used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

"You're not hurt at all RPI-wise by playing a D-II school," Kruger said. "You're better off playing a D-II school than you are playing a school that's (ranked) 250 or below. You're not helped by playing a D-II, so it's like a nongame."

Under normal circumstances it might be difficult for players to get excited about a "nongame" situation, but junior guard Derrick Jasper said the Rebels are zeroed in after their lackluster 62-52 exhibition victory over Washburn (Kan.) on Tuesday.

"We're real anxious to get out there and redeem ourselves," said Jasper, who sat out last season as a transfer from Kentucky. "I know we can play a lot better than we did.

"We definitely don't want to take them too lightly. Pittsburg State is a scrappy team. They played Kansas tough early in the game."

Jasper will start in the UNLV backcourt with sophomore Oscar Bellfield and junior Tre'Von Willis. Sophomore swingman Chace Stanback and sophomore center Brice Massamba round out the lineup.

The Rebels shot 4-for-23 on 3-pointers, committed 18 turnovers and failed to defend or rebound well against Washburn.

"That was a reflection of how not to play. We watched film and we definitely were unsatisfied," Willis said. "We changed some things up in practice and figured out how hard and how aggressive we need to play each possession."

Kruger was pleased with his team's response the past three days in practice.

"The exhibition was a great game for us," Kruger said. "It was much better from a coaching and teaching perspective -- much preferred over a 40-point win where we think we're doing everything well."

UNLV opens the season with a five-game homestand concluded by a visit from Louisville on Nov. 28.

It's a stretch that could erase some bad memories from last season, when the Rebels lost seven of their final 11 games and finished 21-11 with a first-round loss at Kentucky in the National Invitation Tournament.

"All I can say for last year's team is we weren't pushing ourselves. We didn't have the focus every day to become a better team," said Willis, UNLV's top returning scorer at 11.4 points per game. "I feel some of the guys who are returning, we learned our lesson. We've got to have 100 percent focus every day.

"We know the teams that normally go deep into the NCAA Tournament are the teams that want to be great, and that starts in practice."

Kruger waved goodbye to graduated seniors Wink Adams, Joe Darger and Rene Rougeau, who led the Rebels to two NCAA Tournament appearances. A new team has the same high expectations.

"Every team in the country wants to play in the NCAA Tournament," Kruger said, "and that should be our goal every year."

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