Rebel Report Card: Team needs improvement
BACKCOURT: D
Patrick McCaw just couldn’t keep the momentum of an outstanding second-half shooting performance against Air Force on Saturday going and it proved costly for a UNLV offense that needed a spark from somewhere. The Rebels made just 18 of 60 shots, with McCaw going 2-for-10 from the field and missing all five of his 3-point attempts. Jelan Kendrick led UNLV with 15 points, but he turned the ball over three times and went just 6 of 15 from the field. Cody Doolin committed just one turnover, though it proved very costly. Doolin threw a terrible entry pass that turned into a tie-breaking dunk by James Webb with 3:26 remaining and Boise State never relinquished the lead in a 53-48 victory at Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday night. The Rebel guards just made too many mistakes and with Rashad Vaughn out of the lineup, not enough positive plays to negate them. Kendrick made the team’s only two 3-pointers of the night, ensuring the continuation of UNLV’s streak of consecutive game with a made shot from beyond the arc.
FRONTCOURT: D
This category may be a bit skewed because Chris Wood came off the bench due to a missed academic appointment on Tuesday. Dwayne Morgan started in his place and did very little in his 19 minutes of action. Morgan missed all three shots he attempted and pulled down just three rebounds. Goodluck Okonoboh saved this group from a failing grade, though his numbers weren’t overwhelming. He made several nice post moves and showed glimpses of significant improvement on that end of the floor. He also made 4 of 6 from the free-throw line, which has been a real problem area for the freshman. Okonoboh had just three rebounds, though, and the Rebels were dominated 47-36 on the glass. That’s not acceptable.
BENCH: D-
Wood came off the bench to record 12 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes. Those numbers would be tremendous for many players, but not for Wood with Vaughn on the sideline. He needs to be a dominant scorer and went just 4 of 13 from the floor on Wednesday. The game plan was for Wood to get as many touches as possible on the blocks, but he was pushed off his spot far too often and UNLV had to go to second and third options. Wood often lacked hustle getting back defensively and went after several rebounds with just one hand, only to lose the ball to smaller opponents. As outstanding as his numbers have been for the Rebels this season, he will be relied upon to do even more the rest of the way whether that’s fair or not. Jordan Cornish was the only other player off the bench to record significant minutes. He went 1-for-7 from the field and missed both of his 3-point attempts.
COACHING: D-
The plan for UNLV on Wednesday was to get Wood the ball in the post and let him try to score. Boise State pushed Wood around and rarely let him catch the ball anywhere near the paint. Wood didn’t show much desire to fight through the contact and Dave Rice and his staff didn’t seem to have a second option. The Rebels offense was stagnant for long stretches and UNLV once again came out of the locker room cold and found a way to lose a close game in the final minutes. It’s getting to be a recurring theme and nobody on the bench seems to have much of an answer.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.
