UNLV Basketball

It is hard to believe that Utah is the only team that the Rebels have not beaten in the Mountain West, but that is the case. A team with only seven conference wins, Utah seems to have the number of a team that only has seven total losses, UNLV. This should make for an interesting first round matchup.

The fans of UNLV were celebrating a win over Wyoming on Saturday only to get a punched-in-the-gut feeling upon learning that the Utes had lost to the Colorado State Rams, putting them into the six spot in the conference seedings.

The Rebel fans would have rather seen anyone in the first round other than Utah. Another lost to this sub-.500 team could put an end to UNLV's tournament hopes and surely would have a devastating effect on their seed.

This matchup leaves Coach Lon Kruger with quite a conundrum in making his lineups. He has two players, Matt Shaw and Derrick Jasper, coming off of injuries. If they were playing Colorado State, a team they handled easily at home, then he could get Shaw and Jasper some good minutes and get them ready for postseason play.

Jasper's ability to get rebounds from the 3 spot will be crucial in an NCAA tournament game, but do you risk putting a player that is not in game shape on the floor in a must-win scenario?

Hopefully, the Rebels will get a few more chances to get Shaw and Jasper into a real game but they must get past Utah first.

You would think that the Rebels would need to keep the much bigger Utah team off of the boards, but that has not been their problem. In the first matchup, the Rebels out-rebounded the Utes 34-31, and in the second game, UNLV lost the rebound battle but only by five 28-33.

While the rebounding could be better, it was not the cause of their losses.

The key to winning seems to be controlling junior guard Carlon Brown. In Vegas, Brown was only 5-for-12 but made three out of his five three-point attempts to finish the game with 16 points. In the game in Utah, he shot 8-for-12 to lead the team with 18 points.

The UNLV Rebels will be fired up for this game, but there will be some concern over whether or not this UofU team is in their head.

At least the game will be on the home court of UNLV and I believe the coaching advantage is on their side as well. All the Rebel fans can hope is that the old adage, it is hard to beat a team three times in a season, holds true.

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels ended their regular season with their fourth straight victory and perhaps a bid to the NCAA Tournament. By finishing on a high note the Rebels clinched third place in this week's Mountain West Conference Tournament and an opportunity to revenge two previous losses this year to the Utah Runnin 'Utes.

I would imagine of all the teams the Rebels didn't want to face in this tournament the Utes would top the list. They clearly are the toughest team in the conference as far as a matchup for UNLV. The Utes have a definite height advantage and in the two losses to them this year the Rebels were easily out-rebounded and were punished inside the lane.

In order for the Rebels to prevail and move on to the semifinals against probable opponent BYU, UNLV must find a way to solve this years dilemma. Last year it was San Diego State who had the Rebels number defeating them three times including in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament eliminating any chance for the Rebels to be considered for an NCAA bid.

The same scenario is possible again this year if UNLV can't get past Utah in the first round. I believe the key to winning this game will be the ability of UNLV to knock down threes. Therefore a hot hand is needed for Kendall Wallace, Oscar Bellfield, and Tre'Von Willis. Chase Stanback and a healthy Matt Shaw are also very capable shooters from behind the arc and will be needed to have a strong effort against the Utes.

In yesterday's win against the Cowboys, the Rebels shot 7-24 which is just under 30 percent. That effort may not get the job done against the Utes. In their previous game the Rebels connected on 13 threes against TCU in a 30-point win.

The one-two punch of Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback led the way against Wyoming. Willis had a team high 20 points with eight rebounds and five assists in an overall outstanding performance. Willis is a candidate for Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference this year and very well may have the opportunity to get there with continued impressive games in the tournament.

Stanback, the UCLA transfer, has certainly come into his own this year averaging over 10 points per game with excellent rebounding skills and the ability to knock down the occasional three. Against Wyoming he had 13 points along with nine boards and nailed three three-pointers along the way.

The Mountain West Conference Tournament kicks off Wednesday with Wyoming taking on Air Force for the eighth seed. Thursday in the quarterfinals, the most intriguing match is the four-five game which pits this year's most improved team, the Colorado State Rams against NCAA Tournament hopeful San Diego State. A loss here by the Aztecs will undoubtedly eliminate their chances for an NCAA bid.

