NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Could Barack Obama Out-Recruit Frank Sinatra? We May Find Out

Adam Papagiorgio — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:14:00 EST

College basketball coaches are always looking for that edge. And Oregon State's Craig Robinson is no different than say, Ben Howland, Mike Montgomery or Tim Floyd in that respect. (Well, given USC's recent troubles, maybe Floyd isn't a good example.)

College recruiting can be competitive and tough. So any coach would be foolish to turn down any recruiting help. Especially recruiting help from family. Especially family that just happens to be the President of the United States.

Robinson was on ESPN 710 in Los Angeles and he admitted to hosts John Ireland and Steve Mason that he wouldn't be above having his brother-in-law, President Barack Obama, make some recruiting pitches for Oregon State.

From SportsRadioInterviews.com, (via Deadspin):

"I think the President has the right to call any citizen that he feels like calling any time he wants. I haven't had to use him yet, but I think I ought to petition the NCAA to see what the ruling will be on that before I do it."

But don't think that having the President doing your recruiting is going to help that much. That's a lesson Jerry Tarkanian learned when he was coach at UNLV. When Tarkanian was on the trail of some East Coast recruits, he sent the Chairman of the Board Frank Sinatra in to close the deal. The first was a tall kid from from Long Island that ended up going to South Carolina. The other was Mike O'Koren from New Jersey.

Tarkanian recants how well Sinatra was as a recruiter in his book, Runnin' Rebel:

Well, I thought there was something (Sinatra) could do. I had gotten to think that Sinatra could be real helpful in recruiting, especially if we hooked him up with some Italian-American kids back East. I thought that if we could ever send Sinatra into a recruit's home, have him meet the Italian mother, well, it would be over. They'd do whatever Sinata told tehm to do. I figured it would be a lock. How could they turn down Frank Sinatra? So I told Sinatra my plan, and he loved the idea. He said to set it up. ...

I just couldn't believe my plan had backfired. We went 0-for-2 on Sinatra's recruits. Dean Smith might be the greatest recruiter in the history of college basketball. Forget about signing Michael Jordan, James Worthy and the rest. Dean Smith beat Frank Sinatra on a kid from Jersey City. Impossible.

And it got worse for Tarkanian,when O'Koren scored 31 points as North Carolina beat UNLV in a 1977 Final Four matchup.

That Frank Sinatara, he really could sing, but he sure couldn't recruit.

Maybe President Obama can do a better job.

Could Barack Obama Out-Recruit Frank Sinatra? We May Find Out originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Utah May Be Best Team in West

Adam Papagiorgio — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:40:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, MWC

Utah is clearly the class of the Mountain West right now after avenging an early loss to UNLV. Now the question becomes is Utah the best team in the West right now?

The Pac-10 folks with Washington, Arizona State and UCLA might beg to differ. All three teams are ranked in the Top 25, and Cal holds an early season win over Utah. (And before you even mention Gonzaga, realized that Utah owns a recent win over the Bulldogs.)

So be honest, if you were filling out our tournament bracket today, would you pick any of those three to beat the Utes?

Don't answer too quickly, and take some time to consider just how well the Utes are playing right now in one of the most underrated conferences in college basketball. Though some of the less educated college basketball fans haven't quite caught on to the Mountain West just yet.

Utah 70, UNLV 60: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

The Utes have won eight consecutive games since leaving Las Vegas a few weeks ago. And they aren't beating the mid-card, curtain-jerkers either. Utah has notched wins over all four of its closest rivals, UNLV, BYU, San Diego State and New Mexico.

More importantly, Utah has avoided the pratfalls that have befallen its Pac-10 counterparts. The Mountain West is just as competitive and even as the Pac-10, but Utah has taken care of business. Look at all of the Top 25 teams that have stumbled. Hell, look at the No. 1 teams that can't seem to hold the top spot for more than a week.

Utah has kept winning during that time.

