Rebels looking for an identity after Boise State blowout

Body language told Kevin Kruger a lot about his UNLV men’s basketball team after Tuesday’s loss at Boise State.

“Nobody felt good leaving Boise,” the fourth-year coach said. “I mean, top to bottom, nobody got on that plane feeling that we were our best self.”

It’s an understandable assessment after the 81-59 rout, one that Kruger recalled at practice Friday morning before UNLV (9-6, 3-1 Mountain West) got on another plane to face Colorado State (9-6, 3-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Throughout the mismatch with Boise State, the Rebels looked like a team without a solid foundation. In the immediate aftermath of the loss, Kruger told reporters what he wants the Rebels’ reputation to be.

“Each night is a challenge, and teams are playing hard to win games,” he said. “It’s conference time, and so we got to be one of those that people talk about how hard we play, how competitive we are.”

So far, UNLV hasn’t given opponents much reason to place those attributes on the team. The Rebels went 6-5 in nonconference play, then managed to start 3-0 in the Mountain West against a trio of struggling teams.

But the Broncos handed UNLV a wake-up call. Or, in the words of point guard Dedan Thomas on Friday, “that game kind of humbled us.”

He also said that the Rebels “learned a lot” from it, which will be crucial for the team’s next task: changing its identity.

‘Consistent fight’

It seems that Kruger’s ideal core characteristic for the Rebels is an intangible one. Some coaches might say they want their team’s identity to be defense or shooting. Others might opt for a phrase like the common football adage of “hard, smart, tough.”

When asked Friday about his vision for the Rebels’ identity in light of the recent loss, Kruger used the words “consistent fight” repeatedly.

“In Boise (we) kind of got down ourselves a little bit and just didn’t have that consistent fight,” Kruger said. “When you’re in a tough conference like the Mountain West, (a team with) consistent fight is the one that’s going to have a better chance to win.”

But how do you instill something like “consistent fight” into the fabric of a team?

Kruger said it comes down to making sure that preparation translates to performance.

“This is a group that plays really hard,” he said. “But it’s just carrying it over from practice, carrying it over from film sessions.”

There have been times this season when Kruger said he was feeling encouraged by how the team “locked in” to practices and film study. There have also been postgame press conferences when he praised them for applying the game plan perfectly.

But Kruger will need to see success in those areas in every game. That can still be a little nervewracking at this point, he said.

“At the halfway point in the season, I think every coach right now is still — you’ve got some anxiety,” he said. “Because you want to keep getting better, you want to keep getting reps, and you want to keep getting good practices in. I don’t think that’ll ever change. I think that’s what happens in the coaching world, you’re just always worried about trying things you can fix and help the guys and be better.”

Rebounding

Of course, there are some tangible areas where the Rebels can improve.

For Thomas, the most important one is clear.

“Obviously, defensive rebounding,” he said. “That’s what helped us go on that 10-game win streak last year. That’s where it all started. I feel like we need to get back to securing rebounds and finishing possessions on the defensive end so we can get on the run.”

UNLV is taking up the rear in the Mountain West in rebounding margin, while Boise State was No. 16 in the nation coming into the game.

“The beginning of last year, we were a bad rebounding team. We finished being a good rebounding team.” Kruger said. “But it comes down to the discipline and the concentration of continuing to fight every time, and Boise just won that battle.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.