The Aztecs will probably have to win the tournament to make this year's dance. The most likely scenario will involve them playing top-ranked New Mexico, who they split with this year, and then facing the winner of the UNLV-BYU game, once again if the Rebels can get by Utah.

This has the makings of a great conference tournament. Having to play in Las Vegas on their home court at the Thomas and Mack Center should certainly help UNLV but more important for them will be unlocking the keys to defeat Utah.

Prediction: Trying to be as objective as I can be this is really a very tough call. The so called experts have New Mexico and BYU the favorites to meet in the final and it certainly would not surprise anyone if that happens. If it does and I don't believe it will, I see New Mexico walking away with the crown.

I believe the UNLV Runnin' Rebels have peaked at just the right time. They will get their revenge against Utah, beat BYU as they always do on this court, and outlast the Lobos for the title.

In my scenario the Rebels will earn a five seed in the tournament along with BYU, and New Mexico, despite its defeat, should get a three or a four because of their overall body of work. All three Mountain West Conference invitees will have a legitimate shot to make it to the Sweet Sixteen. If they achieve that anything can happen from there.

Should be fun. Go Rebels.

Winning road games in high altitude has been no stranger to the 21-7 Runnin' Rebels this season as they put on a 30-point plastering on the Air Force Academy Falcons yesterday in a one sided blow out win.

Having been previously victorious this season at Colorado State and New Mexico the high altitude has certainly been helpful for the Rebels three point shooters. The Rebels hit on a season high 13 threes with Oscar Bellfield 4-6, Chase Stanback 3-7 and Kendall Wallace 5-8. If any team can shoot at that clip they will be a dangerous force in the key conference games to come.

This game like the past two was over early as the the Rebels went on a 17-0 run midway through the first half. They pressed the Falcons into numerous turnovers and won the battle on the boards 30-17. Once again, Tre'Von Willis saw his playing time decrease going only 24 minutes as the other Rebels stepped up.

I believe Rebels coach Lon Kruger is giving his high scoring Junior Guard some much needed he said rest as they head towards the conference tournament. The rest may cost Willis his shot as the Mountain West Player of the Year but in speaking to him he said "my goal is the big dance and if the coach wants me to rest, rest I will."

Chase Stanback had a career high 21 points along with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a blocked shot for his very best overall performance this year. He will need to play at that level in the upcoming conference tournament.

The Rebels hope to have both Matt Shaw and Derrick Jasper back for their final home game against the Wyoming Cowboys this Saturday at the Thomas and Mack Center here in Las Vegas.

It will be a "White Out" game where all Rebel fans will wear white. A close to sell out crowd of 18,000 plus are expected.

Mar. 9 starts the Mountain West Conference Tournament with New Mexico, BYU, and UNLV all picked as the co-favorites. Don't however overlook San Diego State, the fourth team in the conference that has produced a 20+ win season.

Brice Massamba, Darris Santee, and Anthony Marshall have all played very well of late and this team seems to be peaking at the right time. Right now it looks like they will face either Utah or Colorado State in the first round.

No doubt they would rather match-up with the Rams rather than the Ute's who have beaten the Rebels in their last three games going back to last season.

With a win in the first game a rematch with BYU should come next. In their first meeting at home this year, the Rebels played what I have said was the best first half of basketball I have ever witnessed as they went on to crush the Cougars.

With another victory that would set up the rubber match between UNLV and New Mexico where each team has won on it's opponent court. If that is to be the final of this tournament regardless of the winner, the Mountain West Conference will definitely place three and very possibly four teams in the NCAA'a for the very first time.

If the selection committee does it's job correctly and doesn't put the entire Big East into the tournament, we just may see some history made this year.

I don't just watch the Mountain West Conference. I follow all College Basketball diligently, and when it comes to the NCAAs, the neutral court does tend to even things out a bit.