Luke Nevill was really impressive against UNLV, notching a double-double. Nevill disappeared during the second half against the Rebels out in Las Vegas, but he was a constant force on Wednesday night. Nevill gives the Utes a matchup advantage against some of the bigger teams and remember this when you are filling out your tournament brackets.

But before we crown the Utes -- and more likely jinx them -- realize that Utah does have some tough games remaining. Utah will play at Provon on Saturday and follow that up with a game at New Mexico on Tuesday. A split in one of those games should just about give Utah the conference title.

And maybe more importantly, the title of best team in the West.

Utah May Be Best Team in West originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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San Diego State Bubbling After Loss

Adam Papagiorgio — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:33:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, MWC

San Diego State has earned the admiration of ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi, who has continued to include the Aztecs in his Bracketology projections. But at some point, San Diego State needs to return the love.

The Aztecs also need to learn how to finish off a game.

San Diego State blew a 13-point halftime lead, as BYU came roaring back to handily defeat the Aztecs, 69-59. This was the second time San Diego State has blown a halftime lead in its last three losses. At least the Aztecs were blown out from the tip at New Mexico on Saturday. Now San Diego State is suddenly reeling with two consecutive conference losses.

And that tournament bid? Don't be so sure. Now the Aztecs need to worry about tournament seeding in the Mountain West conference tourney.

BYU 69, San Diego State 59: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

Nobody wants to get that UNLV draw playing in the Thomas & Mack Center. Right now, the Aztecs would be the No. 4 seed with the Rebels No. 5. (Maybe that's why BYU was playing so hard in the second half -- it doesn't want any part of the UNLV, winners of six consecutive games against the Cougars in the Thomas & Mack.)

San Diego State really needs to be impressive down the stretch and in the conference tournament seeing that the team is lacking great wins. The Aztecs went 0-3 against Arizona State, Arizona and St. Mary's.

State is going to need some help.

There is a still a good chance that the Mountain West can get in four teams, but what about New Mexico which won a second consecutive game and is tied for second place with BYU? The Lobos split with the Cougars earlier this season. A strong finish and tournament showing puts New Mexico in the hunt.

Utah remains in good shape for the Mountain West title, but plays a huge game against UNLV tonight. This game almost appears like there will be no loser. The Rebels have already defeated the Utes, so a season split isn't damaging. Though, UNLV shouldn't take anything for granted. This is the NCAA mind you. They are as crooked as the line Charles Barkley walks at a sobriety check point.

Utah could be playing for some prime seeding, locked into a No. 6 seed in the most recent Bracketology. A convincing regular-season title and a strong run in the Mountain West tournament could really improve the Utes seed. Besides, the NCAA owes them after that BCS mess.

San Diego State Bubbling After Loss originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BYU Sweep Validates UNLV

Adam Papagiorgio — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:04:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, MWC

Were it not for UCLA, UNLV would be a dead lock for 2009's most befuddling team award. The Rebels are an engima, a two-faced team more befitting of a Tommy Lee Jones' character instead of a Mountain West leader.

Let's recap UNLV's season. Losses at Colorado State, TCU and Wyoming. But a season sweep of BYU. The Rebels won at the Marriott Center -- arguably one of the toughest places to play in the nation. But couldn't win in Fort Collins against one of the worst teams in the Mountain West.

But when the NCAA selection committee looks at bubble teams, UNLV has a win at Louisville, at BYU and home wins over Utah, BYU and Arizona. The Rebels might have saved their tournament lives Saturday night.

Sometimes the Rebels can be so confusing. They have great senior leadership with guys like Wink Adams, Mareceo Rutledge and Joe Darger. Lon Kruger is a great coach. But the team, somehow, still has lapses. Like when they couldn't hit a free throw as BYU rallied, closing an eight-point deficit with two minutes left, to a one-point game at the end. But give the Rebels credit. They seem to pull out the big ones when they count.

But what is going on with the rest of this conference? What was the objective that I laid out for the four tournament teams from the Mountain West? No bad losses. Beat each other up, just don't loss to the bottom feeders in the league.

