Three takeaways from the UNLV basketball team’s 68-61 victory over Southern Illinois on Monday at the Thomas & Mack Center:
1. UNLV PLAYS WITH A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN CLOSE GAMES.
The Rebels hadn’t played in a close game since winning 89-81 on Nov. 30 at Southern Utah, but as they showed that night and again Monday, they don’t panic in those situations.
UNLV also made the key plays in earlier games against UC Riverside, Cal State Fullerton and Western Kentucky, and even if that’s not anyone’s idea of a murderers’ row, given this was a Rebels team put together on the fly over the spring and summer, it’s impressive.