All four possible teams from the Mountain West have a good opportunity to go beyond the Sweet 16 and perhaps even a Final Four appearance. The key, of course, will be matchups, but one thing is clear to me and that is that the top teams in the Mountain West are as good as the top teams in any conference this year.

Only time will tell.

Tre'Von Willis led four Rebels with double figures in scoring as UNLV pounded the TCU Horned Frogs at the Thomas and Mack Center here in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

Willis, playing only 22 minutes, scored 16 points along with four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. He went 5-7 from the floor, 2-4 beyond the arc, and a perfect 4-4 from the line. Once the Rebels took a 31 point lead early in the second half, Willis was relegated to the bench for some much-needed rest.

Averaging over 21 points in conference games this year, Willis is definitely in the running for  Mountain West Player of the Year.

For the second game in a row the Rebels used a balanced scoring attack as all nine players who saw action got in the scoring column.

Chase Stanback also had 16 points, along with seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocked shots.

Brice Massamba had his second straight excellent game with 10 points and nine rebounds, and most importantly six of those boards were offensive, giving the Runnin' Rebels the rebound advantage. In their last 10 games the Rebels are 7-3. In all the games they won they also had the most rebounds. In their three losses they were badly out-rebounded by their opponent.

They definitely need a healthy Matt Shaw and Derrick Jasper for the Mountain West Conference Tournament which begins March 9th here in Las Vegas.

Kendall Wallace hit four three-pointers on his way to 12 points and also two steals.

The Rebels defense produced 22 turnovers making TCU look very sloppy for 30 minutes of the game. In the last 10 minutes the Horned Frogs made a very nice run cutting the 31 point lead down to 12 with just under three minutes to play.

Ronnie Moss led TCU with a game-high 25 points while Zvonko Buljan added 21 for the Horned Frogs.

Two games down and two to go for the Runnin' Rebels to pad their resume for the NCAA selection committee. Perhaps their most important game of the year comes this Saturday afternoon when the Rebels travel to the Air Force Academy where the Falcons play very well on their home court. This is another must win along with their final home game a week from Saturday against Wyoming.

I have spoken freely about UNLV's worst nightmare for the Mountain West Tournament. That's Utah, a team that has beaten the Rebels twice this season and currently sits in sixth place in the conference standings. The Rebels 9-5 are tied with San Diego State for third place. If the Rebels are alone in third place at seasons end they will face the Runnin' Utes one more time.

Not a very pleasant thought.

UNLV needs a strong finish. Their toughest regular season games are behind them. The schedule sets up for a nice, momentum-building run into the postseason.

Expectations weren’t particularly high entering the season. They are now.

The question marks are gone. The team has ability. Success is expected.

With three regular season games to play, the Rebels still have some kinks to work out. The 31-point massacre of Colorado State was a nice start, but upon further review, there are more substantive reasons for optimism than just the final score.

The dominating performance wasn’t the result of a series of lucky breaks. It wasn’t by happenstance or coincidence.

The Rebels, as a team, were able to contribute in many smaller ways that had eluded them through much of the season, and especially the last few games.

If UNLV can consistently replicate the formula that led to a Ram-lambasting, the next month could be special.

If not, a forgettable post-season awaits.

On the Rebound

Talking about the Rebels’ struggles on the glass is like beating a dead horse. Actually, it’s like standing around watching someone else beat a dead horse. Regardless, it continues to be a point of emphasis.

UNLV out-rebounded Colorado State, which is a good thing. The Rebels had lost the battle on the boards in each of their last three games. Any progress is encouraging.

It’s worth pointing out, however, that UNLV only managed to pull down five more rebounds than Colorado State, despite the fact that the Rams missed 16 more shots (field goals and free throws combined).

There is ample room for improvement.

They Call him the Streak

Kendall Wallace has been given many nicknames by teammates, TV personalities, and fans. As an underclassman, he was dubbed K-Fed McLovin. It’s not exactly clear why.

Early in the season, Wallace was red hot from long distance. He made 7-of-11 threes in the Rebels first three games, earning himself a new nickname: The ATM (Automatic Three Machine).

