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UNLV junior forward Mike Moser is day-to-day after MRI results came back negative Thursday. Moser is officially dealing with a left hip flexor strain, a slightly more specific diagnosis than he was given leading into the game he had to miss Tuesday at Portland.

“He’ll do a little bit more every day,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said. “I’ll know a lot more tomorrow than I did today.”

Without Moser the Rebels came out flat and had to fight their way back to a 68-60 victory as the Portland native cheered from the bench. On Thursday he was dressed in practice gear but spent the first few minutes shooting by himself before watching most of the drills.

“The good part is he’ll be back sooner than later,” Rice said.

Depending on his development Moser could still play in Sunday afternoon’s game at Cal on EPSNU.

Freshman guard Daquan Cook is in a similar position of uncertainty, though his minutes are based on Rice’s decision, not health. It was a bit surprising before the season when Rice announced that Cook would join freshman Demetris Morant as a redshirt this season, so the decision weeks later to pull it didn’t come as a shock.

The thing is, Cook still hasn’t played. Several times Rice has commented on how much Cook has developed since stepping on campus, both physically and in his on-court performance, but he’s still a mystery to fans. Rice said he doesn’t have a set plan for when to get Cook his first minutes.

“It will just be a feel thing but his attitude has been terrific,” he said.

So that debut could come Sunday, though it’s much more likely that Cook would get his first action the following Thursday in a game at the Orleans Arena against La Verne, a Division III school.

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Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.