HOLDING COURT is Campus Rivalry's weekly feature in which we talk to college basketball players all around the country about things that are related to college basketball and some things that aren't.

This week: UNLV redshirt sophomore forward Mike Moser

It's a good week to be a Rebel.

First, UNLV upset No. 1 North Carolina in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational. Then, on Wednesday night, the Rebels beat UC Santa Barbara in a double overtime thriller. Moser was a key part of both victories.

STORY: Roundup: UNLV survives double-OT

Against the Tar Heels, Moser scored 16 points and snagged 18 rebounds. He followed that up with a career-high 34 points and 10 rebounds vs. the Gauchos. Moser is the nation's leading rebounder.

Now, the under-the-radar big man is finally on everyone's radar after an unbelievable week. The Rebels are 8-0.

Moser recently spoke with USA TODAY's Nicole Auerbach about the big wins, sitting out last year because of transfer rules and where UNLV goes from here.

Q: Let's start with last night (Wednesday's) game. How crazy was the double overtime win?

A: Last night's game was definitely a crazy finish. We had a buzzer-beater at the end of regulation by the other team that tied it up. Then we ended up forcing double overtime from our Chace Stanback. We were finally able to pull it out.

Q: You made six three-pointers in that game. (Five came after halftime). What was working from beyond the arc?

A: That was definitely a career-high for me. Other teams just come to the conclusion that I can't shoot the three … but I've really been working on it. My teammates are confident in me. … Now, they're starting to go in.

Q: Last night's game on top of beating the top-ranked team in the nation … Has this been a surreal week for you and your teammates?

A: Surreal? Yeah, I guess you could say that. It's also really good because we just try to beat every team. I'd say this win (vs. UCSB) felt just as good as the North Carolina game just because it was another game everyone said we weren't going to win, that we were going to have a letdown, it just wasn't going to happen. I'm glad we were able to prove everybody wrong.

Q: I'm guessing you've gotten a lot of texts and calls from friends and family this week, especially after beating North Carolina ...

A: Oh yeah, definitely. Text messages were blowing up, Twitter was blowing up. Facebook was blowing up. Just a lot of love and appreciation. We've got a real good fan base, they've been great.

Q: You're known for your rebounding. (The 6-foot-8 Moser averages 13.3 rebounds per game.) Of course you're tall and athletic, but are there any secrets to being a good rebounder?

A: Mainly, I'd say it's a mentality. You have to want to get the rebound. Definitely, being tall and athletic can't hurt. But you just have to want it more than the other guy.

Q: You transferred from UCLA after your freshman year and had to sit out last year per NCAA eligibility rules. What was the toughest part of redshirting?

A: The hardest part of sitting out was seeing your team struggle in areas you know you can contribute in – and not being able to do anything about it. It was definitely frustrating. But my teammates were really good about it last year, they made me feel like I was still part of the team.

Q: What about that time away from games helped you as a player?

A: The biggest thing was my strength coach Jason Kabo. He was an integral part of me putting on about 15 pounds of muscle and me building my frame so I can get rebounds, and as far as conditioning – so I'm able to stay in the air for the whole game – that's the biggest thing to help me out.

Q: So where do you guys go from here – after beating the No. 1 team in the country and winning a 2OT thriller? And is there more pressure now that you guys are ranked and getting more media attention?

A: Next, we have to beat Wichita State. … And not really (about the pressure). We've got a lot of older guys on this team, veterans that understand that the rankings are mostly due to the tough schedule. I know that now that we're ranked, everybody's going to be gunning for us, and we'll use that (for motivation).