Posted: Jan. 15, 2012 | 2:00 a.m.
For all of the hype, all of the discussion about what advantages a UNLV assistant coach might have brought the Rebels this week, all of the trash talk between fans, all of the publicity about rankings and winning streaks, basketball was again reduced to a rather simple exercise here Saturday.
If you can't shoot, it becomes awfully difficult to win.
The Rebels would never admit it, but Viejas Arena and the sight of San Diego State have become their own personal Blair Witch Project, because UNLV plays against the Aztecs unlike it does others.
Which is to say uncertain and sloppy and fearful of crackling sounds in the darkness.
San Diego State has now won six straight and nine of 10 against UNLV, the latest a 69-67 final before 12,414 screaming souls in a Mountain West Conference opener again defined by the Rebels' shoddy shooting, as if the Aztecs long ago climbed squarely into their heads and took up permanent residence.
"I don't know if that's ever the case," San Diego State associate head coach Brian Dutcher said. "If they make shots, all of a sudden it's, 'Oh, Vegas is superior to us.' If they make all the 3s we gave them, they blow us out. But they didn't, and we built a lead and got the momentum. The next time we play, they might make all of them. We took a calculated risk and it paid off."
I'm not sure how calculated it was. More like smart. Film doesn't lie, and the three previous games here by UNLV -- all losses -- were enough to convince San Diego State coaches their best chance was to retreat from the 3-point line defensively and allow the Rebels to fire away.
San Diego State collapsed and closed out short and the Rebels again couldn't take advantage, making 35 percent of their shots, including 8 of 27 on 3s. They were also 11 of 21 on free throws.
In their heads?
In its past four games at Viejas, the Rebels have shot 80 of 228 from the field and 15 of 79 on 3s. All that's missing are three student filmmakers disappearing into the Black Hills.
"We've talked so many times about how good we have been in the second half of games, but if we're going to be successful in this league, we have to get off to better starts than (shooting 3 of 22)," UNLV coach Dave Rice said. "We knew we would get open shots. I expect our guys to make them because we have good shooters. A lot of it had to do with San Diego State. They had a good game plan."
You can't win in this atmosphere -- one of college basketball's best -- and have your starting center (Brice Massamba) pick up a stupid technical for his second foul not two minutes after tipoff by standing over an opposing player.
You can't win if your starting point guard (Oscar Bellfield) shoots 1 of 12 and two of your best players (Bellfield and Mike Moser) combine to shoot 4 of 23. You can't win if a senior leader (Chace Stanback) continues his forgettable showings in Viejas, now 7 of 33 from the field and 1 of 11 on 3s in the venue for his career.
If the Rebels don't have Anthony Marshall (26 points on 8-for-17 shooting), this game is over long before that final winning possession for San Diego State.
Justin Hutson came to UNLV from San Diego State this season, but as well as the Rebels' associate head coach scouted his former team, no preparation could forecast this many bricks.
And yet, Rice's message to his team must be this: As poorly as the Rebels played, as terrible as they shot, San Diego State needed a last-second layup to win on its home court.
UNLV might not be the nation's 12th-best team as its ranking suggests, but it is better than No. 22 San Diego State. It didn't play better Saturday, and if Aztecs coach Steve Fisher has done a better job in his career than he is with a team that's now 15-2, someone needs to find it.
Give credit where it's due, and Fisher and his staff were as prepared as UNLV, if not more.
San Diego State's big men are serviceable at best, but its guards are terrific and they defended the Rebels as well or better than any opponent this season. They caused UNLV to pass up open shots for contested ones, to rush things even for a team that likes to play fast.
The Aztecs led for nearly 39 of 40 minutes. They deserved to win.
"It's a great win for us and we feel fortunate to get it," Dutcher said. "They had to miss those 3s for it to happen."
Oh, the Rebels missed.
And missed, and missed, and missed.
And with each one, crackling sounds in the darkness grew louder.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday on "Monsters of the Midday," Fox Sports Radio 920 AM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.
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