Graney: Rebels discovered toughness — now they have to keep it

Forget that neither basketball team played all that well. UNLV on Wednesday discovered something in victory it desperately needed then and moving forward.

Toughness.

The Rebels beat No. 22 Utah State 65-62 in a game UNLV shot just 41 percent, including a forgettable 6 of 25 on 3s. It couldn’t make much of anything. But a win came at the defensive end down the stretch, a sort of resolve the Rebels didn’t show at all in previous road defeats to Boise State and Colorado State.

In games they lost by scores of 81-59 and 84-62.

In games they were overmatched and ridiculously outplayed.

“In those two games, we didn’t play like ourselves,” sophomore point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. said. “We didn’t show any type of toughness or fight on the road. We just had to get that fight back in us.

“We definitely picked up our defense and rebounding (against Utah State). We haven’t been a great rebounding team, but I think it was a step in the right direction.”

They’ll try and take another major one Saturday.

You can’t win at San Diego State and not be tough. You can’t beat the Aztecs in Viejas Arena and not be sound at the defensive end and on the boards. You have to handle the physicality of such a matchup.

That’s the goal of UNLV (10-7, 4-2 Mountain West) — to not allow San Diego State (11-4, 4-2) to dictate where it wants the Rebels on the court. To hear UNLV coach Kevin Kruger talk, San Diego State is at its best when it can make you stand and knock you off your spots. When you want to avoid contact and forget to move.

Rebounding challenge

So you have to start and stop. Go from slow to fast. Have great spacing and cuts. Only then might you create quality looks at the rim.

“You have to do your best not to allow them to Velcro you, because when they do that, they’re very good,” Kruger said. “I’ve explained to the guys who haven’t played (San Diego State) that you’re going to have the hardest defensive rebounding night on steroids.

“(San Diego State) is the best at it. They always have been. We have to have that same mentality and realize it’s going to take another step forward in terms of effort from start to finish to beat a team like San Diego State.”

The film of Utah State told Kruger what he thought when watching live. That his team’s intent was on point. That its confidence was better than it had been of late. That it was — despite the poor shooting — its most complete game since a one-point loss at Dayton.

It’s not easy scoring and getting stops. So when there are nights that even the best of looks conclude with missed shots, it’s that much more important to defend with purpose. UNLV did that Wednesday.

When it’s fully engaged and focused at that end, UNLV can compete with anyone in the Mountain West. But we’ve seen what happens when it’s not. It’s not pretty. When it’s uncertain offensively, things tend to carry over on defense.

And that’s when the Rebels really get into trouble.

“The fact the (Utah State game) came down to finishing with defensive stops is great to see,” Kruger said. “We did a great job of not turning the ball over, which leads to good defense and better quality shots. … Hopefully we can carry some of that confidence into (playing) yet another elite team.”

Remaining tough

It won’t be easy. San Diego State has won seven of the past eight games in the series. UNLV is 13-20 all-time when playing the Aztecs in San Diego.

“All I know is that it’s going to be a fight for 40 minutes,” Thomas Jr. said. “It’s going to be physical. It’s going to be tough. So you have to be mentally tough, stay together and stay connected.”

Tough being the operative word.

UNLV discovered it Wednesday.

The key now is keeping it.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.