UNLV Basketball

BYU Junior guard Jimmer Fredette has generated considerable buzz in recent weeks both in the Mountain West Conference and on the national scene.

Some have even gone as far as to tout Fredette as a dark horse candidate for National Player of the Year.

Fredette is a great, great player. He deserves every ounce of positive publicity he receives. He's had an incredible year.

That being said, Fredette cannot win National Player of the Year.

He is not a candidate, for one simple reason.

Jimmer Fredette is not the best player in his own conference.

That distinction, as of today, should indisputably belong to UNLV Junior guard Tre'Von Willis.

Willis, for some inexplicable reason, has spent the majority of this season in Fredette's impressive MWC shadow. He has received little attention outside of the state of Nevada and virtually no attention at the national level.

This must change.

With no disrespect intended to Fredette, Willis has played him stroke for stroke in conference play, and powered his way in front with a dominating head-to-head performance today.

Willis scored 33 points, hitting 7-of-9 free throws, 11-of-20 field goals, and 4-of-7 threes.

Fredette scored 21 points, hitting 11-of-13 free throws, 4-of-15 field goals, and 2-of-7 threes.

Willis rounded out a spectacular individual effort with five rebounds, two steals, one block, eight assists and no turnovers to Fredette's seven rebounds, two steals, no blocks, six assists, and two turnovers.

Of course, one game does not a season make.

Willis has been consistently incredible since conference play began.

Through nine conference games, Willis has outscored (206 to 190) and out-rebounded (41 to 29) Fredette.

Fredette does have a small advantage in assists (35 to 30).

It is undeniable that both Jimmer Fredette and Tre'Von Willis are exceptional, versatile offensive players. Both are among the nation's best in offensive productivity.

Some forget, however, that there are two sides of the court. While a strong case could be made for Fredette as the Offensive MWC POY (if such a thing existed), defense must also be taken into account.

It is at the defensive end where Willis truly separates himself from the competition at the top of the MWC heap.

Willis is a fantastic defender.

He plays passing lanes well. He is solid in help defense. He takes charges; gets deflections; even contributes an occasional shotblock.

Willis, however, truly distinguishes himself as an on-the-ball, perimeter defender. He is the basketball equivalent of a shut down corner; the Darrelle Revis of the MWC.

His defensive abilities are often overshadowed by his offensive productivity, but make no mistake:

Tre'Von Willis is the best on-ball, perimeter defender in the Mountain West.

By contrast, Fredette is a below average defender. He is slow-footed on defense and struggles mightily to contain quick guards.

On the defensive end, there is no comparison. Willis is ahead by leaps and bounds.

For any fence-sitters, today's game should have pretty much settled the issue. One man demonstrated emphatically, at both ends of the floor, who the MWC's best player is.

His name is Tre'Von Willis.

Spread the word.

He deserves some love too.

The stage is set.

The No. 12 BYU Cougars (21-2) will travel to Las Vegas this weekend to take on the UNLV Rebels (18-4) on Saturday at 1:00 PM PST.

The Cougars are fresh off a relatively easy 20 point home win over TCU. The Rebels come in hot as well, having just handed Wyoming their worst home loss in over 50 years.

A UNLV victory, combined with a New Mexico win over San Diego State later in the day, would create a three way tie atop the Mountain West Conference standings.

To fans of both schools, however, this game cultivates particularly poignant sentiments.

Breaking Down the Rivalry

UNLV has a rival: The University of Nevada Reno.

BYU has a rival: The University of Utah.

The Rebels and Cougars are not rivals, at least not in the traditional sense. There are no intrastate bragging rights on the line. No trophies. No catchy, commercialized nicknames.

Despite only qualifying for pseudo-rivalry status on paper, over the last few years the actual games have developed an undeniable rivalry feel. Saturday’s contest is guaranteed to produce a wild atmosphere.

Who’s No. 1?

