Three takeaways from the UNLV-Oregon basketball game

PORTLAND, Ore. — Three takeaways from the UNLV basketball team’s 83-63 loss to Oregon on Saturday at Moda Center:

1. At least, for UNLV, this wasn’t Duke all over again.

The Rebels were thoroughly embarrassed by Duke a week earlier, losing 94-45 before an ESPN and T-Mobile Arena audience. How they would handle another encounter with a ranked team on national TV was a major question.

For the first half, anyway, UNLV did just fine, going into halftime behind 37-33. Oregon opened the second half with a 16-2 run, and though the Rebels went on a late 3-point binge (Jovan Mooring, especially), they never seriously threatened again.

But it wasn’t the thrashing the Blue Devils put on them, and there’s…