Simmons battling fatigue after facing a few of the WAC's elite

The battery is low. The engine is sputtering. The tank is pointing toward "E."

Kevin Simmons doesn't need a dummy light on his dashboard to know he is need of a tuneup. The UNLV senior co-captain is logging some rugged miles down the stretch as he attempts to make the switch from power forward to center, which is like driving an Audi one minute, then getting behind the wheel of a dump truck the next.

"I'm a little tired," the 6-foot-8 Simmons said Tuesday. "I'm playing heavy minutes right now, going up against some big guys. It definitely takes its toll on you."

With 6-9 center Kaspars Kambala out for the season following knee surgery, it has been Simmons who has to do battle in the paint against the opposition's big men. And he pays a price for those battles. By the end of games, you can see he has been through the wringer and his legs appear heavy.

"Last year, I had more weight and it wasn't hard," Simmons said. "But now I'm playing a five-man and I don't have that extra weight and it's hard."

He has been asked to do more and he is trying to fill the request. But it doesn't always work out for the best -- either for the team or for Simmons.

He will sometimes force shots at the expense of passing to an open teammate. And while he is attacking the basket and getting to the foul line more, Simmons is struggling to make his free throws.

Monday against Texas Christian, he was just 7-of-12. At Rice, he was just 6-of- 13. Of course, everyone that night stunk at the charity stripe as the Rebels shot just 50 percent for the game in losing to the Owls 59-55.

"I may have lost a little confidence," Simmons said of his normally good form at the line. "It's a mental thing right now. I'm trying to get it over with instead of standing up there, taking my time, concentrating and shooting it the way I can."

With the season winding down, there aren't going to be too many days left in which to practice. In Simmons' case, that's good. The less he's on the floor when it doesn't count, the fresher he figures to be when it matters.

"I've got to rest as much as possible," Simmons, who is averaging 32 minutes a game, said. "That's the key. But I'm going to continue to play the way I've been playing.

"I'm going to get better and the team is going to get better."

Simmons, who is averaging 13.2 points and 6.6 rebounds, said he'll be ready to answer the bell Thursday at Colorado State in what is a crucial game for UNLV in its attempt to remain atop the WAC Mountain Division. At 8-4, the Rebels have a scant one-game lead over Tulsa, Rice and Southern Methodist, all sitting at 7-5 with two games to play.

Hoop du jour

The last time a UNLV player pulled down 20 or more rebounds before Shawn Marion's 21 Monday was when Warren Rosegreen had "blackjack" against Fresno State Feb. 17, 1997. It was three off the Thomas & Mack collegiate record held by Kebu Stewart (24 vs. UC Irvine in 1994). ... Sophomore G Greedy Daniels paid tribute to a sick relative with a T-shirt that had "Get Well Aunt Gayle" on one of the sleeves. Daniels wore the shirt in the pregame warmups. ... Fans who want to watch Saturday's game with Wyoming from Laramie will have three choices -- the game will be aired on ESPN (Cox Cable 19), KFBT (Cox Cable 6) and in Spanish on KBLR (Cox Cable 9). ESPN opted to air the game as its WAC wildcard exposure . ... The team left this morning for Colorado and planned to practice tonight at Moby Arena, its only workout before Thursday's game. There was no pr actice Tuesday, just a weight-training session and team meeting at the Lied Athletic Complex.

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