Since then, Wallace's touch has been sporadic. He’s had great games, but has also hit some rough patches. For the first time all season, Wallace went back-to-back games without hitting a three. UNLV lost both games (to San Diego State and Utah).

Kendall Wallace is a streaky, streaky shooter. Thus, his new nickname: Ghetto Windex. He’s streaky.

GW was streaking in a good way Saturday. He splashed in three shots from downtown, the sixth time this year he’s hit three or more in a game.

The Rebels are 5-1 in those games.

When Wallace is on, he provides instant offense off the bench and spaces the floor for his teammates. UNLV is a different team offensively when Kendall Wallace is knocking down shots.

 

Meet Me at the Rim

It was obvious the first time he took the floor for UNLV that Anthony Marshall is a tremendous athlete. From day one, Marshall was adept at beating his man off the dribble and getting to the basket.

Unfortunately, Marshall had some struggles adjusting to the speed and skill of the college game. He was often met at the rim by a help defender. At times he seemed surprised and unprepared for the second defender, often leading to missed shots or turnovers.

It appears Marshall has turned the corner.

Marshall still flashes his impressive burst to the basket, but lately has been converting his efforts in to points and assists, often of the spectacular variety. Never was this more evident than in Saturday’s game.

Anthony Marshall, or AMPM (too much good stuff), compiled 12 points, 10 rebounds, and just one turnover in 26 minutes.

The progress of Marshall is the an incredibly encouraging, for the remainder of this year and for the three to follow.

 

Coping with Rejection

Brice Massamba is big. He is listed at 6’10” and 240 lbs.

Entering the contest with Colorado State, Brice Massamba had recorded just eight blocked shots on the season.

Saturday, Massamba contributed a career high five blocks.

One thing the Rebels have been missing all season is an interior defensive force, a big man who can recover when the perimeter defense breaks down. UNLV's trademark aggressive, confrontational defensive style on the perimeter has yielded terrific results throughout the season, but a formidable shot blocker under the hoop is the missing ingredient in elevating the Rebels to a truly elite defensive level.

When UNLV is able to compliment their strong perimeter defense with blocked shots from help defenders, it leads to a miserable night for the opposing offense.

The Rebels tallied a total of eight blocks on Saturday.

The Rams managed just 39 points. They missed 39 shots.

Massamba was (literally) a huge factor in Colorado State’s offensive woes. UNLV fans are praying his performance was no fluke.

 

There’s no ‘I’ in Blowout

At times this season, Tre’Von Willis has carried the Rebels. He’s scored 20+ points on ten different occasions and has produced three 30 point performances.

Willis is averaging 21.5 points per conference game.

On Saturday, he scored 11 points. He took just six shots. He probably didn’t need to take any.

The single most impressive thing about the play of the Rebels against Colorado State was the balance and unselfishness with which the team performed.

Six players scored seven or more points. No player scored more than 12. No individual attempted more than nine shots.

For the first time in five games, UNLV earned more trips to the free throw line than their opponent. Seven different players made at least one free throw. No player missed more than one.

It was a true team effort. They shared the load.

Willis played loose, at no point feeling pressured to force the issue or attempt heroics.

It may not have come against the toughest competition, but it was the best example of team basketball the Rebels have demonstrated all season.

 

Does it Matter?

It was just one game. It may not happen again. After all, UNLV is supposed to handle Colorado State at home. It might not have any lasting impact whatsoever.

On the other hand, the effect going forward could be very significant.

Under Lon Kruger, UNLV will always play solid pressure defense. They’ll force turnovers. They’ll protect the ball. They’ll play smart and efficiently.

The question is, can the Rebels expand their repertoire of consistency? Can they continue to do the things they have done well all season, and add on top the capabilities they demonstrated on Saturday?

Can they continue to play Kruger ball, but also get to the line, block shots, snatch rebounds, and score from all five positions?

Whether or not they can will determine just how much damage they do in March.

If nothing else, they’ve proven they know the formula.

The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels put an emphatic stop to their three-game losing skid with a dominant 70-39 thumping of Colorado State over the weekend.