Since that time, UNLV has lost at Wyoming, and San Diego State was humiliated at New Mexico, losing 75-49. If you caught any of the St. Mary's-Utah State game, the broadcast team was very complimentary of the Aztecs. Maybe the broadcasters jinxed them.

And this isn't a knock against the Lobos. Playing at The Pit is tough. No doubt. But scoring 49 points is a bit of a problem. Kyle Spain was not felling well, and Billy White got knocked out of the game, but what a rather lifeless performance out of this team.

So what does next week hold for the Mountain West?

UNLV and Utah are in pretty good shape right now. The Utes will play host to the Rebels on Wednesday, which is a bigger game for Utah that needs to avenge the loss at Las Vegas.

BYU plays at San Diego State on Tuesday. The Aztecs need to avenge its earlier season loss at Provo. But then again, the Cougars need some big wins after being swept by the Rebels. Plus that non-conference win over Utah State doesn't look like much anymore.

And then, of course, there is Utah vs. BYU next Saturday. There is still a long way to go. And really, the top four probably need a decent showing in the conference tournament to get in.

BYU Sweep Validates UNLV originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big West Looking at No. 16 Seed

Adam Papagiorgio — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:39:00 EST

Filed under: Nevada, UNLV, Mid-Majors

Cal State Fullerton will play host to Long Beach State on tonight. There was a time in recent memory when this was the preeminent college basketball rivalry in Southern California. Or at least the most blood thirsty among the fans, once even resulting in a brawl among the fans with 27 fans going to jail like it was an Eagles game or something.

There was a time when the Big West actually mattered.

UNLV ruled the college basketball world and produced the greatest team in college basketball history.

The conference had three teams among the field of 64.

The conference actually churned out NBA players on a regular basis.

Now it has come to this -- the Big West is looking at a No. 16 seed. The conference of Jerry Tarkanian is now one of the bottom-feeders in the NCAA.

But the evidence of the Big West's stumble was most evident in ESPN's bracketology this week. The Big West champion is projected to be a No. 16 seed, facing Oklahoma. An easy one-and-done for whomever manages to win the Big West tournament. We all knew that the Big West was a conference out of control, but how did it go this bad?

There was the football exodus when schools such as San Diego State and Fresno State left for greener pastures. That led to the defections of UNLV, New Mexico State and a host of others including Nevada and Boise State to name a few. (And for the record, Tarkanian loved the Big West.)

And those were bad. The most crucial was losing Utah State a few years ago. The league was looking to become a basketball conference, but lacked that one big-name school that could rise the tide for member schools. Funny, Utah State is slated to be a No. 10 seed in the latest projections.

Now, I don't like the way Utah State creates a schedule and will continue to gripe about it, but it is the kind of marquee team that the Big West lacks. Pacific had it's chance a few years ago, but has missed the boat. And unless it can find another Englishman who wants to play at a school near the ocean, that program is never going to be the one. Hindsight showed that letting all of those football schools go was a mistake. Yet, Dennis Farrell and the Big West conference let history repeat itself by allowing Utah State to leave.

Instead, the Aggies were replaced by UC Davis. Who, coincidentially, are the Aggies, too. Only, the sequel is never as good as the original. Now there are a bunch of mid-card mid-majors jockeying for position in the conference. And the last two conference winners -- Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton will play tonight with hopes of eventually winning the conference crown and being the 63rd best team in America.

Big West Looking at No. 16 Seed originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Utah Takes Over First Place in the Mountain West

Adam Papagiorgio — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 02:33:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, MWC

The Mountain West conference is currently a four-bid conference. Heady times for the conference that was robbed by the BCS. But if those teams want to stay in the tournament, there are a couple of rules that need to be followed. Or else the NIT awaits.

The first rule is just basic common sense. There can be no bad loses. None. Brigham Young hammered Colorado State on Wednesday night, while UNLV knocked off Texas Christian on Tuesday night. That is big. BYU doesn't lose at home, but they can pout on the road some times. The Rebels lost at Colorado State this season, so there are no rules too small to follow. Especially since Joe Lundardi has BYU and UNLV projected as two of the last teams in the tournament.

