It is hard to see a collapse from this team. I am strapped in and ready for a fun and wild ride. I know it is early but the players really do look like they like each other which will go a long way in tough situations. Every game left on the schedule is very winnable. U N L V GO,FIGHT,WIN
This team is different
- Thread starter Doneoett
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This team is deep and complete, that's the difference.
Seagears is a floor leader and a D1 athlete. Multiple options exist to handle the ball and score from outside. Deep, talented, defensive minded frontline. Great hustle/glue guys. Unselfish team mentality across the board. Likely 1st rounders in both the front and backcourt. Freshman 7' center with the potential to develop into something truly special by March Madness.
Hard not to be excited. I think the Rebs are going to dominate the MWC. (And I don't think that's an especially bold prediction)
Seagears is a floor leader and a D1 athlete. Multiple options exist to handle the ball and score from outside. Deep, talented, defensive minded frontline. Great hustle/glue guys. Unselfish team mentality across the board. Likely 1st rounders in both the front and backcourt. Freshman 7' center with the potential to develop into something truly special by March Madness.
Hard not to be excited. I think the Rebs are going to dominate the MWC. (And I don't think that's an especially bold prediction)
With Wichita State losing 3 games already the Oregon game becomes even more important. And Arizona barely beat a winless team yesterday, and they probably aren't as good as previous Arizona teams so I think we can beat that team.
There isn't a single team in the MWC that's ranked in the top 25. We're not going to get much respect for winning games in the conference. But we could also have a very strong record and move up the rankings.
There isn't a single team in the MWC that's ranked in the top 25. We're not going to get much respect for winning games in the conference. But we could also have a very strong record and move up the rankings.
Go .500 on the last 4 marquee will have a good OOC schedule. Love to get 3 of the 4, esp with ASU at the Mack. Win over Indiana is big. It's also going to wake up teams that we can't be underestimated. UNLV under Rice has shown that on any given night we have the potential to beat anyone. Not like when we beat UNC and took a lot of people by surprise. People know what to expect from a Rice team now.
And then don't implode in conference play......
And then don't implode in conference play......
People are underestimating this team because they think Rice can't coach and think this is just another talented Rice team that won't compete for a conference title and won't even make the NIT. And I don't think we're getting much respect this year if we beat Wichita State and ASU. Only way we can get respect is to beat opponents like Oregon and Arizona, and look great in the other games.
Don't like the way the injuries and illness have piled up, but every team gets them.
So far, I do think the Rebels pass they "eye test" of a quality team with a lot of potential. They've certainly shown more than the past few teams.
But we've just finished 25% of the schedule and it gets tougher. And then conference play is another animal altogether.
We've seen that some teams can irreparably fracture with even a minor setback. Hard to call Chaminade a good bounce back after losing to UCLA - bad opponent, very quick turnaround. I want to gauge this team more when there are more setbacks and then see thier resilience.
No reason why we can't beat any of the teams on our remaining occ schedule... We have three potential NBA draft choices on the team and a experienced group of core players, I too believe we should dominate the MTN west this year . Hope we can win at least 2 of the 4 big occ games we have left ,with a win against Oregon this week being a huge step forward for our chances to have a decent seed.. Probably getting ahead of myself but I don't care we have a good team this year and all the pieces are here to be successful into march
Sorry - doubting Thomas here. I'll believe in a turnaround after we either win or come in second in the conference. OOC, while highly entertaining, just doesn't matter to me in terms of progress.
Watching us struggle to match Prairie View's energy in the 1st half I was thinking deja vu. The 2nd half turnaround was kind of surprising in how complete and immediate it was. I'm still not completely sold due to recent history and the fact this is still a very, very young team but it can't be said that Rice isn't trying. He's working his butt off to get this team to win big. Also big time shout out to Morgan. He's owning his role on the team and it's paying off.
It doesn't matter to you in terms of progress? I looked up the results for the last two seasons and we really struggled in nonconference play. Last season we opened up with a 1 point win over Morehead State, a two point win over Sam Houston State, Stanford beat us by 29, ASU beat us by 22, we needed OT to beat Portland by 2, we lost to Utah by 13, we lost to Kansas by 15, and in my opinion a terrific win against Arizona doesn't do enough to prove that these other results were a fluke. We followed up the win against Arizona by losing 6 of our next 8 games.
Or are you saying you want progress beyond what the first two Dave Rice teams did? Those teams obviously did a lot better in nonconference play.
The last two seasons I was really discouraged by the time the conference games started.
I see both points: the team is different and it's a work in progress. 2 point win against Cal Poly, 2 point loss to UCLA, 3 point win against Indiana - kind of a mixed bag. Watching the team live you definitely see increased effort and more cohesion - I'm thinking this team doesn't peak in December.
[all of this is just my opinion - so for what its worth]
While the OOC is very entertaining, it just isn't the best measure for progress. I think the best measure is conference play results.
The beginning of the year, assuming teams are starting with a clean slate (some are not), the primary difference between them is raw talent, scouting and in game adjustments. As the year progresses, players improve and a team develops chemistry and team strategies become more sophisticated. Teams with superior coaching progress in these categories faster, and these elements almost always trump raw talent.
This is why we beat UNC, Arizona, and other Top 25 teams in November, and loss to Air Force and Colorado State in February.
While I'm still doubtful as well after 4 years of promises I will admit that I have seen a significant change on Dave's part in the areas that I saw as signs of ineptitude. He has shown a command of the team and a plan for developing a successful season. I'm still watching and waiting but every game I continue to see consistent improvement from team and staff. I don't expect miracles but I do want to see big time D1 basketball return to Las Vegas again.
When a man fell off of a tall building people on each floor heard him say "So far, so good".
When a man fell off of a tall building people on each floor heard him say "So far, so good".
