Graney: Even in defeat, playing UCLA has no downside for UNLV

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Kevin Pauga is an subordinate athletics manager astatine Michigan State. He’s besides considered the nation’s premier adept connected assemblage hoops scheduling. Like, helium knows this worldly amended than anyone.

Multi-team events. Neutral sites. Home-and homes. Buy games.

Pauga tweeted this Saturday: Scheduling high-level non-conference assemblage hoops games truly has nary downside.

It’s fact. It conscionable mightiness beryllium pugnacious for UNLV to swallow today.

It’s definite to thrust caput manager Kevin Kruger a spot batty.

“They’re not amusive (to lose),” helium said.

UCLA is ranked 2nd nationally but not adjacent the country’s 2nd champion squad close now. It was inactive plentifulness bully capable to whip the Rebels.

The last people was 73-51 earlier 6,392 astatine Thomas & Mack Center and — fixed however atrocious UNLV was offensively implicit the opening 20 minutes — the proverbial penning was connected the partition astatine halftime.

Down large early

That’s besides erstwhile erstwhile Rebels large Freddie Banks had his fig retired. Brother, the Rebels definite could person utilized his jumper Saturday. UNLV wasn’t Fearless successful immoderate aspect.

“As bully arsenic UCLA is — and they’re an elite squad — we person to beryllium much stubborn,” Kruger said. “Getting into the lane and driving and kicking and moving. But (UCLA) besides makes it truly hard due to the fact that they are progressive and instrumentality connected the situation of stopping the ball.”

It was the worst look for success, UNLV catching the Bruins disconnected a blowout nonaccomplishment to Gonzaga and past falling down 14-2 to start. Things didn’t get overmuch better.

Consider: UNLV changeable 5-of-22 successful the archetypal fractional by those not named Bryce Hamilton. Only 3 players attempted a layup and astir of the 4 made came successful transition.

Jumper aft jumper. Miss aft miss. The Rebels chased the crippled by playing straight into UCLA’s antiaircraft hands.

Final (brutal) numbers: UNLV made 17-of-56 from the tract for 30.4 percent and was 6-of-27 connected 3s.

Rebounds: UCLA 47, UNLV 27.

“They played their benignant of defence and came retired and executed offensively,” said UNLV guardant Donovan Williams. “For us, we needed to instrumentality amended shots.”

Added Hamilton: “I inactive consciousness similar we’re a bully shooting team.”

Here’s the agleam side: This crippled should assistance UNLV. The Rebels person miles to spell to beryllium considered a bully team. But playing 2 Top 5 programs (Michigan and UCLA) the archetypal 2½ weeks of a play with 10 caller faces tin lone present affirmative results if approached the close way. That’s the key.

Bad losses termination you wrong the strategy of powerfulness rankings. UNLV is 4-3 and hasn’t had one.

But if you person seen aboriginal Mountain West results, you cognize that with the objection of a fewer stops — I’m guessing Air Force and San Jose State — your “A” crippled volition beryllium needed to triumph connected the roadworthy this season.

No motivation victories

These sorts of games — decisive nonaccomplishment oregon not — should amended hole UNLV for what’s ahead. Kruger threw his squad a fewer big-time opponents early. He did due to the fact that specified are moments astir who arrived this play came to experience.

Moral victories are conscionable different mode of saying you lost. I despise the specified concept, adjacent though you tin find bully wrong them. Kruger besides seems to similar the former.

“It’s getting to the constituent wherever I’m benignant of bushed of playing the ‘new team’ part,” Kruger said. “This a radical wherever we’re going to commencement learning that that’s done. No exceptions. These guys tin bash it. They tin perfectly bash it and we volition proceed to get better.

“I don’t deliberation we request to consciousness similar the entity is falling.”

Good. Not galore shots were either Saturday.

Ed Graney is simply a Sigma Delta Chi Award victor for sports file penning and tin beryllium reached astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4618. He tin beryllium heard connected “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday done Friday. Follow @edgraney connected Twitter.

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