Over the last three years, BYU and UNLV have been the best two programs in the MWC. This is beyond debate.

The Cougars have won three consecutive MWC regular season championships but have zero conference tournament titles and no NCAA tournament victories in that span.

The Rebels haven’t won a regular season crown in Lon Kruger’s tenure, but have won two of the last three conference tournaments and three NCAA tournament games in as many years.

When BYU and UNLV meet, it’s always two of the MWC’s best squaring off. Conference titles, national respect, and NCAA tournament inclusion and/or seeding are on the line each time.

This year is no exception. The Cougars and the Rebels have developed a mutual dislike through consistently battling for MWC supremacy.

The Sarah Cummard effect

In the aftermath of the Rebels’ victory in the MWC tournament championship game, Sarah Cummard, the wife of former BYU standout Lee Cummard, became the unlikely symbol of the budding basketball rivalry.

Fans of both programs need no reminder of Mrs. Cummard’s sudden and unexpected notoriety. Accounts of the events immediately following the game vary drastically depending on the intrinsic loyalty of the story-teller.

There was, in fact, some sort of altercation involving a cluster of UNLV fans and a cluster of BYU fans, including Mrs. Sarah Cummard. From there it is difficult to disentangle the truth from swirling rumor and hyperbole.

Honestly, I don’t want to get into; it’s far too volatile. I’d rather spark a universal health-care debate at a bipartisan archery range.

Whatever truly happened is irrelevant. The incident ignited a rancorous fire of antipathy. Rebels’ fans added fuel to that fire last March, chanting, “Psycho Sarah” as Lee attempted free throws.

Lee has moved on. Sarah likely won’t be in attendance, but she’ll be there in spirit. She’s a part of it now.

Also worth Mentioning

The two best players in the MWC, and the top two candidates for Player of the Year, will both be on the court Saturday.

Entering conference play, BYU’s Jimmer Fredette looked poised to run away with the POY award. Fresh off a 49 point performance, he was playing at another level, head and shoulders above the competition. Shortly thereafter, Fredette was derailed by illness. He appears to be back at full strength now, but he has competition at the top.

UNLV’s Tre’Von Willis averaged 14.5 points and 3.1 assists per game through the non-conference portion of the schedule, punctuated by four points and five fouls in a loss to USC.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Willis exploded out of the gate in conference play. He scored at least 20 in each of the first six conference games and is currently leading the MWC with 21.6 points per contest.

If Willis hopes to stay within range of Fredette, a head-to-head statement performance will go a long way.

One Last Thing

The programs share one other unlikely common bond: 

Both coaches have bounced back from life-threatening health scares.

Last summer, BYU coach Dave Rose was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After a few heart wrenching days, news emerged that Rose's cancer was of the much rarer and much less deadly variety of pancreatic cancer. 

The previous offseason, Rebel fans were shocked to learn that head coach Lon Kruger had undergone sextuple-bypass heart surgery. 

Neither man skipped a beat, and both are prime candidates once again for MWC coach of the year.

The contest might not qualify by all criteria as a true rivalry. It makes no difference.

Any time the Rebels and Cougars meet, an atmosphere as intense and sincerely hostile as any in college basketball is a guarantee.

Last night, the Wyoming Cowboys held the lead only once at 2-0 as the UNLV Runnin' Rebels continued their on the road winning ways this year, punishing the Cowboys 78-50.

The Rebels improved to 7-1 on the road and 18-4 overall as they completed the first half of Mountain West Conference play at 6-2. They're tied with the Lobos of New Mexico and stand one game behind Conference leader BYU at 7-1.

Matt Shaw came off the bench and had a career high 16 points and six rebounds as the Rebels continue to have a different player step up to elevate his game. Derrick Jasper is injured but will hopefully be back for the Mountain West Conference Tournament, starting Mar. 9 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Coach Lon Kruger started junior guard and three-point specialist, Kendall Wallace, in Jasper's place.

