Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Ray Brewer:

Instant Analysis: This could be signature victory Rebels needed

UNLV

L.E. Baskow

UNLV forward Christian Wood blocks a shot by Portland guard Bryce Pressley with UNLV teammate Goodluck Okonoboh assisting during their game against Portland at the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014.

UNLV vs. Portland

UNLV forward Goodluck Okonoboh (11), UNLV guard Rashad Vaughn (1) and UNLV guard Cody Doolin (45) are confident in their performance against visiting Portland at the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday, December 17, 2014. Launch slideshow »

With a tough stretch of games ahead, the UNLV basketball team needed to have the kind of game against Portland that would inspire confidence.

It trailed by eight points with about 3:30 remaining against the visiting Pilots, but rallied to force overtime and grabbed a momentum-building 75-73 victory on Cody Doolin’s running layup with about a second to play.

The Rebels were lethargic for most of the night and struggled to contain Portland’s much-bigger players on the interior. But they never quit, a common characteristic this season, and somehow emerged victorious. It’s definitely something to build upon.

Here are some observations from the game:

What the game means: This was a good win for UNLV. Real good, actually. It might not look that way on paper from the outside looking in, but Portland isn’t the middle-of-the-pack team from the West Coast Conference some expected it to be. They had experienced players and a significant size advantage on the inside. The Rebels, especially when defending the interior and rebounding, had to fight and claw for everything. All of the UNLV post players are undeveloped and still growing into their bodies, but to their credit found ways to overcome in contributing to the come-from-behind win. With three top-15 ranked teams on the schedule in the next 18 days, a win tonight — and they manner in which they won — helps build confidence for the meat of the schedule. The young Rebels are starting to develop an identity, which now includes a gutsy overtime victory. They allowed 21 second-chance points and 16 offensive rebounds, and frankly, didn’t deserve to win. It wasn’t pretty, but sure beats the alternative. And winning in overtime could provide that boost of confidence this young team desperately needed.

Rashad Vaughn is the real deal: When I arrived at the Thomas & Mack Center about 90 minutes before tipoff, Rashad Vaughn was the only player for either team already warming up. And he couldn’t miss. Vaughn made shot after shot from 3-point range, putting on a shooting display worthy of his status as a potential NBA lottery draft pick. Whenever UNLV needed a big bucket — tonight or in past games — the ball goes to Vaughn. More times than not, he produces. The good ones usually have one thing in common, being hard workers. If only that hard work translated into making both free throws instead of missing the first with 17 seconds to play. The good news is Vaughn, who led UNLV with 25 points, doesn’t appear to be settling for simply being good. He wants to be great.

Dwayne Morgan is still figuring it out: UNLV’s top-5 recruiting class is producing mixed results. Vaughn, the McDonald’s All-American who everyone expects will leave after the season for the NBA, leads the Rebels in scoring. Pat McCaw has overachieved and could wind up being the best player in the class, especially considering he’s a program guy and could be here four years. Morgan, though, is still trying to figure it out. He was a top-30 recruit and the first to commit to UNLV. But he’s averaging just seven points per game and hasn’t found his rhythm. Tonight, he was limited to six points and one rebound, battling foul trouble for the second straight game. But the potential is there. Maybe his buzzer-beater to force overtime, or jumper to give UNLV the lead with about 20 seconds remaining in overtime, will give him momentum to perform up to his potential. Anything is better than foul trouble and watching from the bench.

Up next: UNLV has beaten the opponents it was supposed to this season and been humbled with near 30-point defeats in games they were expected to lose. It’s time to break that trend. The Rebels’ next two games come against ranked teams from the Pac-12 Conference, giving them a chance to show improvements from early-season struggles, and more important, grab a resume-building victory for the end of the season. They play Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena against 14th-ranked Utah and Dec. 23 against No. 3 Arizona at the Thomas & Mack Center. Even though the Utah game will be contested a few miles from the UNLV campus, the Rebels will surely feel as if they are playing in Salt Lake City. Utah football plays earlier Saturday in the Las Vegas Bowl and Ute fans will head to the basketball game after. Basketball organizers are trying everything to get UNLV fans interested — test drive a car or eat a turkey sandwich for free tickets. For the UNLV season to be a success, it will eventually have to win one of those games it isn’t supposed to. I just don’t know if the team of mostly underclassmen has progressed enough in its development at this stage of the season to pull off the upset in the next few days. Rebel fans, don’t get your hopes up.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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