Rebels’ progress to be tested

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Whether he’s shooting jumpers or jumping to conclusions, UNLV senior point guard Curtis Terry exudes confidence. He believes in himself and his team.

He can even portray a blowout loss as a positive experience.

"From that point on, we knew we could play with pretty much any team in the country," Terry said, referring to the Rebels’ 68-48 home loss to then-No. 6 Louisville on Nov. 21.

As strange as that might sound, Terry believes it’s true. UNLV became a better team, he said, after taking a beating from the Cardinals.

The Rebels, breaking in several new players and mostly inexperienced in big games, failed their first major test of the season against a ranked nonconference opponent. Their second test has arrived.

UNLV (7-2) hosts No. 19 Arizona (7-2) at 7 p.m. today at the Thomas & Mack Center, where the Rebels are 23-2 the past two seasons.

"I think we learned a lot from the Louisville game," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "For most of our guys, it was kind of the first big stage.

"We’re three weeks further along, and our guys are making progress. You look forward to lining up and playing against good teams. That’s a good measuring stick."

The Rebels have grown up in the past month, posting quality victories over UNR, Texas-El Paso, Northern Arizona and Fresno State.

But the Wildcats, led by sophomore forward Chase Budinger and freshman point guard Jerryd Bayless, might represent the toughest opponent on UNLV’s schedule.

Arizona handed 14th-ranked Texas A&M its only loss and fell in overtime at third-ranked Kansas.

"I think we match up pretty good against these guys," said Terry, the Rebels’ leading scorer at 13.8 points per game. "Against Louisville, we didn’t match up at all with their size.

"With the way we play, we can go 10 guys deep and press and trap and try to wear them out with our defensive pressure and effort. We have to clamp down on them defensively and make them work."

Rebels junior Wink Adams, a strong perimeter defender, will draw the assignment of stopping Bayless, who averages 20.0 points per game and has scored in double figures in all nine games.

Budinger, considered an NBA prospect, is an outstanding all-around player who averages 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Wildcats.

"They are really talented, and obviously it starts with Budinger and Bayless," Kruger said.

Jordan Hill, a 6-foot-10-inch sophomore, is the main low-post threat for Arizona, which might not be able to match UNLV’s deep rotation.

"I definitely think we can run with them," Terry said. "We’re always going to try to speed it up. We practice every day with that kind of energy, intensity and speed, so we should have an advantage.

"All their offense goes through Bayless and Budinger. If we can limit the good shots they get, contest a lot of their shots, and make them earn their points and not get easy baskets, I think we’ll have a great chance."

Budinger had 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Wildcats ran over the Rebels 89-75 last year in Tucson. Arizona no longer has its top scorers from that game, Ivan Radenovic (27 points) and Marcus Williams (24).

The lopsided defeat was a turning point for UNLV last season, and Terry said the Louisville loss will prove to be the same this season.

The Rebels led the Cardinals 35-33 with 14 minutes remaining before Louisville broke the game open with a 16-2 run.

"We learned from that, and we’re confident we can beat these teams," Terry said.

• NOTES — Kruger said junior guard Rene Rougeau, who had 19 points in UNLV’s 84-71 victory over Fresno State on Dec. 8, will make his second consecutive start. … The Rebels have a 9-5 series edge over the Wildcats, who are 0-6 in games played in Las Vegas.

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