GAME NOTES: The first true road game of the season is on tap for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, as they visit the Arizona State Sun Devils in non-conference action on Wednesday.

The Rebels, who have had to replace all five starters from last season, have won four of their first five games, the lone setback coming against Stanford (89-60) as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. More recently the team pummeled Albany at home on Saturday in a 75-59 victory, the second straight win for the program.

As for the Sun Devils, who are perfect at home but have yet to play a true road game of their own, they too played a team from the East over the weekend, but in their case it was a closer call in the 78-71 final versus Colgate. With the victory ASU snapped a two-game slide.

The Sun Devils have won three of the previous five meetings in the series with UNLV. ASU, which is hosting the Rebels in Tempe for the first time, won an 86-80 decision at the Thomas & Mack Center last season.

Shooting 11-of-18 from the field, including 5-of-11 behind the 3-point line, Rashad Vaughn finished with a career-high 29 points for the Rebels as they dismissed the Albany Great Danes by double figures. Also scoring in double figures for the hosts was Christian Wood who dialed up a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, as well as three blocked shots, while Dwayne Morgan delivered 10 points off the bench as the team shot 52.9 percent from the floor and nearly led wire-to-wire.

Vaughn is the top scorer for UNLV through five games with his 17.4 ppg, although his 40.5 percent effort from the field and 60.7 percent accuracy at the free-throw line could stand some improvement. Wood is the only other double-digit scorer with 13.6 ppg and is averaging a double-double with his team-best 10.4 ppg, yet the squad is being beaten on the glass by 3.2 rpg.

Defensively, the Rebels are one of the best teams in the country in terms of opponent field goal shooting (.345) and averaging better than eight blocked shots per contest and still the team is being outscored by fractions of a point due to the blowout loss to the Cardinal.

ASU led the visiting Crusaders by as many as 14 points early in the second half, but even with 57.1 percent shooting from the field following the intermission, the Sun Devils still only won by seven. Gerry Blakes scored a team-best 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds for the hosts, followed by Shaquielle McKissic and Tra Holder with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

Like the Rebels, Arizona State also puts quite a bit of effort into its defense these days, holding foes to 38.7 percent shooting from the field and 59.7 ppg overall. The ASU offense comes in 11.1 ppg over those competitors thanks to the efforts of Blakes (12.3 ppg) and reserve Jonathan Gilling (11.3 ppg), while Eric Jacobsen handles action in the paint with 7.7 rpg and 10.5 ppg, while shooting a staggering 74.1 percent from the floor.

Expect a low-scoring affair as these teams feel each other out. Being at home will certainly lend an advantage to the Sun Devils, but that does not guarantee a comfortable victory by any means.