FORT COLLINS, Colo. — UNLV does not have much time to dwell on its worst performance of the season.
Three days after a 98-66 loss at Wyoming, the Runnin’ Rebels return to the road Friday night against Colorado State at Moby Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network, giving UNLV an immediate opportunity to show whether what happened in Laramie was an isolated collapse or the beginning of a more significant problem.
Head coach Josh Pastner repeatedly described the Wyoming loss as an “out-of-body experience” after watching the Rebels struggle to finish possessions they normally expect to convert. UNLV generated opportunities around the basket and reached the free-throw line repeatedly, but the misses accumulated until the offense lost its rhythm and the rest of the game began deteriorating with it.
“The hardest thing to coach is when you can’t score,” Pastner said. “It’s demoralizing when you keep missing free throws and short shots. It snowballed.”
The challenge is that Colorado State presents little opportunity for a gradual recovery. The Rams have one of the more dangerous offenses in the Mountain West and play in an environment capable of turning a short run into significant separation. UNLV will need to correct its finishing problems while also handling a ball-screen offense that can punish defensive mistakes almost immediately.
UNLV Created Opportunities at Wyoming but Could Not Finish Them
The final score at Wyoming suggested an offense that could not generate useful possessions. Pastner saw the problem differently.
UNLV took 35 shots in the lane, attempted more than 50 free throws and took only 11 3-pointers. The Rebels were getting the basketball into many of the areas they wanted, but they failed to convert once they got there.
UNLV finished roughly 25 of 52 from the free-throw line, went 9 of 26 at the rim and 9 of 36 in the paint. Those misses prevented the Rebels from applying any sustained offensive pressure and allowed Wyoming to turn missed opportunities into momentum at the other end.
Pastner said the numbers were unlike almost anything he had seen during his coaching career. That is part of why he has resisted treating the loss as evidence that UNLV’s entire offensive structure is broken. The Rebels did not spend the night settling for difficult perimeter attempts or consistently failing to get the ball where they wanted it. They simply failed to finish once they arrived there.
That distinction becomes important Friday. UNLV does not necessarily need to create different shots against Colorado State. It needs to convert the ones its offense already produces.
Pastner Wants a Different Response When Things Go Wrong
The shooting problems were only part of what concerned Pastner in Laramie.
As the misses accumulated and Wyoming began creating separation, UNLV became increasingly disconnected at both ends. Defensive communication declined, offensive possessions became more individual and the Rebels stopped responding to adversity with the collective approach Pastner has emphasized throughout the season.
“We played with softness and selfishness,” Pastner said. “That’s a recipe for disaster, and that’s not who we are.”
That response may be more important to correct than any single shooting percentage.
UNLV is going to miss shots Friday. Colorado State will make runs. Moby Arena will become louder if the Rams begin stringing together 3-pointers or transition opportunities. The Rebels cannot allow those moments to produce the same emotional drift that appeared at Wyoming.
Pastner and his players have described the problem as one of connectivity rather than confusion. UNLV knew what it wanted to do Tuesday. It simply stopped doing those things together once the game began getting away.
Friday provides the first opportunity to change that response.
UNLV Has Returned to Finishing Drills
Pastner made one immediate adjustment after the Wyoming loss by returning to what he calls “finishing school,” a series of physical drills designed to make players convert through contact around the basket.
The Rebels had gone more than a week without those drills because of illness, travel and a compressed schedule. Pastner brought them back after watching UNLV repeatedly miss shots at the rim against Wyoming and said the emphasis would continue through Friday’s preparation.
“Getting hit with a bag, finishing through contact, we went back to it,” Pastner said. “We’ll do it again at shootaround.”
The objective is straightforward. UNLV wants to continue attacking the paint and drawing fouls, but those advantages only matter if the Rebels convert after creating them.
That is especially important on the road. Free throws and shots around the rim are usually among the most reliable sources of offense when perimeter shooting changes from one building to another. UNLV created enough of both at Wyoming to remain competitive and still lost by 32 because the conversion rate collapsed.
Pastner is betting that the opportunities themselves were repeatable and the finishing was not.
Colorado State’s Ball-Screen Offense Creates a Different Defensive Test
UNLV’s problems Friday will not be limited to fixing its own offense. Colorado State has several players capable of turning small defensive mistakes into immediate scoring opportunities.
