UNLV Rebels: 3 thoughts on loss to Stanford

Some elements of UNLV’s blowout loss to Stanford can be dismissed as bad luck. A game after shooting 4-for-13 from beyond the arc, the Cardinal knocked down 14 of its 20 3-pointers en route to a 29 point victory. Still, it’s tough to lose by nearly 30 points just because the other team got lucky. Dave Rice and his UNLV squad finally faced an opponent with the size, athleticism and experience to take advantage of their flaws. Here are three takeaways from the beatdown:

UNLV’s inexperience is showing early

Playing a Stanford team with three senior starters returning from a Sweet 16 squad, UNLV’s young players didn’t respond well to an early deficit. Stanford knocked down four 3-pointers before the Rebels managed a single point, and UNLV players got desperate. It often appeared that rather than having five players trying to manufacture points as a unit, each of the five players wanted to take on the defense alone.

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Freshman Goodluck Okonoboh, who came into the game averaging 6.5 blocks per game, managed just 1 tonight while being baited into 3 first half fouls. While the team’s first two opponents are both solid teams, neither has a post player like Stanford’s 6-foot-10 senior Stefan Nastic. Nastic didn’t have his best game, but managed to make shots over Okonoboh’s block attempts. Fortunatly for Okonoboh, he won’t face another experienced player with Nastic’s size until the Rebels face off with Arizona and 7-footer Kaleb Tarczewski in late December.

Okonoboh wasn’t the only one that struggled with foul trouble early. Cody Doolin went into halftime with a pair of fouls, while Dwayne Morgan joined Okonoboh with three at the break.

Cody Doolin is critical to UNLV’s offense

Nov 16, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UNLV Runnin’ Rebels guard Cody Doolin (45) shouts to a teammate while holding the ball during an NCAA basketball game against Sam Houston State at Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV won the game 59-57. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

One of two seniors in the Rebels’ rotation, Doolin is the floor general that this young team needs in order to function offensively. UNLV’s desparation was especially evident when the senior transfer from San Francisco was out of the game with foul trouble. Nobody else looked to create for others, and the Rebels’s deficit became too much to overcome.

Doolin’s assist-to-turnover ratio of better than 4:1 is far and away the best on UNLV. When he’s off the court, the Rebels don’t have a creator, and the offense goes stagnant. Freshman Rashad Vaughn is both the team’s most talented player and its best scorer, but Doolin’s experience and playmaking ability make him arguably as important to the team.

Rashad Vaughn won’t score 20 every night

In UNLV’s first two games, Vaughn carried the scoring load. Tonight was a perfect example of why he and the Rebels need a second scorer to emerge. The freshman managed just seven points on 2-for-9 shooting, and UNLV got buried. Without a consistent second scorer, the Rebels will be vulnerable to blowout losses throughout a schedule full of talented teams.

Christian Wood once again seemed to be the most willing to be UNLV’s second option, but he is still working on efficiency. Tonight, the 6-foot-11 forward scored 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting, pulling his average up to a less-than-stellar 35.4% from the field this year. If Wood can’t improve his shooting percentage, the Rebels need somebody else to emerge in order to make a push for the NCAA Tournament.