And then there is the second rule. Protect your home-court at all costs.

With San Diego State having held serve at Cox Arena in January, this was a must win for Utah.

The Utes certainly played that way, destroying the Aztecs, 67-55. Utah used a strong second half to overcome a halftime deficit and move into sole possession of first place.

The Utes have won five consecutive games, while the Aztecs had a four-game winning streak snapped.

The key for the Mountain West regular season title will be the home games. San Diego State stole a win at UNLV last week, and can sweep the season series on March 7. The Rebels won at Provo, and can sweep the season series against the Cougars next week in Las Vegas. Utah has lost at Vegas, but plays host to them on at the end of the month and plays at BYU a few days later.

These teams can round-robin each other, and still figure in the tournament mix. But remember that first rule. No bad loses. So in effect, Utah's game against Air Force on Saturday might be more important that those games against UNLV and BYU in the long run. A regular season title is nice, but this is four-bids we're talking about here.

So in short guys, don't mess up.

Utah Takes Over First Place in the Mountain West originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 02:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pauley Pavilion Voted One of Toughest Places to Play

Adam Papagiorgio — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:40:00 EST

Filed under: UCLA, UNLV, Mid-Majors

Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA was voted one of the toughest college arenas to play, according to a poll on EA Sports. And a spokesman for the company indicated that yes, the poll was serious. EA Sports conducted the poll to use in its upcoming NCAA basketball game.

UCLA made the cut of 15 in the poll made up of college basketball fans who have obviously never been to a game at Pauley Pavilion. Because those of us who have been to there would know that is just not the case. In fact, UCLA might have the most forgiving home courts for a big-time college basketball program. Ever.

That isn't a knock on the UCLA students. Well, maybe a little. But Pauley Pavilion is not designed to give the Bruins a huge home-court advantage. Coach John Wooden didn't want it that way. Wooden didn't believe it was sporting to make the opposing team uncomfortable because of the fans. Call him the anti-Red Auerbach.

Because of this, the end zone seats at Pauley Pavilion are pushed way back. And even then, the student section seems pushed away, too. You can barely see (or hear) them from your television screen.

UCLA's fans have never been known to be rabid or anything like that. They are getting a little better in recent years as it's obvious that the students have been watching a lot of ESPN and are copying other teams. But the UCLA fans have been rather soft for years.

If you wanted to see a motivated, innovative and rabid fan base, you have to take a trip in time to the campus of UC Santa Barbara in the 1980s and early 1990s. Even former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian is talking about those fans all of these years later.

The noisiest place, for sure, was Santa Barbara. The Thunderdome. Danny says that one game at Cal State Fullerton, right before we went to West Virginia in 1983, was the noisiest.

But plenty of players say Santa Barbara. I think so, too. They had all college students there. No big boosters. You couldn't even hear in there. They'd sleep outside overnight and were half-loaded by the time the game started.

All students. Almost no older people. They were crazy. We played there 10 times and they only beat us twice.

They beat us the season we won the national championship. I remember how everyone stormed the court. They were going nuts.

We were 24-4 and had won 10 consecutive games. Then the Gauchos beat us, 78-70.

The only other time they beat us on their own court was in 1988. We lost, 71-66. We were 20-1 before that game.

And for the record, that was a legal court storming, before all of the stupid BCS schools made it uncool.

But the Thunderdome is built for rabid fans. The Thunderdome was nothing more than a high school gym on steroids, with fans practically spilling out on the floor. As somebody who witnessed some of those great games in person, it was probably the most enjoyable college basketball atmosphere -- when your team won because those students were on your team the moment they stepped on the floor for warmups. There was probably no greater home-court advantage.

Or was there? How many NCAA titles did UCLA win compared to UCSB? Maybe Wooden knew what he was doing. Maybe the thing that makes a place tough to play isn't the fans in the stands, but the guys on the court. In that case, maybe EA Sports pollsters got it right.