The Rebels' leading scorers Tre'Von Willis and Chace Stanback both scored in double figures with 15 and 12, respectively. Oscar Bellfield and Anthony Marshall both added eight points as the Rebels shot 53 percent from the floor.

I had some concerns about this game because it set up a perfect "trap" game with nationally-ranked BYU and New Mexico visiting the Rebels this Saturday and next Wednesday.

The fact that the Rebels played a very consistent game on both sides of the ball is a tribute to Lon Kruger and his coaches, as they had the young team prepared and ready to play.

Tre'Von Willis seems to be getting better everyday.

Already the leading scorer in Mountain West Conference games, he has upgraded his all- around game. Last night in addition to his 15 points, he had eight rebounds and four assists. He will have to be at his best as the next two ranked opponents will be looking for road wins to pad their resumes for the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

If the picks for the tournament were today, all three top Mountain West teams would get bids with San Diego State knocking at the door. The second half of conference play should be intense—to say the least.

The overall level of play in the Mountain West Conference this year is the best I have ever seen since the Conference was started.

Not only do I think that four teams are deserving a tournament bid, but I also predict that at least two of the invited teams have a great chance to reach the Sweet Sixteen or even further.

Many of these games are televised on either the CBS Sports Channel or the Mountain West Network.

My recommendation is, if you get a chance to see any of these games, you certainly won't be disappointed.

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels overcame a sluggish first half as Kendall Wallace nailing four three pointers early in the second half to spark the Rebels to a 60-50 win over the Air Force Falcons at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The 14,175 fans were very quiet during the first half, as the Falcons did their best Princeton imitation by holding the Rebels to 21 first half points. The Academy connected on three point plays and points off the bench, and led by three points at the end of the first half.

The Rebels two leading scorers, Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback, were relatively quiet in the first half. Willis did manage 13 points for the game, far from his 24.5 average in conference play. He was 6-6 at the foul line when it counted down the stretch. Stanback finished with 12 points along with four rebounds (two off the offensive board) as well as a blocked shot.

As it has been in recent games, another Rebel had a standout game. Last night it was Brice Massamba, who scored the Rebels' first six points and wound up with eight total. He also grabbed four boards as the Rebels out rebounded the Falcons 27-19. What's more significant was the Rebels' dominance on the offensive glass: they grabbed seven offensive boards while Air Force only managed one.

The player of the game, though, was sophomore guard Oscar Bellfield. In his 34 minutes of play he scored four points with four rebounds, two off the offensive board and a game high 10 assists. Bellfield definitely took control of the offense in the second half as the Rebels outscored the Falcons by 13 points.

Air Force, still win-less in conference play, put up a good battle. They were able to take the Rebels out of the their normal offensive sets and kept the game close right to the end.

Derrick Jasper, who missed all of last year with micro fracture surgery on his left knee, had the leave the game with seven minutes remaining in the first half after perhaps re-injuring the same knee. Coach Kruger is awaiting today's tests to see how much time Jasper will miss. The fact that Kruger has used 11 players in most of their games shows he will find a competent replacement for Jasper.

The Rebels have the next eight days off before a classic "trap" game in Wyoming on Wednesday. The trap is there because three days later the Rebels will meet Conference leader BYU at home, where there are very few seats still available.

The biggest game in the Mountain West Conference season just might be tonight, when the No. 10 BYU Cougars head to "The Pit" to meet No. 23 New Mexico. The Rebels have played both of these teams on their home court, losing to the Cougars by four and beating the Lobo's by 12.

Right now these three teams are the class of the MWC, and if they all hold serve at home and get at least one win in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, they should all be dancing in the NCAA's. The sleeper teams are Utah and San Diego State, both of whom will be dangerous down the stretch.

People who know and watch sports regularly have always said that when a team plays poorly and can still win the game, it is a team that can do serious damage in the NCAA's. UNLV was that team last night; Let's hope it continues.

Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback combined for 49 points as the UNLV Runnin' Rebels beat the Texas Christian University's Horned Frogs in Fort Worth with a 79-70 score.

Both Willis and Stanback had career highs with Willis scoring 30 while Stanback added 19. These two players have been coach Lon Kruger's go to guys especially since the beginning of Mountain West Conference play. Willis is the leading scorer in Conference play and has scored at least 20 points in his last six games.

Stanback, the UCLA transfer, has lifted his all around game to new heights since the season began.

What I find interesting is how the rest of the squad producers a new significant contributor to each game. Wednesday at Colorado State, freshman guard Justin Hawkins had 10 key points in that game while today it was junior forward Matt Shaw who had 10 points in only nine minutes of play.

Once again Kruger's three headed monsters, Shaw, Massamba and Santee at center had 22 points. Derrick Jasper led the Rebels with nine rebounds. The Rebels shot lights out from the floor and the foul line. They were just under 60 percent from the floor despite going 4-15 beyond the three point arc.

For the second straight game they shot over 80 percent from the foul line with Tre'von Willis leading the way with 11-14.

TCU made a late run while being down by as much as 10 in the second half. They tied the score at 60 with eight and a half minutes remaining. The Rebels then pulled away to an eight point lead but the Horned Frogs came back again to within two points at 72-70. The Rebels then scored the last points of the game.

The Rebels moved to 4-2 in conference play. They have a home game Tuesday against the Air Force Academy, then an eight day layoff before going to Wyoming the following Wednesday. They then return home to face Mountain Conference leader BYU on Sat. February 6th.

That will be an afternoon game which will be in front of a sellout crowd at the Thomas and Mack Center. With BYU, New Mexico and UNLV all playing at a very high caliber, it expects to be a dogfight for the conference crown. The MWC Tournament begins March 10th here in Las Vegas and the possibility of three or four teams coming out of this conference to the NCAA Tournament is gathering national support.

As I write this BYU leads San Diego State by one early in the second half. The Cougars will then travel to New Mexico on Wednesday to face the Lobos in "The Pit" which is no easy task.

This was the best all around game played by the Rebels since their two victories in Hawaii. If they continue on this pace the Rebels will be dancing again. Take note, this is a very young team that is projected to be even better next year. For the time being continue to enjoy this group of closely knit players who have the potential, depending on the match-ups, to do some major damage come tournament time.

Right now it's very exciting to be a Rebels fan.

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels got back to their winning ways with a hard-fought victory over the Rams from Colorado State by the score of 80-72. This win comes on the heels of a rare home loss Saturday against Utah.

This was the first home loss for the Rams this year as they proved to me last night they are certainly are the most improved team this year in the Mountain West Conference.

They played very well on the defensive end by creating 16 Rebel turnovers while committing only 11 of their own. This is usually the formula that can beat the Rebels this year, but Colorado State did themselves in by shooting only 38 percent from the floor while UNLV shot 54 percent.

UNLV got a great, if not unexpected performance by freshman guard Justin Hawkins who had 10 points in 14 minutes of play. All of his points were in the first half which was a see-saw battle ending with a five-point Rebel lead.

The second half saw the Rebels key players, Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback take over the scoring and UNLV pulling away in the last few minutes of the game. Willis led the scoring with a game-high 21 points while Stanback added 19.

UNLV also had a great night at the foul line as they shot 82 percent. Once again, coach Lon Kruger used 11 players in the game, moving his rotation in and out of the line up seemingly every few minutes. Only Darris Santee failed to score in his seven minutes of play.

Kruger uses Santee along with Matt Shaw and Brice Massamba in the post while they defend players usually taller at the center position. Last night, the group contributed with eight points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots. This has been a big concern all season long as Kruger is hoping one of three will stand out and step up.

