LAS VEGAS — UNLV collected 31 offensive rebounds in two exhibitions and still lost both. Thirty-six turnovers erased much of the work it did to win those extra possessions. Now Tyrin Jones is expected back in the lineup for Thursday’s final exhibition against Missouri, and the Rebels have one more chance to show their inside strength can produce something better than another avoidable loss.
Jones missed the Utah and BYU exhibitions while recovering from April shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. “It feels real good, 100%,” Jones said when asked about his shoulder. “I’m really just looking forward to getting out with the guys again, you know it’s been so long since I’ve played with the team. I’m really out there to get some rust off and get back to doing what I do which is blocking shots, making big plays, rebounding, and helping the team win.”
When asked about the improvements he wants to make in his second year, Jones talked about defense and rebounding. “This year it will probably be my defensive aspect of the game. I want to be more than a shot blocker, I want to be a lock down defender too.”
Jones averaged 11.9 points, five rebounds and a Mountain West-leading 2.2 blocks last season, earning all-defensive and honorable mention all-conference recognition. His return would give Josh Pastner a rim protector and a finisher the Rebels have been missing, but it would not correct a careless pass or a late defensive rotation by itself.
Missouri knows how to punish both. The Tigers beat Kansas State 71-67 on Friday despite shooting just 35.4% from the field. They retrieved 16 offensive rebounds, and freshman point guard Jason Crowe Jr. scored 21 points with five assists and three steals. Sophomore Bryson Tiller pulled down nine rebounds and blocked five shots. His final rejection helped protect a two-point lead in the closing seconds.
Those are the possessions UNLV cannot afford to give away Thursday. The Rebels made only 14 of 46 3-point attempts and 30 of 50 free throws in the first two exhibitions, while recording 25 assists against 36 turnovers. They were capable of extending a possession with a rebound and then ending it with a poor shot or a turnover. Against a Missouri team that keeps chasing missed shots, the Rebels have to secure their own defensive rebounds before they can run and avoid costly turnovers. Free throws can also reward those interior attacks.
“Our games vs Utah and BYU we had too many turnovers. That was a thing we got exposed on that our turnovers were an issue, we’ve got to really clean that up,” Pastner said. He also said turnovers were inevitable at UNLV’s pace: “At our speed and how fast we play there’s going to be some turnovers, but our goal is to keep the turnovers down to 12% of our possessions.”
That puts another demanding night on Cam Miles. Terrance Ford Jr. is still out while recovering from a concussion, leaving Miles to run the offense with freshman Kota Suttle Jr. backing him up. Pastner said Ford is getting close to a return, but he will not play Thursday. Miles will need passing outlets against Missouri’s pressure. Jones’ return gives him one more target near the basket if the guards and wings keep the floor spaced.
The BYU loss supplied a specific example of why that responsibility extends beyond the ballhandler. Pastner explained afterward that Jackson Kiss inbounded to Suttle, then ran ahead rather than remaining behind him as an outlet. Suttle was charged with the turnover. The receiver needed a teammate available for the return pass. Against Missouri, simply asking a freshman to handle pressure better will not be enough if the other four Rebels leave him without a safe pass.
Miles finished the BYU game with 15 points, four assists and five turnovers in 36 minutes. Suttle played 16 minutes and had two turnovers. Ford’s absence makes those minutes necessary, and Crowe’s three steals against Kansas State give UNLV a reason to prepare its outlets before the trap arrives. The guards have to recognize when the first opening closes; the inbounder and nearest wing have to remain within reach rather than assume that getting the ball in has ended their job.
The Rebels need the passing that helped build their first-half lead against BYU. Nine of their 17 baskets came off assists before halftime; only three of 11 did afterward. Missed shots explain part of any assist total. Pastner’s complaint went further: too much handling, too little movement. Jones can finish inside, but the guards have to get through the pressure and deliver the ball early. Otherwise, UNLV gets its best finisher back only to leave him waiting while Missouri takes another possession away.
The score had already warned UNLV how quickly that advantage could disappear. The Rebels led BYU 42-30 with 3:05 left in the first half and went to the locker room ahead 42-41 after an 11-0 run. Missouri’s surge after halftime against Kansas State presents a similar concern about sustained concentration. UNLV has to recognize a slipping possession before it becomes several minutes without a basket. A timeout or substitution can interrupt a run, but the players still have to return with a pass available and a shot they can make.
