Oscar Bellfield, UNLV out to avenge postseason setbacks in Tulsa

By Ryan Greene

Thursday, March 17, 2011 | 2:15 a.m.

He's hit as many big, clutch shots as anyone in a UNLV uniform over the last seasons, but Oscar Bellfield took off for Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday on a mission to remove a couple of thorns from his side.

Helping lead the No. 8 seed Rebels to a victory over No. 9 Illinois on Friday night in their NCAA tournament opener, which would likely earn a Sunday date with No. 1 Kansas, would likely suffice.

What's left Bellfield with a bitter taste in his mouth this week is the way that UNLV's run in last weekend's Mountain West Conference tournament came to an end.

Tied at 74-74 in the final minute and smelling just the second triumph over San Diego State in nine tries during his UNLV career, Bellfield controlled the ball atop the key out of a timeout taken with 35 seconds left in the game and 28 on the shot clock.

Instead of getting the ball to Tre'Von Willis for an isolation opportunity, Bellfield still believes he made the right decision in trying to throw a lob to Chace Stanback.

"It could have been done different," he said. "I should have just thrown it higher. It felt real bad. It's still there."

The play was sniffed out by SDSU's Malcolm Thomas and ultimately led to D.J. Gay's game-winning floater with five seconds left.

Whether he made the right or wrong choice, Bellfield's bravado is what could help the Rebels get over the hump and earn their first NCAA tournament win since 2008.

The loss to the Aztecs visibly pained UNLV, but not quite as much as a 69-66 heartbreaker suffered in last year's first round of the NCAAs against Northern Iowa in Oklahoma City.

Bellfield hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the final minute in that one, only to see his heroics topped moments later by UNI's Ali Farokhmanesh, who boldly pulled the trigger on and buried a 25-foot bomb from the left wing.

"To lose on a clutch three was devastating," Bellfield added. "At that point (after the tie), we felt like we had a great chance.

"But it was a learning experience."

UNLV feels much more seasoned in the ways of the NCAA tourney heading back for the second straight year. Even guys like Willis and Stanback, who were little-used freshmen on teams at Memphis and UCLA, respectively, that made deep tournament runs, feel much more prepared for it all now.

Willis cited more than just the Rebels' up-and-down first half against the Panthers in OKC as a building block, but also the experience gained from the extended travel, the open-to-the-public practice on Thursday at the BOK Center and the added media attention.

"It felt like we could have done a few more things to change the result of that game, and that's what we're trying to avoid this time," Willis said. "Pretty slow first half (against UNI), but we've got some guys who have been there and done that before, now. Our goal is to go out there and win two games.

"If you can't be confident this time of the year, that's how you get an exit out of the tournament. I think this time we're going to step up and be ready for the challenge."

You would have to assume that the advantage in confidence is likely to be on UNLV's side in its opener.

The Rebels won six straight in impressive fashion before bowing out in the MWC semifinals to the Aztecs, who they led in the final minute at the Thomas & Mack Center. Willis said that he felt like the team took a step forward even in defeat on Friday night, highlighting the ability to come back against a Top-10 opponent after trailing by 10 points at halftime.

On the other side, Illinois, after starting the season 10-1, has gone on a maddening 9-12 run to close it out, including blowing an 11-point halftime edge in Friday's 60-55 Big Ten tournament quarterfinal loss to Michigan.

The Rebels were clearly a bit disturbed by their announced seeding during Sunday's Selection Show, justifiably feeling as if they'd played themselves off of the dreaded 8/9 line in recent weeks.

Just a day later, they were saying the right things when asked about it. But the notion that they're out to prove some people wrong — and remove some past sting — this weekend is noticeable.

"I don't have to worry about that," Willis said sharply of the seeding. "Our job is to go out there, play and try to win games."