With Selection Sunday less than three weeks away, the postseason is a hot topic of debate among fans of UNLV, the Mountain West, and college basketball in general.

In an attempt to sort through the muddled puddle of opinions, and to sift out the accurate information from the swirl of emotional reaction, a round of true or false is in order.

Bust out your No. 2 pencils and a scantron, and remember that cheating in any form is punishable by immediate expulsion.

If the Rebels don’t make the NCAA tournament, Lon Kruger’s job will be in jeopardy.

FALSE. This notion is completely laughable, yet I have seen it expressed by many fans, many times, in many different venues over the last week and a half.

Lon Kruger isn’t going anywhere.

Kruger is unquestionably the best head basketball coach UNLV has had since Jerry Tarkanian. The team competes for a conference title and an NCAA tournament bid each year. Attendance and revenue are also way up.

Losing Lon Kruger would be the worst thing to happen to UNLV in a long, long time.

The Rebels are overachieving this year.

TRUE . Ignore momentarily the fact that UNLV was picked to finish third in the conference and they are on pace to finish third or fourth.

No one predicted the Mountain West would be as strong as it is this year. Most ‘experts’ had the MWC pegged as a one bid league entering the season.

The league was supposed to be in rebuilding mode. It was BYU and a big stinking heap of NIT-quality challengers.

The 'experts' were dead wrong.

Shockingly, this is the strongest the conference has been in its history. Two top-15 teams, another that has spent significant time in the rankings, and four teams with legitimate NCAA tournament aspirations late in February add up to form the most impressive collection of talent the MWC has seen in its relative brief existence.

A third place finish in this year's MWC, behind two top-15 teams, and a birth in the big dance combine to exceed reasonable preseason expectations for both UNLV and the MWC.

 

Tre’Von Willis is a candidate for MWC Player of the Year.

FALSE . I love Willis. I think you can make an argument that he has been the best player in the conference since conference play began.

Unfortunately, the Rebels’ three-game losing streak all but eliminated Willis from contention for MWC POY. 

If UNLV wins their last three, they’ll finish 11-5 in conference, behind New Mexico and BYU. Team performance is a huge factor in selecting the Conference’s player of the year.

Jimmer Fredette is still the overwhelming favorite. Only an outstanding performance by Darington Hobson in a New Mexico victory at the Marriot Center could change that, and even that might not be enough to unseat Fredette.

Having the MWC Tournament played at the Thomas and Mack Center gives UNLV an advantage.

TRUE.

UNLV will be the favorite to win the conference tournament, because they have home court advantage.

FALSE . The atmosphere at the Thomas and Mack Center for the MWC Tournament does not provide a true home court advantage for any team. There is no student section. Both teams are accompanied by their band and cheerleaders. The same number of tickets are made available to fans of each school.

That being said, I’m not naïve.

When UNLV does well, Rebel fans buy up leftover tickets and come out in large number to support the team. UNLV players can sleep in their own beds and enjoy all the fringe benefits, comfort, and added confidence that comes from staying at home.

For what it’s worth, UNLV has won the MWC tournament three times in Las Vegas. All three times, the Rebels were seeded first or second.

When seeded third or lower, the Rebels are 4-3 in MWC tournament games played at the Thomas and Mack.

When seeded third or lower, the Rebels are 4-3 in MWC tournament games played at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

A run to the title this year would likely require back-to-back victories over top-15 teams as a three or four seed.

Throughout the season, I’ve heard some form of the sentiment, “I don’t see the Rebels losing in the conference tournament on their home floor,” expressed many times. It’s a nice comforting thought, but the odds are against them.

UNLV must win the MWC tournament to make the NCAA tournament.

FALSE. This outright falsehood is so prevalent among the local sports community as to cause one to question the intelligence of Rebel fans.

I state, unequivocally, that the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels do not need an automatic bid to compete in this year’s NCAA tournament.

Anyone stating anything to the contrary is confused, misinformed, myopic, or just plain stupid.

The Rebels have a very nice resume; an RPI in the low 40s, four top 50 wins, two top 25 wins, an 8-3 record on the road. The key phrase is “Overall Body of Work”.

