1. Don’t be in awe: Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said his team got caught up in the atmosphere at The Pit in New Mexico last month in UW’s 22-point loss (that could have been a lot worse). The Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas is one of those places when it’s packed and UNLV is playing well, and both will occur Saturday. UW can’t beat itself by being intimidated by its surroundings.

2. Handle pressure: UNLV won’t pressure UW defensively full-court the entire game, but its defensive pressure, especially in the half-court game, is arguably the best in the Mountain West. The Cowboys must do a better job of handling that than it did in their 78-50 home loss to UNLV on Feb. 3.

3. Super start: UW can’t fall behind 10-0 or 11-0 like it did in recent games against BYU and New Mexico. A good start won’t guarantee a win, but will at least give UW a shot to stay in the game.

4. Shaw-shank redemption: Senior forward Matt Shaw came off the bench in the first game against UW and scored 16 points and was dominant inside. UNLV has a lot of weapons, but if Shaw has a big game again the Cowboys will be hard-pressed to defend anyone else. That will be tough as sophomore centers Adam Waddell (knee and ankle) and Boubacar Sylla (foot) remain limited. Junior Djibril Thiam and true freshman Amath M’Baye must play well inside.

5. Defend the 3: UNLV hasn’t played in a week and is coming off one of its best perimeter shooting games in its 30-points win over Air Force last Saturday. UNLV is tough to beat all the time, but if its making 3s that task becomes nearly impossible. The Cowboys must play good perimeter defense (and hopefully rebound the misses).