Rebels hope to continue momentum against Cal State Fullerton

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 | 2 a.m.

The 2015-16 season is only two games old and there are still more questions than answers when it comes to UNLV basketball, but some interesting trends are already beginning to develop for Marvin Menzies’ young group. Tonight’s home game against Cal State Fullerton should provide another good opportunity to assess what kind of team Menzies has, and what the Rebels might turn into as the season progresses.

Some key points to watch as the Rebels attempt to win their second straight game:

Coupet making play for more time

Freshman Ben Coupet didn’t see the court in the season opener, but he logged 17 minutes against UC Riverside and finished with eight points, seven rebounds and two assists, and UNLV outscored Riverside by 13 points with the lanky forward on the floor. That +13 mark was the best plus/minus rating of any Rebel, and it was indicative of the big impact Coupet made in his NCAA debut.

More than the offensive production, Coupet’s most important contribution came on the boards. UNLV couldn’t consistently secure rebounds in its opening-night loss to South Alabama, allowing 14 offensive rebounds, but Coupet instantly helped to shore up that weakness against Riverside. The 6-foot-7 Chicago native grabbed four of 18 available defensive rebounds while he was on the floor, and he also snagged three of the 15 available offensive rebound opportunities, including a tip-in. For the game, his seven total rebounds tied for the team high.

With rebounding looking like a potential season-long issue for the undersized Rebels, Marvin Menzies may opt to feed Coupet more playing time as long as he continues to tilt the glass in UNLV’s favor.

Long-distance inaccuracy

Through two games, UNLV has not shown an ability to take advantage of the 3-point line, as the Rebels are a combined 8-of-37 (21.6 percent) from long range. Sophomore guard Jalen Poyser (4-of-10) and senior forward Tyrell Green (2-of-6) have been respectable, but the rest of the team is just 2-of-21. That’s not going to be good enough over the course of the season.

Players like senior guard Uche Ofoegbu (1-of-5) and sophomore guard Kris Clyburn (0-of-5) will need to start connecting in order to keep defenses honest. Cal State Fullerton has allowed its opponents to make 3-pointers at a 36.9-percent clip through three games (24-of-65), so UNLV’s shooters should have plenty of opportunities to break out of their slumps on Saturday.

Dembele makes a difference

Freshman center Cheickna Dembele provides a skill no other player on the roster can offer — rim protection. And that just happens to be something the Rebels’ need desperately on the defensive end, as opponents have made 53.0 percent of their shots around the rim through two games, according to Hoop-Math.com (for comparison, UNLV has made just 46.2 percent of its attempts around the rim).

Dembele hasn’t practiced much because of a heel injury, but the 6-foot-11 big man finally got on the court against UC Riverside and looked good, grabbing three rebounds in seven minutes and, most important, blocking a shot. Given his unique skill set, Dembele’s health will be important to monitor going forward, and an increase in playing time against Fullerton would have to be considered a good sign.

Sharing the point

UNLV may not have a true point guard just yet, but Poyser and junior Jovan Mooring did a nice job while splitting those duties against Riverside. Poyser posted a team-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting while Mooring scored nine points and registered six assists, and they seemed to be more comfortable playing together.

Poyser and Mooring were on the floor together for nearly 19 minutes on Wednesday, and UNLV outscored Riverside 37-27 during that span, which included a key 12-6 run late in the game to seal the win. The backcourt pairing worked much better than it did in the season opener, when they played 13 minutes together and were outscored by South Alabama, 23-20.

Coming off such a strong performance, keep an eye on how Menzies deploys Poyser and Mooring against Fullerton and how often they are playing at the same time. If it’s working for the Rebels, Menzies will roll with it.