Currently, the Rebels are on the right side of ‘the bubble’. While a MWC Championship and its accompanying automatic bid would be nice, they certainly aren’t a necessity.

All the Rebels need to do to remain in the field is avoid taking any additional bad losses. They must win their last three regular season games and at least one game in the MWC tournament.

If they do, they’ll be able to enjoy a nice, peaceful night’s sleep on Saturday March 13th.

If the Rebels make the NCAA tournament, they can win multiple games.

TRUE. UNLV hasn’t looked like a particularly dangerous team lately, but don’t be fooled. All four Mountain West teams with NCAA hopes have the talent to make a nice run.

Matchups are always key, but things are shaping up nicely for the Rebels.

UNLV has spent the last several weeks dealing with several key injuries. Oscar Bellfield has been playing despite an injured knee. Derrick Jasper has missed most of the last month with a partially-torn ligament. Matt Shaw will miss his third straight game with an ankle injury, and Darris Santee is day-to-day with an abdominal strain.

The good news: all are expected to be back at or close to full strength by the end of the regular season. At full strength, the Rebels can hang with just about any team in the country.

To sum up, the season is far from over.  Resist the tendency to swing in dramatic reaction to each individual game.  Focus on the big picture.

It may not be perfect, but from here, it still looks pretty darn good.

"It was the best of times,it was the worst of times," Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities . So it is for the men's basketball team at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

With three games to play before the Mountain West Conference Tournament at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, the Rebels find themselves clearly right on the bubble for an invitation to the NCAA Tournament certainly better known as March Madness.

Just two short weeks ago these same Runnin' Rebels blew out the then 12th ranked BYU Cougars right out of the building. It was their 19th win with only four losses and I was thinking a four seed would be nice and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen looked like a pretty good bet here in gambling heaven.

Then that same roof caved in with a bang that could be heard all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Fifteenth ranked New Mexico came into town and in a game that had revenge written all over it, the Lobos beat back a late Rebels run and evened the score by repaying the Rebels back for their only loss to them at "The Pit".

From there the Rebels traveled to San Diego State who has owned UNLV over the Lon Kruger era despite the Rebels win at the T&M earlier this year. Last season the Aztecs beat UNLV three times sending the Rebels to the NIT. Needless to say the Rebels dropped their second game in a row and their next stop in Salt Lake City loomed large on the horizon.

If you follow this team as closely as I do you would know that the Rebels do not match up well with this Utah team. They have two guys who are at least 8' tall and after losing earlier in the season to the Runnin' Utes at home, Lon Kruger's plan was to give Matt Shaw more playing time in the middle.

Normally Shaw shares time with Darris Santee and Brice Massamba in the attempt to keep a fresh body in the middle to offset the height advantage many teams have against the Rebels. Matt Shaw is an excellent three-point shooter and that would have brought at least one of the Utes giants out to the perimeter to guard against the three-point shots.

During warm-ups, Shaw turned an ankle and was pronounced unable to play. With Derrick Jasper already sitting out with a knee injury, the Rebels rotation was in flux and once again they found themselves on the losing side of the scoreboard.

Frankly, because I write about the Rebels for the fun of it, I have to be honest and tell you as a fan, I was so upset about the loss I couldn't do my usual recap of the game. As expected nobody called me out on this, however the game had at least one amazing item.

Tre'Von Willis who is the heart and soul of this team put out his most impressive performance of his career to date. Having virtually no support from his teammates at all, Willis still managed a game high 32 points with a couple of steals, assists, and rebounds. He brought the Rebels back from a 12 point deficit to tie the game at 61 with less than two minutes to play.

It just wasn't enough however as the Rebels dropped their third straight game in February which certainly doesn't help one's resume going for the NCAA's.

Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and I give coach Lon Kruger a lot of credit for this, the Rebels limped home to face a team they should easily have handled, the Colorado State Rams.

That they did. With a shooting performance reminiscent of the BYU game the Rebels jumped off to an 18-2 start and never looked back. They shot 48 percent from the floor with an even better 50 percent from beyond the arc. They out-rebounded the Rams 33-28 and had a season high eight blocked shots.