Pauley Pavilion Voted One of Toughest Places to Play originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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San Diego St. Could Make Mountain West Four Bid Conference

Adam Papagiorgio — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:51:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, WCC, Mid-Majors, MWC, WAC

One of the more interesting aspects of Joe Lunardi's Bracketology this week was that San Diego State was the second to last team left out of the tournament. Lunardi has UNLV, Utah and BYU (barely) as tournament teams, with San Diego State knocking on the door.

But now the Aztecs look like a legitimate tournament team following their overtime win at Las Vegas Tuesday night. A win that should help increase it's tournament resume.

And dare you believe it? Is the Mountain West really a four-bid conference?

That's a delicate question. Are those four Mountain West teams among the best 65 teams in the country? No question. But when you start getting down to the 34 at-larges and the lower ranked conference champions, there's no guarantee the committee will include them.

If you look at Lunardi's rankings further, Miami was the first team left off the tournament list. No more. The Hurricanes, barring a huge collapse, probably punched their ticket with a home win over No. 6 Wake Forest. Though really, Hurricanes fans, you're storming the court? Don't you have like 50 baseball and football championships?

Lunardi also has St. Mary's as one of the last teams in the tournament. That's not going to happen with Patty Mills out. St. Mary's is also going to lose big at Utah State in the BracketBusters. So they are out. So San Diego State -- who might end up being the best team in the Mountain West -- should slide in.

But not at the expense of the other Mountain West teams. If anything, the NCAA selection committee should give the Mountain West the benefit of the doubt because of the way the conference is treated by the BCS. Now, one doesn't have anything to do with the other. I get that, I really do. But come on, how about a little turnabout is fair play?

UNLV, Utah, BYU and San Diego State should be looking at tournament bids this season. When you figure that the WCC is going to get in only one team, the WAC is going to get in only one team, there is no reason to believe that the Mountain West can't be a four-bid conference.

San Diego St. Could Make Mountain West Four Bid Conference originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse in the Stands: UNLV Wins and a Thumbs Up from Norm Clarke

Adam Papagiorgio — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 02:30:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, MWC

You never really need a lot of reasons to make plans on a Saturday morning to head to Las Vegas -- a scant four hours away from where I'm at. But when you add in an all-world matchup between UNLV and Utah, let's just say the incentives just get a little bit sweeter.

But really, will anybody take you seriously when you say that you went to Las Vegas to see a college basketball game? Consider most of your friends dubious. Or maybe jealous. Or perhaps, a little of column A and a little of column B.

There, however, wasn't much time to waste. Only some time to get the wife in the car and get on the road, because we had a game to catch. UNLV was coming off a huge win at BYU on Wednesday and Utah was looking to forge its own monumental road win.

Pregame
There wasn't going to be much time for pregame festivities with a 1PM tipoff. But one of the biggest must-stop locations along the way to Las Vegas, is the Iron Hog Saloon in Oro Grande. Unfortunately, the old girl is closed for the time being, while the new owner is applying for a liquor license.

Not that it matters, because this is UNLV and well, they actually treat you like an adult. Now, most of you likely attend basketball games where you can't even purchase a beer, lest you corrupt young minds and such. You don't have that problem at UNLV. Here is one of the actual concession stands at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Not only can you enjoy the rights of other adults since prohibition, you can even purchase a cocktail. The Thomas & Mack also has actual bars that rival that of any big-time arena out there.

I assure you the young ladies in the picture are lovely, but the afternoon sun did kind of wash out the photo a bit. But this a college game, mind you. And all of the fans acted with proper decorum and there were no signs of trouble. Instead, it was just a great atmosphere for college basketball. I mean, it's not like we want to go blotto during a matinee basketball game, but it's nice to enjoy an adult beverage while watching a game. Maybe others should follow suit.

The Game
There are two things that stuck out to me during the Rebels' 75-65 victory. First, Luke Nevill is a good player, but he has a ways to go to ever be considered a good NBA prospect. A lot more was expected out of him considering that UNLV doesn't have much of a post presence, but all he managed was 14 points and seven rebounds. I'm not saying that he can't develop into a nice NBA player, but I was not impressed with him. Disappointed might be a better word. Nevill was dominant in the first half, seemingly blocking every shot before UNLV made an adjustment.

