Rebels searching for winning formula in close games

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019 | 2 a.m.

UNLV suffered another close defeat on Saturday at Cincinnati, losing in overtime for the third time already this season. The poor results in crunch time are no doubt maddening for the players, and especially for head coach T.J. Otzelberger, who is used to winning those types of games.

During his three-year tenure at South Dakota State, Otzelberger posted a 14-6 record in games decided by five points or less. And yet a quarter of the way through his first campaign at UNLV, the Rebels are 0-3 in close contests (0-4 if you include the OT loss to Cincinnati, which ended up as a 7-point margin).

Unfortunately for Rebels fans, Otzelberger said there is no magic formula for winning close games and no cure-alls he can administer from the sideline.

"It's not about me," Otzelberger said, referring to his sterling record in close games. "I was fortunate [at South Dakota State] to have guys that I think were really organized and made the right plays in key moments. And now we've got to get to that point. I think part of it is guys believing they can win. When you get used to beating good teams, you expect to beat good teams and you believe you should, and then you have the tendency to make that right play or give a little bit of extra effort, and I think that's where we need to get over the hump."

Offensive execution has been the biggest issue for UNLV down the stretch. In their three overtime losses, the Rebels shot 8-of-23 combined in the extra periods. In a 72-68 regulation loss to SMU, the Rebels hit on just 2-of-7 from the field over the final five minutes.

Too often, junior guard Amauri Hardy has been left on an island to try to create offense against stacked defenses with the game on the line. That weight appeared to take its toll on Saturday, as Hardy struggled through a 4-of-24 shooting performance.

Hardy said the Rebels have to be more assertive on both ends of the floor and not let opponents take them out of their offense in late-game situations.

"On the defensive end we've got to be sound and be more disciplined in being able to get those stops late in the game so we make those teams fold," Hardy said. "That's what teams are doing to us right now — they're making us fold on the offensive end, then they're getting their good shots on the other end."

While some coaches want to see their players flip a switch late in the second half — think Marvin Menzies preaching "winning time" — Otzelberger seems to want his team to remain level-headed throughout the entire 40 (or 45) minutes. In his mind, that approach will build good habits that will serve the Rebels well when games are on the line.

So far this year, UNLV has been faltering in those situations rather than defaulting to their good habits.

"I think you want there to be such a level of compete and demanding that you win, that every detail really matters," Otzelberger said. "What we're finding in our case is that there's things that we've done well throughout the game that in those key moments we're not doing."

Otzelberger said reaching that level isn't necessarily about X's and O's, but a team-wide mindset.

"I think more than analytics, it's veteran leadership," he said. "Guys who have been in a program for a number of years that really play for that name on the front of the jersey and really want to win for their school, and they have that mentality that really transcends the group."

Hardy thinks UNLV has enough of those kinds of players to eventually start pulling out close games.

"I definitely think we have guys on this team that can do it," Hardy said. "They've got it in them. It's a long season ahead of us. As a leader of this team I'm trying to bring the best out of the guys, whether it be unlocking their offensive potential or defensive potential. I feel like once we all get on the same page and we all get that flow, it's going to be a fun season."

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.