The Rebels win moved them to 15-4 on the season and 3-2 in conference play. They move on to play TCU on the road this Saturday. The Rebels have Feb. 6 circled on the calendar as it brings their re-match against 13th-ranked BYU, the Mountain West leader with a 5-0 record in conference play.

However, UNLV can not afford to look ahead. Along with TCU, the Rebls have Air Force at home and Wyoming on the road before they get a shot against BYU, a game that looks to be the game of the year in the Mountain West Conference.

After their four-point loss to BYU at the Marriott Center, Kruger said his young team needed to learn how to "close" games. Last night, the young team did just that against the Colorado State Rams.

Hopefully that will continue.

The Mountain West Conference has arrived.

At the start of the season I thought, like most sports writers, that BYU, San Diego State, UNLV and New Mexico would fight it out for the top spot in the conference.

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Utah and they were expected to be somewhere in the middle of the second tier teams in the Mountain West.

They are not.

Last night, they continued to win at the Thomas and Mack Center, where last year, they swept through the Mountain West Tournament on their way to a five seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Utah had four players in double figures in scoring and upset the Runnin' Rebels on their home court for a rare win by a visiting team.

The Rebels had an opportunity to move up in the standings after their road win in New Mexico followed by their win against San Diego State on Wednesday.

For the second time in as many games Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback led the Rebels scoring. Willis had a career high 27 points along with six rebounds and four assists. At one point, Willis scored 13 straight points for the Rebels to get them back in the game.

Chase Stanback had 14 points and 10 rebounds for his first double double as a Rebel. Freshman guard Anthony Marshall made two spectacular blocks but could not convert free throws down the stretch.

The Rebels lost the game at the charity stripe and beyond the three point line. They made only one three point shot out of 12 attempts and shot an abysmal 64 percent from the foul line going 22-for-34.

In the meantime, the Utes shot 50 percent of their threes, scoring 24 points and going 23-for-29 at the line.

The Rebels were not sharp in this game as Utah controlled the pace and forced the Rebels into 10 turnovers. The 16,594 crowd left very disappointed as UNLV who were 11 1/2 point favorites came up short.

UNLV plays three out of their next four games on the road against teams they should be able to handle before the big showdown on February 6th against BYU.

If the Rebels expect to be a NCAA Tournament team, they are going to have to be more consistent in their scoring. Their defense is excellent, as usual, for a Lon Kruger coached team but they have to improve their foul shooting and their three point attempts if they want to play with the big boys. There is still a long way to go and the potential is there.

This is a very young team that is working hard to come together. Tre'Von Willis is the leader and a future NBA draft pick but he can't do it alone. The other players need to step up and not stand around watching Willis. This reminds me a lot of the Marcus Banks years and Wink Adams' tenure at UNLV. Both players could single handidly dominate a game, but when they were off their game, the Rebels needed to find other players to pick up the slack.

I believe Lon Kruger will find the right combination of players to achieve their goal for tournament play. These next four games will measure just how far they have to go to get there.

I am all but positive there are three young men who slept very well last night after UNLV's Runnin' Rebels came from behind to beat the San Diego State Aztecs 76-66 at the Thomas and Mack Center.

Those guys happen to be Wink Adams, Joe Darger, and Rene Rougeau who led the 2008-'09 Rebels. In their senior year they were humiliated by these same Aztecs three times, twice at the Thomas and Mack, including one in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

The Rebels had lost only three out of 36 games at home in conference play over the last two years and all those losses came at the hands of San Diego State.

Last night, for thirty minutes it certainly looked like history was going to repeat itself. After leading 18-16 early in the game, the Rebels fell behind by as much as 10 points only to make a gallant comeback and tie the score at 50 with 10 minutes left in the game.

Chase Stanback provided to spark for the Rebels to get even. He finished with a career high 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting while also picking up five boards.

San Diego State out rebounded the Rebels 42-30 but appeared not as close as those numbers indicate. It seemed like the Aztecs had all five of their players on the floor completely boxing out the Rebels. Time and time again they had two or three offensive rebounds getting easy baskets right under the net.