The Rebels finally showed a balanced scoring attack, not totally relying upon Willis to lead the way. Freshman guard Anthony Marshall had his first college career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Chase Stanback chipped in with 12 points including going 3-3 from beyond the arc. Willis also reached double figures along with Kendall Wallace who nailed 3-6 from three-point range.

With Matt Shaw still nursing his ankle injury, Brice Massamba had the best game of his career. In 25 minutes of play, Massamba had seven points, three rebounds and a career high five blocked shots. He will have to continue this type of performance while Shaw is out for the Rebels to make any noise in the Mountain West Tournament.

The remaining schedule is kind for the Rebels. They have two remaining home games with TCU and Wyoming and one on the road at the Air Force Academy. These are three very winnable games and they have become must wins for UNLV. If they do win all three they will finish the season at 23-7, and 11-5 in league play.

At this point they sit fourth in the conference standings and will likely remain there. Their probable first round opponent would be these same Colorado State Rams. That would be good, however right behind the Rams in the standings is none other than those Utah Runnin' Utes, the Rebels absolute worst nightmare.

Here's the way I see it. The Rebels still have a good chance to go dancing. They have to win out, and make the Mountain West Tournament final game. With their RPI under 40 and their quality wins over BYU, New Mexico, and Louisville I believe that would be enough to get in.

By the way we can thank the PAC-10 for that.

Go Rebels.

Numbers don't lie. Here's how a Top 25 team loses on the road. You shoot 35 percent from the floor. You go 3-17 from behind the arc, and you're out-rebounded 37-22. To make matters worse, you have the ball stolen nine times and nine of your shots are blocked.

It appears that the big win just one week ago today against BYU might have been the highlight to the Runnin' Rebels season, and perhaps the end of the season as well.

After two straight losses to New Mexico at home on Wednesday and today's loss at San Diego State, the Rebels have not only put their once probable NCAA Tournament bid on hold, they very might find themselves back in the NIT and a once very promising season coming to an extremely poor end.

UNLV, who had developed a level of consistency on both ends of the court, have gone completely cold. Tre' Von Willis has been the guy other teams have focused on and is getting doubled and triple teamed at times, and the surrounding players are not stepping up.

It has now become how very apparent the loss of Derrick Jasper has been pivotal. Today freshman Anthony Marshall replaced Kendall Wallace in the starting lineup primarily because Wallace is clearly better coming off the bench and providing a spark.

What I don't understand is why Coach Lon Kruger never has two of his three big men on the court at the same time. Massamba, Santee and Shaw all replace each other in the lineup, but never have I seen two of the three on the court at the same time. If the Rebels have had one glaring weakness during Kruger's tenure, it is the lack of height and bulk in the front court.

The rebounding is as weak as it has been all year, and if changes aren't made soon, we will be talking about next season next week.

Admittedly, I definitely got caught up in the BYU win. I believe the team did as well. The road gets no easier when the Rebels travel to Salt Lake City on Wednesday to take on the Runnin' Utes, who already have a road victory this year at UNLV and who lost at home tonight in double overtime to conference leader New Mexico.

This is another team that UNLV does not match up well against. They are bigger and taller once again in the front court, and unless the Rebels pick up the intensity, enthusiasm and desire, they will looking at a three game losing streak at the most important point in the season.

Enough said!

I really have to admire those reporters who can be completely unbiased in their reporting. I know 99.9 percent of the media has their favorite team in sports and only the best seem to be able to pull off reporting on their team and remain objective, report the facts, point out the mistakes, and criticize the team, its players, and their coaches.

When it comes to the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, I am a hopeless fan. I revel in their victories while suffering in their defeats. When they win, I have them in the Final Four and when they lose, I make all sorts of justifications why they didn't win.

Take last night's Rebel loss to the New Mexico Lobos, a team that is definitely in contention for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. After starting the conference season with two quick losses, including one to these same Runnin' Rebels at "The Pit," where only one Mountain Conference Team has been victorious in the last 25 games.

