Rebels to have hands full with Taylor, No. 14 Wisconsin

The Badgers win basketball games with defensive toughness and offensive efficiency. But when they need something more, Taylor has the ability to take it to another level in a flash.

The 6-foot-1-inch senior is just flashy enough to win votes as the nation’s top point guard. He’s a candidate for that tag, though he’s not campaigning for it.

“I’m pretty self-motivated and don’t listen to that stuff very much. I want to be the best point guard in America,” he said. “But I want my team to win more.

“All I can say is, we play the games for a reason. If people were to say I’m the best point guard in America and we didn’t have to play any games, that would be pretty awesome. But we have 24 or more games, and I have to try and prove it every night. I take it as a challenge.”

UNLV (9-1) gets reacquainted with 14th-ranked Wisconsin (7-2) at 11 a.m. today at the Kohl Center, where under coach Bo Ryan the Badgers have won 43 consecutive games against unranked nonconference opponents.

Neither team shies from a challenge, and each has stood up to North Carolina. The Rebels knocked the Tar Heels from their No. 1 ranking with a 90-80 victory Nov. 26 in Las Vegas.

“They have a lot of talent, and they beat Carolina. Obviously, that’s a great win,” said Taylor, who scored 18 points in the Badgers’ tense 60-57 loss at North Carolina on Nov. 30.

Aside from an opponent, UNLV and Wisconsin have little in common. The Rebels prefer to run, scoring 90 points or more in five games, and the Badgers lead the nation in scoring defense at 44.2 points per game.

A week ago, Wisconsin suffered a rare home-court loss, falling 61-54 to a ranked and more athletic Marquette team that, according to Taylor, shares traits with UNLV.

“Marquette came in here and hit us in the mouth and pretty much beat us up for 35 minutes,” Taylor said. “UNLV is capable of doing the same thing, so we can’t allow a good team like that to get going.”

When the teams collided in November 2010 at the Thomas & Mack Center, Chace Stanback scored 25 points and Justin Hawkins stole an inbounds pass and hit two free throws with 6.7 seconds remaining to help the Rebels escape with a 68-65 victory.

Taylor, who finished with 19 points, said, “The steal will stand out to a lot of people — (Hawkins) made a great play — but we had a ton of chances to get a win out there.

“They have a good team. We thought that going in last year. It was one of those games where I’m sure people expected Wisconsin to beat UNLV, but we didn’t do it. They have good players, probably some guys who will play at the next level.”

Stanback, a senior forward, has been surging lately, averaging 19.8 points in the past four games. Hawkins, UNLV’s top reserve, will spend a lot of time defending Taylor.

“It’s a grind-it-out game. Every possession counts,” Hawkins said. “Taylor is always on attack mode, whether he’s setting it up for himself or his teammates. He’s definitely the toughest point guard I’ve had to defend.”

The Rebels were successful in slowing another elite point guard, North Carolina’s Kendall Marshall. But Taylor, averaging a modest 12.4 points, can be more of a scorer and is more prone to hit big shots.

In February at the Kohl Center, Taylor scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half to rally Wisconsin past top-ranked Ohio State, 71-67.

“We’ve run into some pretty good point guards this year,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said. “Taylor is a terrific player.”

Ryan called Taylor a “natural leader,” and he’s surrounded by blue-collar workers such as 6-3 Josh Gasser, 6-6 Mike Bruesewitz and 6-10 Jared Berggren.

While Taylor said he knows the Rebels want to “get up and down,” the Badgers will look to slow the pace, because that fits their style.

■ NOTES — Today’s game will be televised on the Big Ten Network, as will the UNLV-Illinois game in Chicago on Dec. 17. … The Rebels own a 4-1 edge in the series and beat the Badgers 74-68 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2007.

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