Which leads to Lon Kruger, who is such an advantage compared to the other coaches in the Mountain West. That's no knock on those coaches, but Kruger is far and away the best coach in the Mountain West. He made the adjustments at BYU last week, and he again led UNLV to a rally over Utah.

In fact, it looked like the Utes were going to run away with the game early in the first half. But the Rebels switched to a four-guard offense in the second half and simply smoked the Utes. UNLV was down five with just under 14 minutes left in the second half when he went with the small lineup. In fact, he took out Darris Santee and Brice Massamba, leaving them with 6-foot-7 Joe Darger as "the big man."

Kruger made that adjustment and the Rebels flourished. Utah, however, never countered. The Utes kept trying to force the ball to Nevill and Jim Boylen did his best Phil Jackson impersonation while the Rebels were running away with the game and the crowd was going nuts -- must have been the booze. Utah was shooting pretty good from 3-point range, but they never tried to keep up that way. This was Kruger turning the screws.

Of course, it helps to have guys such as Mo Rutledge, Tre'Von Willis and Wink Adams, too.

Two rallies for UNLV in a week, winning at BYU and taking out Utah. The Rebels (16-4, 4-2) need to keep the momentum going at Air Force this week.

The Aftermath
One of my favorite scenes in college basketball: Exiting the Thomas & Mack Center, overlooking the strip and heading for the taxi line. I'm not sure how many other college hoops fans take taxis to and from games, but this has long tickled me.

One tradition you might want to consider when coming to a UNLV game is a trip to the Double Down Saloon. A classic punk-rock bar. But not intimidating to anybody wearing Rebels gear because there were a number of fans mixed in with the crowd. (The early tip probably helped, too.)

And possibly the highlight of the evening came when taking a trip to Planet Hollywood after the game. Famed Las Vegas columnist Norm Clarke was heading up the escalator while our party was heading down to the taxi line. Needless to say, we all became fan boys like we had just seen the Beatles. Clarke gave a thumbs up and said, "Good luck," which is easy to do when you are heading away from us.

But a UNLV game and a sighting of Norm Clarke? That's a tough weekend to beat.

FanHouse in the Stands: UNLV Wins and a Thumbs Up from Norm Clarke originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 02:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UNLV Wins at BYU

Adam Papagiorgio — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:26:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, Mid-Majors, MWC

Brigham Young had one of the longest home winning streaks in the nation to start the 2008-09 season. Now the Cougars have won two games at the Marriott Center in recent weeks. UNLV played an outstanding second half as the Rebels won in Provo for the first time since 2005, scoring a 76-70 win. (Which I believe is the last time any Mountain West team won at BYU.)

Just a week ago, you had to wonder if the Rebels were even going to challenge for the Mountain West title after losing at Colorado State.

Yeah, nobody is going to be talking about that loss anymore.

Not with this performance. If you had any question about UNLV's fortitude, you shouldn't any more.
The game started as a typical Marriott Center game. The Cougars took a 13-point lead in the first half and you have to imagine that most Rebels fans were thinking, "Well, here goes the season." But something amazing happened in the second half.

The Runnin' Rebels played a near perfect second half to win. And that's pretty much what it takes to win in Provo.

What does this do for BYU's psyche? The Cougars have already proven that they can't win at the Thomas & Mack Center during the Mountain West tournament. The only thing they really had going for them was that they are impervious at home, and they would win enough road games to take the conference regular-season town. Dave Rose's team could be in a little bit of trouble.

The Rebels are not, thanks to Wink Adams who scored 22 points. Adams, I would suspect, was probably hurting more than he was letting on in recent weeks. He is either learning to deal with the pain, or he's finally getting healthy. Whatever it was, it certainly worked on Wednesday night.

