Take 5: UNLV hopes to get back on track against Fresno State

By Taylor Bern

Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016 | 2 a.m.

The UNLV basketball team returns to the road this weekend for a matinee show at Fresno State. The Rebels (13-10, 4-6) tip off against the Bulldogs (14-8, 5-4) at 4 p.m. on ESPN3.

This is the first opponent the Rebels will face twice after losing to the Bulldogs, 69-66, in their Mountain West opener. Here’s what to look for as UNLV continues its tumultuous season:

1. Marvelous Marvelle

Fresno State senior Marvelle Harris has spent most of the season living up to his billing as Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year. He ranks second in the league in steals per game (1.9), and third in points (18.6), assists (4.1) and minutes played (35.2).

That’s why it was strange to see Harris play his worst game of the season on Wednesday against one of the league’s two worst teams. San Jose State was a seven-point underdog and won by 12 in large part because it held Harris to seven points on 2-of-10 shooting, including 0-for-6 on 3-pointers.

The Bulldogs were without their second-most productive player, junior forward Torren Jones, who missed the game because of a suspension for violating team rules. The Rebels expect him back, so they probably won’t have that same advantage.

But either way, the key to slowing down Harris is getting everyone focused toward that goal, interim UNLV coach Todd Simon said. One defender isn’t enough.

“It’s difficult to have one man get him out of his game, because he’s got a little bit of an old-man game,” Simon said, referring to Harris’ ability to consistently beat defenses without overpowering them.

Harris is great at creating angles and as soon as he has a defender on his back he’s excellent, which is why the Rebels need to have that secondary defense ready to pounce.

2. Morgan’s Foul Troubles

One theory behind sophomore Dwayne Morgan’s foul trouble is that his aggressive, or over-aggressive, play at the start of each game brings extra attention to himself. That attention, then, turns into fouls that maybe wouldn’t be called otherwise.

“That sets the tone for the refs, the refs see that he’s playing physical,” said freshman Stephen Zimmerman Jr.

That’s just one theory, though. Another explanation is that almost two years into his career, Morgan simply hasn’t learned how to defend without reaching in or that he can’t bring forth that pit bull-type personality the Rebels want without keeping it under control.

That was on display in the first half at New Mexico earlier in the week. Morgan, who averages 7.4 fouls committed per 40 minutes, according to kenpom.com, picked up two fouls in the first two minutes. That earned a quick trip to the bench, and when Morgan returned he pushed over a Lobo during an inbounds pass, a play that drew a technical foul and set up a seven-point possession for New Mexico.

“We talked about poise,” Simon said of his message to Morgan. “… He’s not trying to foul.”

Morgan fouled out about halfway through the second half after playing seven minutes, leaving an already short-handed Rebels roster with one less option. It isn’t always like this, though.

In UNLV’s 12-point victory at Utah State two and a half weeks ago, Morgan was one of the Rebels’ best players, notching 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Now that they need him more than ever, Simon is putting his faith in Morgan to be that type of player and not the one sitting on the bench in foul trouble.

“I believe in Dwayne,” Simon said. “He’s just got to get through that, get past some of the foul issues and be the guy that produced for us at Utah State, which I know he can and will do.”

3. Playing without Carter

The Rebels knew that life without junior forward Ben Carter (torn ACL) would be difficult. The 87-83 loss at New Mexico gave them a glimpse, and considering the size, or lack thereof, that UNLV now has at its disposal, it’s not a simple change.

“You’re changing your style on the fly significantly, because now guys are learning new positions, they’re learning new plays, learning new rotations on defense, changes to the press,” Simon said. “You’re talking about a lot of moving parts here.”

The changes mean that sometimes guards Jordan Cornish or Ike Nwamu will have to guard a center, as Cornish, who’s listed at 6-foot-6, did against New Mexico 7-footer Obit Aget. UNLV also needs more from guys like freshman Derrick Jones Jr., who’s averaging 10.5 points but only 3.2 rebounds per game.

“Everybody knows Ben was always that person to lay his body on the line for the team,” Jones said. “He was taking charges, getting defensive rebounds, blocking out; we’ve got to do all the stuff he was doing.”

Specifically for Jones, the Rebels need more defensive rebounds. His job has generally been to run immediately to try to set up fast breaks, and as a result his defensive rebounding rate, according to kenpom.com, ranks below guards Cornish, Nwamu and Pat McCaw.

The Rebels need that to increase, something Jones said he could handle since that was more of his role in high school. Throughout the roster, UNLV needs a little more from everyone, particularly on defense.

“There’s not debate about it or negotiation,” Simon said. “This is what we need and if we don’t get the ball, transition points won’t come anyway.”

4. Nwamu Honors Teammate

Before he transferred to UNLV, senior guard Ike Nwamu spent three seasons at Mercer. One of his teammates, senior guard Jibri Bryan, was shot and killed in a convenience store parking lot on Tuesday in Macon, Ga. In honor of his former teammate, Nwamu will change his number from No. 0 to Bryan's No. 34 for the rest of the season.

“It’s been a very tough week,” Nwamu said in a statement. “I’ll miss my former teammate and brother, Jibri, and I am changing my number to honor him. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Nwamu and Bryan spent three seasons together at Mercer, including an upset against No. 3-seed Duke in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

5. Cook’s UNLV Career Done

The Rebels on Friday announced they had dismissed redshirt junior guard Daquan Cook from the team, but did not cite any specific reason. He has reportedly had off-court incidents, though UNLV says he is on track to graduate this spring.

Cook was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence in November and he played a total of four minutes this season. Cook didn’t travel to a pair of recent road trips, including Tuesday’s loss at New Mexico, and he was sent home early from Thursday’s practice.

Cook, a Baltimore native who was Dave Rice’s longest tenured player, appeared in 55 games over four years, including a full redshirt season in 2014-15. For his career, Cook averaged 1.2 points, 0.5 assists and 0.4 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game.

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