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March 29, 2024

ray brewer:

Instant Analysis: Careless play dooms Rebels in loss to Fresno State

Seagears drives through Fresno

L.E. Baskow

UNLV Rebels guard Jerome Seagears (2) drives through the Fresno State defense during the Mountain West opener at the Thomas & Mack Center, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2015.

Here are some observations from the UNLV basketball team’s 69-66 loss today at the Thomas & Mack Center against visiting Fresno State in the Mountain West opener. One word best describes the night (and the past two weeks): Ugly.

What the game means: With the Mountain West likely a one-bid league for the NCAA Tournament, which still seems odd to write considering the league’s history of being a top mid-major conference, tonight’s loss is tragically bad. It’s tough to win road games in the Mountain West, and the Rebels squandered a six-point halftime league on their home court. While it’s just one game and we are still in December, it’s time to hit the panic button. This team, just like those of the past two seasons when the Rebels missed the tournament, is flawed. And that might be putting it nicely, at least in the past two weeks.

How the game was lost: The Rebels surrendered the winning points in typical head-shaking fashion: An offensive tip-in with 20 seconds remaining off a missed free throw to Fresno State’s Torren Jones. Jones wanted the ball more — plain and simple. The Rebels have struggled all season with fighting for rebounds, and the carelessness directly resulted in another loss. The Rebels led 33-27 at halftime, but lacked the killer instinct early in the second half. Instead of putting the game away, they quickly trailed by nine points. It was careless turnover after careless turnover, followed by ill-advised shot after ill-advised shot.

The comeback: Freshman Jalen Poyser provided eight straight points to briefly give UNLV the edge, and is quickly emerging as one of the team’s lone bright spots. They benefited from Fresno State getting in foul trouble, scoring from the free throw line with the clock stopped to cut into the lead. If only some of those missed free throw shots fell, right? The Rebels deserve credit for fighting back into the game, but that will be overlooked considering the ending. And considering how they played with the lead. Leading by two points with less than four minutes to play, the Rebels had a 30-second shot clock violation.

How to fix the Rebels: Some will say that UNLV basketball is broken beyond repair. That, actually, should be the general consensus in the comment section below. One game it’s missed free throws; the other it’s poor rebounding. And it seems the Rebels play worse in the second half — not just today; every game. So, where to begin? The wasted possessions, whether it is a wild pass in transition or consistent poor shot selection, needs to stop. The urgency, such as how UNLV played in erasing the deficit, needs to be from start to finish, and not only when facing a large deficit. Lastly, the Rebels need to stick to the game plan. The team was again billed as one that would function at a fast pace and play full-court defense. Tonight, there were just five fast break points.

A look at the stats: The ugly: It was careless turnover after wasted offensive possession in a 21-turnover night. Fresno State outscored the Rebels 32-7 off the turnovers. No excuses. ... The Rebels also didn’t do themselves many favors from the foul line, making just 26 of 35 attempts. ... Fresno State's Marvelle Harris, arguably the league’s best player, had a game-high 22 points to help fuel that argument and at times was unstoppable. ... Poyser appears to be the next Pat McCaw — a freshman guard to flourish once league play begins. He had 11 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers late to erase the deficit. McCaw, though, took just three shots and finished with two points. He had two fouls in the initial 90 seconds and played timid the rest of the way. He’s UNLV best player, but isn’t playing like it. He needs to be more aggressive. … Ben Carter had 12 points and eight rebounds, carrying the Rebels at times. ... Stephen Zimmerman Jr. returned to the lineup with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and gave the Rebels a much-needed presence on the inside. That effort will be overshadowed by the one rebound he surrendered — to Jones for the winning points. ... And, for the consolation prize, UNLV finally won the rebounding battle — 43-31.

Up next: I’ve long said a 14-4 record, especially considering multiple visits to the Rocky Mountains for road games, would be enough to win the league. Next week, the Rebels have a pair of road games — Jan. 6 at Colorado State and Jan. 9 at Wyoming. They’ll be lucky to earn a split. Maybe the Rebels are a middle-of-the-pack Mountain West team, after all. They sure have played like it lately.

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

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