Missouri’s comeback at Kansas State began with 13 consecutive points after halftime. The Tigers turned a 32-27 deficit into a lead and stretched the margin to 14 before the Wildcats made a final push. Crowe supplied scoring and ball pressure; Tiller finished the defensive stand. Fifth-year forward Mark Mitchell, the Tigers’ leading returning scorer after averaging 18.3 points last season, grabbed eight rebounds, six at the offensive end, even without scoring in the exhibition. Missouri showed it could win when its established offensive leader did not carry the scoring.
Trent Pierce deserves attention in that comeback, too. He scored all 10 of his points during the second half, including the stretch that put Missouri ahead. Cord Stansberry added eight points off the bench and made both of his 3-point attempts. Leaving those shooters to crowd Crowe would give Missouri a way to punish the help. The Tigers made only eight of 29 threes overall against Kansas State, but UNLV cannot use that one poor team percentage as permission to abandon individual shooters.
Tiller’s five blocks also change the decision at the other end. Sebastian Mack and Miles need to know where he is before they drive. If he steps toward the ball, Jones or another interior target has to present a passing angle; if he stays home, the guard must judge whether there is room to finish. Forcing a shot into the shot blocker would waste the opening just as surely as throwing the ball away. Tiller went 2 of 10 himself, yet still affected the result through his defense and rebounding.
UNLV needs more consistent scoring help beside its leading guard. Sebastian Mack scored 25 against Utah and 26 against BYU, but his production has not translated into an exhibition win. Jones would give the offense another target inside, and Dontrez Williams could help the guards create possessions through pressure. The two cannot replace the decisions that must be made before either player touches the ball.
Mack’s BYU line was more controlled than the team total: 26 points, three assists and one turnover in 33 minutes. UNLV should want him attacking again. The concern is how often those attacks become the only available offense after the first action fails. Missouri can make him work at the rim, and asking him to rescue repeated empty possessions would put too much of Thursday’s scoring burden on the same player again.
Williams can help without needing the same volume of shots. He had nine points and nine rebounds against BYU in 33 minutes. With Mitchell pursuing misses, Williams’ work finding a body and collecting the ball becomes part of UNLV’s defense, especially when a big man leaves his position to challenge a shot. A blocked or missed attempt does not finish the stop. The wing behind that contest has to keep Missouri from recovering it.
There is also scoring available from the bench. Jalen Cunningham made all three of his 3-point attempts against BYU for nine points in 14 minutes. UNLV cannot assume another perfect shooting night, but his performance gives the guards a reason to find him when help comes from his side. A pass to an available shooter can be a better use of the possession than another drive toward Tiller.
At least the injury list is getting shorter. Tyler Harris, Issac Williamson and Ford are the only Rebels still dealing with injuries. Williamson is improving and has moved into noncontact work, while Harris is also working toward a return. AJ Storr is out for a different reason: he remains ineligible.
With Jones expected back, UNLV has a little more depth than it had against BYU, even with Pastner limiting him to 20 minutes. Missouri is still going to be tough. Its big men can punish missed box-outs, and its pressure will test the guards. At least the Rebels have another player to help carry the load.
Jones’ limit means Jeremy Foumena still has substantial work ahead. He scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in 23 minutes against BYU. Those were productive interior minutes while Jones was unavailable. Thursday gives Pastner a chance to see how the frontcourt responsibilities change with Jones back, rather than treating the returning starter as a reason to discount what Foumena supplied.
Kiss brings a different concern into the matchup. He blocked three shots against BYU, but his five turnovers offset part of that defensive contribution. Missouri’s offensive rebounding will require him to stay involved after the first contest, while its pressure demands care with the ball away from the rim. Jones’ return should give Pastner more choices about those assignments. It will not remove the need for Kiss to finish the defensive possession and make the simple pass.
Moustapha Loum’s minutes deserve the same attention. He collected four rebounds and blocked a shot in 13 minutes against BYU, giving UNLV another player who could contest attempts inside. When Jones sits, Pastner still needs those possessions covered. Against Mitchell and Tiller, Loum’s first task is to hold his rebounding position after a teammate challenges the ball. Chasing every block can leave the basket exposed to a second attempt. His contribution Thursday can be valuable even if the ball rarely reaches him on offense, provided UNLV finishes those defensive possessions with a rebound it controls.
UNLV and Missouri tip off Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. Pacific at the Thomas & Mack Center. MW+ will stream the game. The Rebels open the regular season against Northern Arizona on Nov. 3, also at 7 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Jones’ first minutes will show what his size and defensive timing can add. The larger answer comes from everyone around him. UNLV can win another rebound Thursday. It needs to protect the ball long enough to turn that rebound into points.
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