UNLV in Chicago to avenge NCAA tourney blowout by Illinois

CHICAGO -- Nine months later, UNLV junior Anthony Marshall instantly recalls how he felt at the end of his sophomore season.

"It was very upsetting and very embarrassing to get on that stage and go out like that," he said.

The stage was the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels got whipped by Illinois and went out with a whimper.

But it's a new season, and UNLV (10-2) gets a shot at revenge when it faces the No. 19 Fighting Illini at 2 p.m. today at the United Center. Illinois (10-0) is one of nine remaining undefeated teams in Division I.

"If we're going to be the team we want to be, we've got to go through opponents like this," Marshall said. "This is one of the games I've been looking forward to because they put us out of the tournament."

The Rebels' NCAA Tournament stay in Tulsa in March was brief. Illinois ambushed UNLV and led by 22 points at halftime. The Illini were up by 20 with three minutes remaining en route to a 73-62 victory.

The sting of the lopsided loss didn't linger for Lon Kruger. It was the last time he coached the Rebels before bolting for the Oklahoma job.

Most of UNLV's key players return for the rematch. Illinois lost its leading scorers, Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey, from the tournament blowout. The teams look comparable on paper and oddsmakers have deemed the matchup a coin flip.

The Illini are playing at their second home. Since the 1994-95 season, Illinois is 32-10 at the United Center but has lost four of the past five.

Eight players on the Illinois roster are from the Chicago area. The Rebels' only Chicago product, sophomore point guard Reggie Smith, was a late scratch from the team flight.

Smith, a transfer from Marquette, expected to become eligible for this game and had it circled for months as his homecoming. But he was taking five classes in the fall semester and not all of his grades were posted in time for him to make the trip.

"I knew this was going to happen and I had a 50-50 chance of playing," said Smith, who described his emotions as "crushed."

Smith will be eligible to play Monday, when UNLV hosts Louisiana-Monroe at the Thomas & Mack Center. But the Rebels could have benefited from Smith's speed in transition on offense and defensive presence against the Illini's talented guard trio of D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul and Sam Maniscalco.

Without Smith, more pressure will be on Marshall and senior guard Oscar Bellfield to play better than they did in UNLV's 62-51 loss at Wisconsin on Dec. 10.

Marshall produced two points and one rebound in 27 minutes against the Badgers. But he did prove resilient on Wednesday, scoring a season-high 20 points in a 65-54 win over Texas-El Paso.

The Rebels have regressed since stunning then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 26, and coach Dave Rice hinted at lineup shake-ups if some players don't ramp it up soon.

"There's nothing guaranteed in terms of guys who start and there's nothing guaranteed in terms of guys coming off the bench," Rice said. "Things are always subject to change. We expect effort and we expect guys to play together like we did the first eight games."

Illinois is relatively untested, with Gonzaga representing the toughest challenge on its schedule so far, and its team identity is unclear. The Illini have scored 80 points or more three times and slipped by St. Bonaventure 48-43 on Dec. 7 in an ugly offensive showing.

"We're 10-0, but we still haven't played well," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "We have a long way to go."

The Illini were prepared to run and easily beat the Rebels in the March meeting, and 7-foot-1-inch Meyers Leonard and 6-8 forward Tyler Griffey could give them an advantage inside if it's a halfcourt game.

"This is a big challenge for us," Marshall said. "It's going to be a good game."

That would be a change, because UNLV's two most recent attempts at challenging Big Ten opponents were bad and ugly.

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