In some other mid-major games of note:

TCU 79, Wyoming 78 OT: The Horned Frogs are leading the Mountain West with a 4-1 conference record with Utah idle. So let's get this straight. TCU is leading the conference and BYU has lost two home games this year. Makes sense. This has been that kind of year.

San Diego State 81, New Mexico 76: Once again, the home team holds serve.

Cal State Fullerton 91, Cal State Northridge 87: Fullerton coach Bob Burton is the biggest star in the Valley since ... well, you know what they film in the Valley. I'll let you construct your own joke. The Titans absolutely hate playing at home. And if you have been to Titan Gym, you would understand why. But what's surprising is that the Matadome is a bigger dump than Fullerton's high school gym. So who knows. Jacques Streeter led the Titans with 27 points as finally somebody other than Josh Akognon was able to shoulder the scoring load.

UNLV Wins at BYU originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UNLV Hits New Low, Loses to Colorado State

Adam Papagiorgio — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:32:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, Mid-Majors, MWC

UNLV was picked to win the Mountain West conference, but those high expectations need to be tempered following a rather embarrassing loss on the road at Colorado State. How bad was this loss for the Rebels? This was Colorado State coach's Tim Miles first conference win. He was hired last year. The Rams had lost 18 consecutive conference games. You figured that they would win eventually, but you just didn't expect it to happen against the conference favorite.

As mentioned in this space the other day, the Mountain West is all about the road wins. You figure San Diego State (who lost at Wyoming on Wednesday ... but 76 percent of AOL users picked the Cowboys to win), BYU, Utah and New Mexico will likely hold serve at home. At least BYU will. But now the Runnin' Rebels have put themselves in a bind by having to be perfect down the stretch, at home and on the road.

Coach Lon Kruger can't be too pleased with this. He emptied his bench early in the game when the Rebels fell behind in the opening minutes. He probably should have left them on the bench. UNLV has proven that they can run with the big boys by beating Louisville, but the glow of that win is all but a memory at this point.

Saturday's home date against Wyoming becomes very important. The Cowboys are no pushover, as the Aztecs can attest to. Expect to see some fire from the Rebels on Saturday night. If UNLV can't pull its (expletive) together and beat the Cowboys at home, it might be a long season.

There is a part of me that's torn, because you would like to see the Mountain West become a stronger conference. Meaning that teams like Colorado State would have to start showing improvement. But come on, UNLV can't be losing on the road to Colorado State. It can't happen.

Utah took care of business by beating Air Force. The Runnin' Utes held the Falcons to only 36 points. Utah might be the best team in the conference. At least right now. Though, that seems to change from week to week. The team that is leading the conference right now, might not be around in March. This Mountain West race surely is going to be interesting.

UNLV Hits New Low, Loses to Colorado State originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lack of Inside Presence Will Kill UNLV

Adam Papagiorgio — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:22:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, UNLV, WCC, Mid-Majors, MWC, WAC

Anytime UNLV garners any sort of national attention, it seems like they stumble right back to earth. It happened again on Saturday night as the Rebels lost at Texas Christian, 80-73. The Rebels had to rely on too many three point shots, hoisting 34 shots from long range. While they were pretty impressive, going 15-of-34, they just couldn't score inside.

Zvonko Buljan led Horned Frogs with 20 points and 13 rebounds. UNLV had only 23 rebounds as a team. Texas Christian also did a great job holding down Wink Adams, limiting to only nine points on 3-of-11 shooting. The Rebels, at times, are a little too dependent on Adams. And when there isn't a decent inside presence, teams can really clamp down on UNLV's captain. Freshman Brice Massamba didn't even get off the bench.

Big men are in short supply in Division I basketball, but the Rebels are going to continue to strugle against any team with a decent big man. Should be interesting when Utah comes to town.

Let's check out some other mid-major games of note.

San Diego State 72, Utah 63: There isn't a definitive leader in the Mountain West. At least not yet, and until somebody can prove that they can win on the road. The Aztecs have been on quite a roll lately and for right now, let's call them the best team in the conference.

