Bet on it: UNLV basketball won’t overlook Northern Arizona

UNLV opens its basketball season Tuesday night against Northern Arizona at the Thomas & Mack Center, determined to avoid a repeat of last year's season-opening upset loss to UT-Martin. Coach Josh Pastner, in his second year, warned that the Lumberjacks are a legitimate threat after they beat Grand Canyon — a Mountain West favorite — in a scrimmage. "It wasn't a fluke," Pastner said. "You don't go beat Grand Canyon without being a good team. (NAU) is very well-coached and has really good shooters and guys who can drive it. They're a really good basketball team."

Pastner said the focus remains on UNLV's execution rather than the opponent. "Unless you're one of those schools with a certain amount of money, one in the upper Power Four with that type of financial NIL, you're probably in a different world than everyone else. But it's less about the opponent than it is UNLV," he said. The Rebels must limit turnovers and control the glass, areas Pastner wants cleaned up after exhibition games against Utah, BYU and Missouri. "Basketball is a possession game," he said. "You do the job on the glass and you do the job on the turnover board by taking care of the ball."

Sophomore guard Tyrin Jones makes his official season debut after sitting out exhibitions against Utah and BYU. He scored a team-high 21 points with eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a 90-81 exhibition win over Missouri. "At the end of the day, whether you're playing Duke or Lincoln (University), our mindset has to be that it's a good basketball team and we have to control our controllables," Jones said. "We have to bring energy and can't play to the competition."

UNLV will remain without injured forward Tyler Harris (knee) and guard Issac Williamson (hamstring), along with senior guard AJ Storr, who is NCAA ineligible. Guard Cam Miles, who nearly posted a triple-double against Missouri, is working to become more vocal on the floor. "Everybody in the building says, 'Come on, Cam. We need you to talk,'" Miles said. "It's about getting better at it every day and coming out of my little shell."

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal