UNLV in tough stretch midway through Mountain West schedule

UNLV was rolling at 6-1 in the Mountain West, its best start in conference play in 12 years, but the Rebels knew their schedule was about to get much harder.

And it has.

The Rebels lost at UNR 86-72 last Wednesday before nearly pulling off an upset Sunday in a 71-67 loss to No. 4 San Diego State.

Next up? Games at much improved Colorado State on Saturday and preseason conference favorite Utah State on Feb. 5.

“We knew this stretch was going to be challenging,” UNLV coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We just dumped two games, and we need to come to practice and continue to improve because going to Colorado State is not an easy game. … and we know that those games keep coming.”

UNLV (11-11, 6-3 MW) is at the midway point of its conference season and with a mid-week break, this is a good opportunity to take inventory of just where the Rebels stand:

The positives

Sophomore point guard Marvin Coleman. He was a walk-on last season and barely played at the beginning of this season, but through sheer will took advantage of Elijah Mitrou-Long’s broken thumb and claimed the starting job. Coleman’s triple-double against New Mexico was UNLV’s first in more than 20 years.

Sophomore guard Bryce Hamilton. He never got comfortable in his first season under then-coach Marvin Menzies and didn’t look like he would be a good fit for Otzelberger’s system. The opposite has been true. Hamilton uses his athleticism to keep finding ways to get to the basket and is averaging 22.2 points in conference play, second to UNR’s Jalen Harris at 22.6.

Junior center Mbacke Diong. His scoring comes and goes, but Diong is averaging career highs in points (8.9) and rebounds (8.9). He gives the Rebels their best inside defensive presence, averaging 1.3 blocked shots per game.

The question marks

Junior forward Donnie Tillman. After being named Pac-12 Conference Sixth Man of the Year last season at Utah, more was expected out him at the lower-level Mountain West. Tillman has put up remarkably similar numbers — 10.6 points and 5.1 rebounds at UNLV compared to 10.5 and 5.3 with the Utes — and his struggles finishing at the rim have been a mystery.

Junior guard Amauri Hardy. He carried the Rebels early this season, and though he has become more efficient as others have stepped up, he has been inconsistent. Hardy followed a 23-point game at UNR with a two-point output against San Diego State. UNLV needs Hardy to be a bigger part of its offense if the Rebels are to make noise down the stretch.

Junior guard Jonah Antonio. Though UNLV’s best outside shooter, Antonio hasn’t been consistent, and missing six games to a broken thumb didn’t help his rhythm. After making a combined 10 of 22 3-pointers against Wyoming and San Jose State, Antonio has gone 5 for 22 since then.

The outlook

UNLV was picked seventh in the preseason, and the Rebels — tied with UNR for second place — should finish ahead of that mark. According to Kenpom’s ratings, the Rebels likely will lose their next two games before closing the regular season with five victories in seven games.

If the schedule plays out that way, UNLV would be 16-15 overall and 11-7 in the conference and could take momentum into the conference tournament.

Whether that means challenging for the tournament title is another question. San Diego State is the prohibitive favorite, and a healthy Utah State team would be a strong contender as well.

More than anything, finishing strong would set up the Rebels for next season when players such as David Jenkins Jr. and Nick Blake are added to the lineup and expectations are noticeably higher.

Otzelberger has one eye on next season as he evaluates this roster, and he said he was “proud of the progress” from this team, but wants to see continued improvement.

So do his players.

“Our season’s not over,” Coleman said. “So we’re going to keep getting better every single day.”

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.