What does UNLV need to reach its former glory?

I have watched UNLV play against top competition three times this season. All three times, they lost (including last night to San Diego St.). The Rebels have won every other game this season except one against UC Santa Barbara in a game sabotaged by historically poor shooting (UNLV shot 29% from the field for the game). Over these games and having closely watched the Rebels over the last four seasons starting with a run to the Sweet 16 in 2007, the team has shown the same deficiencies over and over again (as much due to lack of players and talent as anything else).

What UNLV does well:

They defend – It is hard to score on UNLV unless you have an outside shooter having a huge night (as Jimmer Fredette of BYU did last week when the Cougars smoked the Rebels in Las Vegas). The athleticism on the perimeter and sound development of defensive big men by coach Lon Kruger makes any game against UNLV have the possibility of being a defensive slug fest. The Rebels can play nearly any team in the country man-to-man and hold them below their average. The athletic guys on the perimeter also allow for a pressing defense that can force major mistakes against a team that lacks composure. The only exception of course is a knockdown shooter who can create his own shot (like Fredette), but there aren't many of those in college basketball.

They get to the line – Because of the athleticism on the perimeter, UNLV is also able to effectively penetrate, especially against man-to-man defenses. Going back to the 76 Classic over Thanksgiving, UNLV's penetration ultimately delivered the title and the Rebel offense destroyed Virginia Tech whenever they didn't play zone. With that penetration come trips to the foul line. While UNLV may not make all of its free throws, they get to the line enough that they outscore most teams from the charity stripe and opposing players are often in foul trouble when they play the Rebels.

What UNLV needs:

A true offensive post player – For years now, the Rebels have been unable to throw it into the post and generate offense. Lon Kruger does a great job getting his bigs ready defensively, but they usually can't score when they get to Las Vegas (Mountain West schools generally don't have access to those type of players) and when bigs get to UNLV, they never become scorers, just high level defensive role players.

A knockdown shooter – The team only needs one and Kruger might even have to be willing to bend and take a defensive liability to get this type of player. You might know the type I'm talking about: white, son of a coach, no real athletic ability making him unable to have any prayer of defending an opposing shooting guard or point guard, but able to make shots from nearly anywhere in the arena. This player is, in essence, a zone buster. Right now, any coach without super-athletes the likes of which you see only in the top 10 of the national rankings should zone UNLV, even if they don't teach it. The Rebels lack the shooters to overcome the zone and until they have one, zone defense means a struggle for the program.