Rebels’ progress right on schedule

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After undergoing heart bypass surgery in early August, UNLV basketball coach Lon Kruger made a speedy recovery and returned to work sooner than anticipated. For the most part, his job has been less stressful than expected.

One month into the season, Kruger has no health concerns, and it helps that the Rebels are 6-2 and showing progress.

“No major surprises,” Kruger said Friday, as UNLV prepared to host Fresno State (5-3) at 7 p.m. today at the Orleans Arena.

“Realistically, going in, most people would have taken 6-2, but we can’t be content with that because we have to play better. And I think that’s what this group has done is gotten better.”

If there is a surprise, it’s how well senior Curtis Terry has performed as the starting point guard. He leads the Rebels in scoring at 13.6 points per game while shooting a team-best 57 percent from the field.

Two juniors, guard Wink Adams and forward Joe Darger, also are averaging double figures in scoring and maturing as leaders.

UNLV is finding its identity as a team that relies on 3-point shooting and defensive intensity to overcome its lack of experience and size.

“I think we can be a team that no one likes to play, similar to last year’s group,” Kruger said. “We have to execute things better and we have to compete a little harder in a more physical way.”

The Rebels are 4-1 at home, and averaging 11,203 fans per game at the Thomas & Mack Center, but they might be playing in front of several empty seats at the Orleans Arena, which has a capacity of 7,471.

Today’s game is not part of UNLV’s season-ticket package, and with tickets priced at $35, the crowd is projected to be about 4,000.

The Rebels are taking a back seat to two bigger events — the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack and the Ricky Hatton-Floyd Mayweather Jr. weightweight title fight at the MGM Grand.

“It’s a big Saturday night, and I don’t think we’ve necessarily seen the interest in that game that we’d like,” said UNLV associate athletic director Perk Weisenburger, who oversees marketing and promotions. “From the marketing side of it, we’ll learn a lot and we’ll do it better next year.”

Boyd Gaming, which owns the Orleans Arena, purchased about 1,500 vouchers for free tickets for UNLV students. Weisenburger said he’s hoping for at least 800 students to attend and for a late boost in walk-up sales.

“I think we’ll end up with a good atmosphere in there, and we need one,” Kruger said. “The crowds at the Thomas & Mack have been super, and I think the students have been great. Boyd Gaming buying those tickets for the students was a great gesture, and I think that will help the crowd.”

The rodeo forces the Rebels to vacate the Thomas & Mack for 16 days in December, and Kruger does not want to go such a long stretch without a home game. He said the idea of playing an annual game at the Orleans “has potential.”

The same can be said about his team, which is winning without a true center. UNLV’s interior positions are handled by the 6-foot-7-inch Darger and 6-8 sophomores Matt Shaw and Lamar Roberson.

Kruger said the Rebels must be “disruptive and pesky” on defense, fight harder to rebound and compete to get better shots on offense.

“There are going to be times when teams are going to pound us, and despite our efforts, we might not be able to fend them off. But we have to make up for it in other ways,” Kruger said.

“We still have a lot of holes and we still have to fill those. We might not win all the battles, but we’ve got to compete like crazy in an effort to, and that’s what we’re learning how to do right now.”

UNLV, coming off an 83-74 victory Wednesday at Northern Arizona, returns to the Thomas & Mack on Dec. 19 to play Arizona.

• NOTES — The Rebels and Bulldogs have not met since 1998. UNLV leads the series 25-6. … Fresno State needed overtime to defeat Cal State Monterey Bay 85-80 on Wednesday.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2907.