Josh Pascarelli gives the Rams one of the Mountain West’s more dangerous perimeter threats and is approaching 1,000 career points. His shooting can force defenses to extend farther from the basket, creating additional space for Colorado State’s ball-screen actions.
Brandon Rechsteiner provides much of the organization. His assist-to-turnover production and ability to score off the dribble give the Rams a guard capable of manipulating coverages rather than simply reacting to them. Kyle Jorgensen adds another problem with his combination of scoring, shooting range and rebounding.
That puts significant pressure on UNLV’s communication.
The Rebels cannot defend Colorado State’s ball screens with half-decisions. Guards have to know whether they are fighting over, switching or influencing the ball toward help, while the back line has to rotate without leaving shooters unattended. One late decision can become an open 3-pointer.
Kimani Hamilton will be especially important in those situations because of his length and defensive versatility. UNLV can use him in several matchups, but Colorado State will continue testing whether the Rebels remain connected through repeated screening actions.
Gibbs-Lawhorn, Hamilton and Jones Need to Set the Response
Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn remains UNLV’s primary offensive creator, and his ability to attack downhill becomes particularly important after a game in which the Rebels struggled to finish at the basket. UNLV needs him creating pressure and getting into the lane, but the final decision has to be better than it was during the collapse at Wyoming.
Hamilton gives UNLV another player capable of affecting the game in several areas. His size and physicality will matter defensively against Colorado State’s perimeter actions, while his ability to attack mismatches can give the Rebels another source of paint offense.
Tyrin Jones may be the player whose role most directly addresses what went wrong Tuesday. His rim runs, offensive rebounding and ability to finish through contact give UNLV a physical presence around the basket. The Rebels need that production to translate into actual points rather than another night of missed opportunities inside.
UNLV does not need all three to produce career performances. It needs them to establish the tone of the game and keep the offense connected when Colorado State creates difficult stretches.
Moby Arena Makes Momentum Management Important
Colorado State’s home environment adds another layer to the matchup.
The Rams have enough shooting to change a game quickly, particularly when turnovers or long rebounds create opportunities before the defense is organized. A six-point deficit can become 12 in a matter of possessions if UNLV responds to a made 3-pointer with a rushed shot or careless turnover.
That makes emotional control a basketball issue, not simply a psychological one.
UNLV needs productive possessions after Colorado State scores. That does not mean every trip has to end with a basket, but the Rebels cannot compound one mistake with another. A good shot that misses is manageable. A rushed attempt followed by a transition 3-pointer is how Moby Arena begins affecting the game.
Pastner has emphasized that the response to Wyoming must include staying together when momentum moves in the other direction. Friday will test that almost immediately.
UNLV Still Has Physical Advantages It Can Use
Despite what happened at Wyoming, UNLV’s preferred formula has not fundamentally changed.
The Rebels still want to attack the paint, create free throws, rebound and use their physicality to make opponents defend through contact. Those areas gave UNLV opportunities Tuesday even though the Rebels failed to finish them.
Colorado State’s offensive skill does not remove those advantages. It simply places more pressure on UNLV to use them efficiently.
The Rebels need to control the glass well enough to prevent the Rams from generating easy second chances, and they need their own offensive rebounds to create additional pressure around the rim. They also need to convert free throws at a rate much closer to normal if Colorado State’s defense gives them opportunities at the line.
If UNLV again gets more than 50 free-throw attempts and 35 shots in the lane, the Rebels should have enough offense to compete. Another night of historically poor finishing would make the rest of the game plan almost irrelevant.
Friday Is About the Response More Than the Wyoming Result
The loss at Wyoming was damaging because of the margin and the way UNLV responded once the game began going wrong. One performance, however, does not have to become a pattern.
Friday gives the Rebels a difficult but useful opportunity to prove that point.
Colorado State will test UNLV differently from Wyoming. The Rams have more shooting, more ball-screen creation and the ability to create offensive runs quickly at home. The Rebels will have to communicate better defensively while also solving the finishing problems that turned Tuesday into a blowout.
“This league tests who you are when you get punched,” Pastner said. “We got punched. Now we see how we respond.”
That is the question Friday.
UNLV does not need to erase the Wyoming loss with a perfect performance. The Rebels need to defend together, finish the opportunities their offense creates and remain connected when Colorado State inevitably makes a run.
After looking nothing like themselves in Laramie, playing like themselves again would be the first step toward making sure one bad night remains only one bad night.