New Mexico now sits alone at the top of the Mountain West Conference standings with an 8-2 record along with being 21-3 overall. They have now beat five ranked teams this year.

Revenge can be a powerful motivator for sure, and the Lobo's virtually stunned the 18,000 fans in the sold out Thomas and Mack Arena. They made their first five three-point attempts and moved out to a 40-28 halftime lead.

They built the lead to 18 points with just over 10 minutes left in the game. At that point in the game I honestly said to myself, "Geez, I really don't want to write about this tomorrow morning." I was still coming off the best college basketball game I have ever attended when UNLV bounced BYU off its 12th ranked perch.

Then the Rebels caught fire as Oscar Bellfield, Tre'Von Willis, Kendall Wallace, and Matt Shaw went on a 20-4 run to make a game out if it for the final three minutes. The crowd, very quiet most of the way, nearly raised the roof.

Enormous credit to Steve Allford and his Lobos. They withheld the firestorm and regained their composure in those last three minutes and pulled away for the final 10 point victory.

They won the game from behind the arc, the foul line, and their overwhelming advantage on the boards. The Rebels put three players in double figures with Oscar Bellfield leading the way with 15 points. Tre'Von Willis kicked in 13 while Matt Shaw added 12.

I will not back down off this one loss for the Rebels, who are now 19-5 overall and 7-3 in conference play. Unfortunately, their next game is no easier, as they visit San Diego State on Saturday night. This game becomes a must win for the Rebels or they will see their chances to make it to the big dance be based on their performance in the Mountain West Conference tournament.

Let's hope the Rebels can continue their winning ways on the road, as they are 7-1 this year.

There is nothing more electric or as exciting as a sold-out crowd of 18,557 screaming UNLV Runnin' Rebel fans at the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.

In what perhaps was the most perfect first half of college basketball I have ever seen, the Rebels jumped all over the 12th-ranked BYU Cougars by completing their first nine three-points attempts and opened up a 29-point lead.

Led by my top player of the year, Tre'Von Willis had 21 of his career-high 33 points in the first half. The Rebels shot lights out, thrilling the capacity crowd. The atmosphere resembled an NCAA Final Four game as the fans were rarely in their seats. I know I wasn't.

Oscar Bellfield put a defensive blanket on BYU's leading scorer Jimmer Fredette, as he struggled from the floor and had to fight to get every shot attempt.

For the second-straight game, Matt Shaw came off the bench and added a spark by hitting his first three three-point attempts. Shaw finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists in 15 minutes of play. Chase Stanback led all players with 14 rebounds.

BYU cut the lead to 13 in the second half, but it was as close as they got as UNLV applied the defensive pressure throughout the game. Jason Tavernari, who I swear has been on the BYU squad for the last 10 years, led the Cougars on their attempted comeback. He finished the game with 16 points.

This was the seventh-straight win for the Rebels against BYU at the Thomas and Mack Center, including two Mountain West Tournament Final games. With both teams now tied along with New Mexico at the top of conference with 7-2 records, the possibility of another meeting in this year's Mountain West Tournament looms on the horizon.

It doesn't get any easier for the Rebels from here. On Wednesday, 15th-ranked New Mexico comes to Las Vegas looking for revenge of its only conference home loss this year at the hands of UNLV. In that game, Kendall Wallace hit seven three-point plays in the 12-point road victory for the Rebels at the "Pit."

From here, the Rebels have three of their next five games on the road, including stops in San Diego, Utah, and at the Air Force Academy. The Rebels have been road warriors this year, winning seven out of eight on their opponents' floor.

The students rushed the floor at game's end, and I would have loved to have joined them, but I was 12 rows from the top of the second tier, and by the time I got to the floor, the building would have surely been empty.

With one month left and seven games remaining on the schedule, the Rebels improved to 19-4 and will probably find their way back into the top 25 this week. Barring a major collapse, it looks like this will be Coach Lon Kruger's third trip to the NCAA Tournament in his six years at UNLV. Right now a three or four seed looks pretty good to me.

Go Rebels!