Once again the Rebels went to their leader down the stretch and he delivered. Tre'Von Willis scored 17 of his game high 23 points in the second half including nine in a row as the Rebels pulled away in the final five minutes.

Oscar Bellfield added 12 points along with six assists bringing his total to 15 assists in his last two games.

San Diego State leading scorer, Las Vegas native, Billy White fouled out of the game with three minutes to go.

White, who has been a Rebels killer was nursing an high ankle sprain which was obvious while he was on the floor. When he becomes fully healthy this will be a very good San Diego State team which will, despite its two conference game losses, be in the hunt not only in the Mountain West but also an excellent shot at the NCAA Tournament.

For the Rebels who have now faced the three top teams in the conference and won two out of three, the road doesn't get any easier as the Utah Runnin' Utes come into town on Saturday night. The Utes who played a vicious non-conference schedule come back to the Thomas and Mack where they won last year's Mountain West Conference championship game.

In order for UNLV to continue their winning ways they still have to learn to play all 40 minutes of the game. When they do as they did last night they are tough to beat. They will have to shoot better than 40 percent and they need to have a presence in the middle. They have been constantly out rebounded in most of their games with quality opponents.

The best point about this team is how coach Lon Kruger will use up to 11 different players on the floor. This bodes well as the Rebels get deeper into conference play. Last night they simply wore the Aztecs down with constant defensive pressure causing 20 turnovers to their 10.

Kruger feels you win the turnovers you win the game. I agree.

The best basketball west of the Big 12 is played in the Mountain West Conference. BYU, New Mexico, UNLV, and San Diego State are picking up the slack in an unfortunate and uncharacteristic down year for the perennially powerful Pac-10.

The potential is present for this to be an historic year for the MWC. In its respectable 11 year history, the MWC has never placed more than three teams in the NCAA tournament and has never had more than one team advance past the first round.

The pieces are in place, but will the puzzle come together?

Four schools currently possess a top 40 RPI. Three are either ranked in the top 25 or have been and are among the "others receiving votes." Five programs are on pace for a 20 win season.

While it would be foolish to argue that the MWC is on par with some of the country’s truly elite conferences, the quality and balance of the Mountain West is impossible to discount.

Postseason buzz is already abundant. Insecure mumbling about four NCAA bids is gaining steam, supplanted by seemingly reasonable dialogue.

Questions loom above the conference like the Rocky Mountains:

Is the MWC a four bid league?

Will the conference’s top contenders beat each other up to the point that it costs the league on selection Sunday?

Will this be the year multiple teams advance to the second round and beyond?

The answers are almost simple:

It’s too soon to tell.

Probably not.

I wouldn’t bet against it.

At this point, trying to accurately predict NCAA tournament teams in January is like hoping a fast food restaurant will accurately process and deliver your drive through order during the evening rush.  San Diego State is the equivalent of a No. 9 combo, no ketchup, no lettuce, add bacon, sub onion rings, with a large diet coke, easy ice.  Far too many variables in play.

That being said, reasonable assumptions can be made.

Is the MWC a four bid league?

BYU, UNLV, and New Mexico are all in great shape.  Barring a collapse, all three should make the NCAA tournament.

It wouldn’t take much, however, in a conference where it is notoriously difficult to win on the road, for such a collapse to occur.  New Mexico is off to an 0-2 start and scooting perilously close to bubbly instability.

If a magic number for the MWC existed, 25 would be that number.  Any team in the MWC that reaches 25 wins by selection Sunday cannot be left out.

As a point of reference, last year Steve Fisher’s Aztecs were considered one of the biggest snubs on selection Sunday.

They were 23-9.

Right now, BYU has 16 victories, New Mexico 14, UNLV 13, and San Diego State 12.

Are four bids likely? No.

