Rebels’ nonconference schedule should reveal Menzies’ intentions

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, June 13, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Just how good does Marvin Menzies think the Rebels can be this season?

Under normal circumstances, you’d need a soundproof room, a dosage of truth serum and some instruments of torture in order to get a college hoops coach to reveal his honest expectations of his team. But UNLV’s nonconference schedule — which should be announced in the coming days — should tell a lot about Menzies’ hopes for the 2017-18 campaign.

If he truly believes his rebuilt roster is capable of making noise in March, he’ll have constructed a schedule dotted with quality opponents, giving the Rebels a chance to build a convincing NCAA Tournament resume.

However, if Menzies thinks his squad of blue-chip newcomers will need a year to gel before they’re ready for the bright lights, the nonconference slate could be padded with cupcakes and tomato cans meant as glorified live scrimmages.

Menzies chose something closer to the latter route in his first season at the helm. Understanding that his mismatched team would have trouble competing, Menzies lined up a non-conference schedule that featured few good opponents (excluding games against Oregon, Duke and Kansas, which were scheduled before Menzies got the job). For the season, UNLV’s non-conference strength of schedule ranked 274th in the nation.

UNLV is more capable of taking on quality competition this year. With freshman center Brandon McCoy, junior power forward Shakur Juiston and senior point guard Jordan Johnson set to breathe new life into the lineup, the Rebels should be favorites to contend for the Mountain West championship. That means strength of schedule could be a determining factor if UNLV finds itself on the bubble on selection Sunday.

So what will the schedule look like? Seven games have already been announced or reported so far:

Opponent: vs. Rice

Date: Nov. 20

2016-17 KenPom rating: No. 155

Notes: This game will be played as part of the MGM Grand Main Event. The Owls went 23-12 last year but lost top scorer Egor Koulechov to Florida as a grad transfer, so they could take a step back.

Opponent: vs. Ole Miss/Utah

Date: Nov. 22

2016-17 KenPom rating: Ole Miss No. 74; Utah No. 47

Notes: The second game of the MGM Grand Main Event will see the Rebels match up against one of these teams. Both should be Top-100 caliber, but probably not good enough to headline an NCAA resume.

Opponent: at Northern Iowa

Date: Nov. 29

2016-17 KenPom rating: No. 169

Notes: The Mountain West/Missouri Valley challenge could give UNLV a chance at a decent road win if UNI lives up to its potential.

Opponent: vs. Arizona

Date: Dec. 2

2016-17 KenPom rating: No. 18

Notes: This will probably end up being the best chance for a statement win, as Arizona figures to be a preseason top-5 selection.

Opponent: vs. Illinois

Date: Dec. 9

2016-17 KenPom rating: No. 66

Notes: If the Illini are improved under first-year coach Brad Underwood, this would give UNLV an opportunity for a solid Big Ten win.

Opponent: at Pacific

Date: TBD

2016-17 KenPom rating: No. 246

Notes: This is the type of game coaches hate. Playing a bad team on the road is a lose-lose situation.

Opponent: vs. Southern Utah

Date: TBD

2016-17 KenPom rating: No. 333

Notes: This will wrap up the 2-for-1 series with SUU. The Rebels can’t afford many more games against this quality of competition, or they’ll have to rely solely on winning the MWC Tournament if they want to make the NCAAs.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.