In rebuild, UNLV can’t get preoccupied chasing UNR’s success

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 | 10:06 p.m.

Let’s be honest: The UNLV basketball team had no chance tonight of beating top-10 ranked UNR, whose roster of experienced players lived up to the billing of a program primed for a run into deep March.

There’s much to like about Reno, everything from the dominant inside-out game of Jordan Caroline to how the Martin twins seemed to play at a different speed. It’s the type of athleticism that’s rarely seen in the Mountain West, with UNLV outclassed at every position from the opening tip. Reno toyed with the Rebels, growing its lead to more than 20 points in the first half and cruising to a 87-70 win.

It would be easy for UNLV to look at what UNR has built and be jealous, wondering why the Rebels’ rebuild hasn’t been equally lucrative. Reno went from nine wins in 2015 to the Sweet 16 in three years, and UNLV’s third year with Marvin Menzies this season will end significantly short of expectations.

But UNLV can’t get preoccupied with chasing UNR, or any other recent college basketball turnaround success story. They have a plan of developing a core group of players — Amauri Hardy, Bryce Hamilton and Joel Ntambwe — who “grow old together” and eventually turn into the Mountain West’s best team.

Tonight, they showed flaws, the product of young players who are still developing and were physically outmatched. Simply put, they were on the wrong end of many highlight-reel plays by one of the best teams in league history.

“It was good to get the young guys a taste of what it looks like. That’s a big time team,” Menzies said. “They showed us a thing or two about to play with intensity on every possession.”

Even though the Rebels lost — trailed from start to finish, actually — there were some reasons for optimism. And, yes, more reasons than extending the nation’s longest 3-pointer streak in the second half after missing their initial 12 attempts and surely worrying some scarlet and gray faithful who consider the streak the lone link to past successes.

The Rebels competed hard in the second half, which considering there was no chance of erasing the deficit, is a ringing endorsement for Menzies because it shows the players haven’t quit on him.

Each time UNLV scored, Reno seemed to come down the court and make a basket of its own — something that had nothing to do with effort. Rather, it was all about talent, where UNR had a glaringly obvious edge.

The lone exception was with Hardy, who despite scoring 17 points on just 5 of 12 shooting, was comfortable in the offense and consistently attacked. If you are looking for the one player who has untapped potential, it’s the sophomore Hardy. In two years, he could impact a game like one of UNR’s many pieces.

The same could be said about Ntambwe, the likely Mountain West Newcomer of the Year, who finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

Other UNLV players, especially Kris Clyburn, who scored a team-best 23 points, had flashes of good play. But it was going to take more than a few good plays, or the best home crowd of the season, to beat UNR.

Let’s again be honest: Every other Mountain West team, especially the Rebels, are playing for second.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21