Are four bids a possibility? Absolutely.  

Will the conference’s top contenders beat each other up to the point that it costs the league on selection Sunday?

Losing on the road to an NCAA tournament quality team doesn’t damage a tournament resume. There’s no shame in dropping games in Provo, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, or San Diego. With the strength of the conference, even a hiccup at home to another top team won’t prove terribly damaging, provided it doesn’t become a habit.

If the top teams “beat each other up,” or in other words, distribute losses fairly evenly among each other, no one gets hurt. Each team plays six total games against the rest of the perceived upper tier.

Any team that scrapes through with a 3-3 record would be in great shape.

Two-4, not so much.

One-5, no chance.

Where the Aztecs, Rebels, Lobos, and Cougars really need to be careful is when they take on the bottom five-ninths of the conference. San Diego State lost at Wyoming on Saturday.  That’s strike one. Lose two or three of those and the NIT awaits.

Will this be the year multiple teams advance to the second round and beyond?

Last year, BYU and Utah were both unceremoniously bounced from the NCAA tournament’s first round. The malodorous disappointment still lingers like burnt salmon in a tiny kitchen.

This March should be different.

All four hopefuls are capable of inflicting some damage if invited. That’s a given. Upsets are an integral part of the madness.

The Big Dance is all about matchups. Seedings, playing styles, momentum, experience, athleticism, nerves, motivation; it all gets tossed into the fickle first round mixing bowl.

The MWC has a great chance to validate itself in March based on simple math. 

More Representatives+Higher Seeds-Luke Neville=Increased likelihood of first round success.

All unfair jabs at NBA Developmental League Superstar Luke Neville aside, March could see UNLV, BYU, and New Mexico all wearing home jerseys for round one. Throw in an athletic but inconsistent Aztec team sneaking in as an 11 or 12, and a breakthrough seems downright probable.

For now only one thing is certain: In a conference fighting a never-ending, uphill battle for respect, midseason fanfare means nothing if ultimately replaced by the deafening thud of postseason flop.

Kendall Wallace is a three point specialist. In any game where he's on the floor, Kendall is capable of making game-changing shots. Yesterday was one of those days. In fact, it was the best three-point performance in Wallace's career at UNLV.

In 23 minutes on the floor, Kendall sent up 10 shots from behind the three point line and nailed seven of them for a career high 21 points. At one point in the second half, Kendall netted three's on four straight possessions, literally stabbing a dagger into the heart of Steve Alford's Lobos.

I remember Alford when he played for Bobby Knight at Indiana, and he was the best three-point shooter I have ever seen. Rebel team leader Tre'Von Willis played his second straight extremely strong game scoring 20 points with four assists and two rebounds. Chase Stanback added 14 points in his game high 33 minutes for the Rebels.

The Lobo's put four players in double figures and out rebounded the Rebels by margin of 35-26.

The loss for the Lobos was the first in the last 19 games in "The Pit", which has always been known as a very tough court for a visiting team to win there. New Mexico, who was ranked as high as 12th in the national polls, has dropped three of it's last four— including a road loss at another Mountain West Power, San Diego State.

Already in conference play people are giving three or sometimes even four berths to the big dance this year. The Pac-10 is terrible, and the Big West doesn't have more than one or two teams worthy of that.

The Rebels definitely needed yesterday's win. Coach Kruger said his team had to close out games such as the one they let get away at BYU on Wednesday.

The Rebels will be happy to get back to the Thomas and Mack and they will have another challenge awaiting them. San Diego State have beat the Rebels in the last three games they played, including two on the Rebels' home court.

In this very competitive Mountain West Conference every game, even the early ones, can be labeled critical. A win against San Diego State will most likely get the Rebels back into the national polls. They really don't mean much though, except to the fans.

I look for a big effort on Wednesday in front of a sell out crowd at the Thomas and Mack.

Prediction—Rebels 71 San Diego St 69