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Believe it or not, UNLV has reached the chronological midpoint of the 2020-21 season.
UNLV started the season with 27 games on the slate, the maximum allowed by the NCAA this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic; after various cancelations and postponements and program pauses, there are now just 14 contests remaining against Division I opponents.
Head coach T.J. Otzeberger is well aware that if his team is going to get its act together, time is now of the essence.
“It is time to start bringing it together and making our push,” Otzelberger said. “Now that we’re back and we’ve had three games now and six or seven practices since we came back, we’re starting to make those strides and make that climb.”
The results on the court haven’t lived up to expectations so far, as UNLV lost its first four games and currently sits at 2-6, with an 0-2 mark in the Mountain West. Junior guard Bryce Hamilton and sophomore guard Caleb Grill have been the most consistent performers, and senior center Mbacke Diong has given the team steady minutes on the interior. The rest of the rotation has been in flux due to injuries, COVID-19 issues or plain old underperformance.
Last year UNLV endured a similarly slow start but had ample time to work through its issues; by the end of the regular season Otzelberger had settled on a rotation and a play style that saw the team finish on a five-game winning streak to tie for second place in the conference. The current squad doesn’t have the same luxury as the finish line rapidly approaches.
If UNLV is going to find a way to win, Ozelberger knows it has to be soon — perhaps starting as soon as the upcoming Saturday/Monday home series against New Mexico.
Otzelberger hinted that the team’s identity may have to shift between now and the end of the regular season, as last year’s team did in downsizing to a very effective four-guard lineup.
“This may be a deal where we have to reinvent ourselves,” Otzelberger said. “Right now we’re trying to build the practice habits to earn the right to win. We may be approaching the point we have to regroup and figure out what we’re going to be [at the end of the season].”
A major issue for UNLV has been the integration of newcomers into the rotation. Otzelberger brought in six freshmen this year while also welcoming three transfers, and the cancelations and limited practice time have made it difficult to figure out the right lineups and the most efficient strategy to assimilate each player’s skill set.
The minutes crunch has been real. At the midway point, top-rated freshman Nick Blake has shown promise but has played a mere 129 minutes. Junior transfer Edoardo Del Cadia, who has started the last three games at power forward, has logged 76 minutes. Glue-guy forward Devin Tillis, who was expected to be the most impactful freshman, has gotten just 51 minutes of court time. Freshman Reece Brown has also played 51 minutes.
Due to the composition of the roster, the newcomers are going to have to be a big part of any turnaround. Otzelberger drew a direct parallel to last year’s squad, which finished strong thanks to the emergence of lesser-used players over the second half of the season.
If there are any youngsters on the current team who want to make an impact down the stretch, Otzelberger said he’s more than willing to consider their case.
“I’m open-minded to other guys getting opportunities,” Otzelberger said. “I’m a big believer in that, and every day when we take the practice court they have the opportunity to earn it. I’m definitely very mindful of progress being made there. As a player your responsibility is to make the coach play you, to bring something so invaluable that he has to play you. If guys have that, they’ll certainly earn [minutes]. That’s what Marvin Coleman did for us last year, that’s what Jay Green did for us last year, guys who early in the year didn’t play at all and by the end of the year were impactful in us beating San Diego State on the road.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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