UNLV doesn’t get any time to sit with Monday night’s loss. Less than 24 hours after Maryland’s late surge flipped a winnable game, the Rebels walk straight into No. 8 Alabama who is one of the fastest, most explosive teams in the country.

And they’re doing it with a roster that’s still held together by tape.

Josh Pastner was blunt afterwards: “Our numbers caught up to us… We just have to get healthy.”

The timing couldn’t be tougher. Alabama enters off a 95-85 loss to Gonzaga but has already played the No. 1 toughest schedule in the sport. The Tide have two elite wins (St. John’s, Illinois) and their only losses are to Purdue and Gonzaga, both national contenders.

Tonight is a test of stamina, toughness, and survival for a UNLV team that is learning on the fly what it looks like to play short-handed against high-major rosters.

UNLV’s effort against Maryland wasn’t the issue. The depth and size were.

Jacob Bannarbie was ruled out moments before tip with a calf injury.
Emmanuel Stephen remains out.
Ladji Dembele returned but is not in game shape after 10 days off.
And foul trouble piled up on the remaining bigs.

The result: UNLV had to play zone longer than planned, and the lack of size finally broke.

Maryland outrebounded the Rebels 46-34 and scored 18 second-chance points.

Pastner didn’t sugarcoat it: “We were small in the zone… Maryland hurt us on the glass in ways we haven’t seen this year.”

Offensively, the looks were there, UNLV just couldn’t knock them down. “We’ve had open shots all season. We just haven’t made them yet. But I know we’re a good shooting team.”

The Rebels still forced 20 turnovers, still controlled long stretches, and still displayed the defensive growth Pastner’s been pushing for. But every missed layup or missed three in the middle stretch added up.

This is not the kind of opponent you want in a back-to-back when you’re shorthanded.

Alabama plays at the 6th-fastest pace in the country, takes a ton of threes, and scores at the rim better than almost anyone. They’re 31st nationally in 2FG% (60.7%), and they protect the ball at an elite level.

Their issues?
Defensive rebounding, and it’s not subtle.

Nate Oats after Gonzaga: “We gave up 25 second-chance points. Hard to win doing that.” Oats also said “We’re not a tough, physical rebounding team right now.”

UNLV needs to exploit that.

Key Alabama threats:

This is a classic Nate Oats roster: pace, spacing, scoring at all three levels.

This is the hinge of the entire game.

If the Rebels dominate the glass, they stay in the game.
If they don’t, Alabama runs away.

This is where the Rebels thrive.

Attack the rim. Force rotations. Get to the stripe.

UNLV likes to run, but not this much, especially on one day’s rest.

Alabama wants 90+ possessions.
UNLV needs controlled tempo, not a track meet.

Oats will switch everything late. Pastner even said it after Maryland, they expect these coverages.

UNLV needs:

Pastner keeps saying it: “We’re due for a breakout shooting night.”

This would be a good time.

Pastner laid out the plan: “We’ve got to hydrate, clear our minds, and be ready. There’s not a lot we can do right now.”

UNLV has enough to compete, but only if they control what they can:

Do that, and the Rebels can absolutely make this interesting.

Fail in one or two of those areas, and the short-handed roster will feel every bit of Alabama’s pressure.