Blog: Rebels pull off big upset, taking down No. 3 Arizona 71-67 at the Mack

By Taylor Bern

Published Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014 | 6 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014 | 9:38 p.m.

UNLV 71, No. 3 Arizona 67

Game over

Chris Wood scored 16 points in the second half, Rashad Vaughn took over down the stretch and Pat McCaw hit the final two free throws to a secure a 71-67 upset against No. 3 Arizona tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center. It's the biggest UNLV victory since defeating No. 1 North Carolina at the Orleans Arena four years ago.

Wood finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, his seventh straight double-double, and it was his play early in the second half that set the tone for UNLV. After that, Vaughn started to take over against whatever guards Arizona tried to put on him, and with Cody Doolin playing a disappointing game for the second straight time Pat McCaw and directed traffic like anything but a freshman.

McCaw finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists, but his impact was much bigger than that. He was a calming force, didn't turn it over much and got the ball to UNLV's playmakers.

Arizona kept hitting UNLV in the mouth during the second half but after each attack, the Rebels were able to come up with a counter. They started playing that way from the start and for the first time in a long time they kept it up the entire way for a tremendous performance.

UNLV has a few days off before returning to the Mack against Southern Utah on Dec. 27. Check lasvegassun.com later tonight for a full report from the Rebels' victory.

A little more than a year ago, after losing by five to an undefeated Arizona team at the McKale Center, Khem Birch’s reaction was basically, ‘Hey, at least we beat the spread.’

With a few qualifications, I wouldn’t blame the Rebels (7-3) for feeling the same way tonight. No. 3 Arizona (12-0) comes into the Thomas & Mack Center for a 7:05 tip as a 12-point favorite. The game is airing on CBS Sports Network.

Last year the Rebels were 16-point underdogs and led in the second half before turnovers and T.J. McConnell happened. McConnell is back leading the charge at point guard, surrounded by a lineup that includes Findlay Prep product Brandon Ashley (11.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Stanley Johnson (14.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg), a freshman from Mater Dei High in California.

UNLV is already 0-3 against the Pac-12 this year, all of them double-digit defeats, and Arizona is the league’s preseason favorite. Covers.com’s against-the-spread archives go back to 2001-02, and in that stretch I couldn’t find another example of the Rebels getting double-digit points at home.

UNLV is in unchartered waters and it’s only game No. 2 of a four-game stretch (plus Southern Utah) that could either strengthen or really weaken this team’s confidence as Mountain West play gets underway.

Obviously most on the team and a large swath of fans will say that only a victory is acceptable, but if we’re being honest about what we’ve seen from this team so far this year an upset is very unlikely and would require a very off night from the Wildcats. That’s sort of what the Rebels got last year.

UNLV certainly deserves some credit for its close performance last year, but it looked like Arizona got a lot of shots it wanted, including many at the rim, against the Rebels and simply failed to convert them. The Rebels could use a little luck like that because they might not be able to rely on blocks as much.

Arizona has the top block percentage offense in the country, according to kenpom.com, getting their shots blocked only 3.3 percent of the time. That will be put to the test against UNLV, which ranks sixth in the nation blocking 17.7 percent of opponents' possessions.

Just like the Utah game, rebounding is going to be a major factor, and UNLV coach Dave Rice said he’s talked to senior point guard Cody Doolin about being more of an offensive threat earlier in games. Doolin is by far the Rebels’ most efficient offensive player but his percentage of possessions used (12.6 percent) is less than half of UNLV’s leading scorers Rashad Vaughn (31.6) and Christian Wood (25.5).

It’s probably going to take Doolin being more assertive, a far more efficient game from Vaughn, Wood taking care of the ball and being focused while on the court and a dozen other things going right for the Rebels to have a chance to win. If just some of that happens and they don’t get killed on the boards, UNLV should be able to keep it close and go into Christmas with some better things to build on than that awful offensive performance at the MGM Grand.

An upset victory, of course, would be huge, but what the Rebels really need right now is a solid performance that doesn’t end in another double-digit loss.

Bern’s prediction: I think the Wildcats will play down to competition a bit, but can’t really count on the Rebels to hold up their end. Arizona 73, UNLV 64

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.