BYU 86, Colorado State 60: Yes BYU, we see that you won a conference road game. But come on, it's only Colorado State. The Cougars have to earn some respect.

Pepperdine 59, LMU 57: When these teams get together, throw out the record book. No really, throw it out because both teams are awful. But on this night, LMU was just a little worse and wanted it a little less.

Gonzaga 67, Portland 50: You couldn't help but wonder if the Bulldogs were going to suffer letdown after winning at Tennessee. Beat Portland by only 17 almost counts.

Utah State 77, New Mexico State 67: You knew the Aggies were going to win this one! Sorry, only get to use that twice a year. Utah State is now 15-1, but that one loss came to the only good team they played (BYU). New Mexico State should try to get Reggie Theus' room ready for him again.

For the record, Big West games are sponsored by Aladdin Bail Bonds. Seems fitting.

Long Beach State 86, UC Davis 78: The 49ers are leading the Big West at 4-0. Dan Monson's resume for his next job just keeps improving. Does he have Arizona on his mind?

Cal State 62, UC Santa Barbara 58: The Titans defeat El Diablo, Brad Holland -- the former Cal State coach and current UCSB assistant. Cal State had a rough opening stretch of the season, losing to Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine. Road wins at Cal Poly and Santa Barbara even then up. What's up with the Gauchos? They are 1-3 in conference. Must be Holland's bad influence. The might need a change at the top soon.

Lack of Inside Presence Will Kill UNLV originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UNLV's Win Not as Sexy as Beating Louisville, but Just as Important

Adam Papagiorgio — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:00:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, MWC

UNLV, fresh off a huge upset over Louisville, opened Mountain West action by playing host to New Mexico. While a win over the Lobos wouldn't seem as important, nor garner nearly as much attention, as a win over Louisville. A win was probably as important, if not more.

Obviously, the Rebels need a signature win to help its bracket seeding and help propel them into the Top 25 poll. But as home loss to the Lobos would have undone any progress and might have spiraled the team. In fact, UNLV's gutty win says a lot about the character of this team. The Rebels were obviously suffering a hangover from their huge upset. But good teams find a way to win these games.

Otherwise, they would be no better than BYU. (I'll get to them in a moment.)

Utah also had a lot to prove after knocking off Gonzaga. And hell, after the way the Utes football team manhandled Alabama, you wouldn't have blamed the team for mailing it in. They did not. Utah crushed Wyoming, 91-67. These are heady times for Utah's athletic program. The football team deserves to be voted No. 1 by the Associated Press and Utah might be the second best basketball team in the Mountain West.

San Diego State, though, would have something to say about that. The Aztecs hammered Air Force and are quietly starting to put together a great campaign.

And then there's BYU. Hey, the home winning streak -- a little deceptive because the Cougars lost to Michigan State at the Delta Center (or whatever it's called now) last season. Of course, BYU fans didn't take it well, throwing debris on the court. You would think that BYU fans would be on its best behavior after nearly inciting a riot at the Thomas & Mack Center at the conclusion of last year's Mountain West tournament.

But this is disappointing, BYU. Your team turns into Peyton Manning during big games, finding a way to lose. Your fans are an embarrassment. This isn't good.

UNLV's Win Not as Sexy as Beating Louisville, but Just as Important originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UNLV, Utah Do Mountain West Proud

Adam Papagiorgio — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:50:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, UNLV, Mid-Majors, MWC

The Mountain West was looking for some signature wins only a few weeks ago. Now they are flush with huge wins after UNLV and Utah did the conference proud by knocking off No. 18 Louisville and No. 16 Gonzaga respectively. Even though some geniuses didn't believe that it could be done.

The Runnin' Rebels were mighty impressive, knocking off the host Cardinals, 56-55, without star guard Wink Adams. Oscar Bellfield hit the winner with 14.2 seconds left and fittingly, it was UNLV's defense that sealed the win. The Runnin' Rebels used a strong defense to stifle the Cardinals for most of the afternoon. Though, the ESPN announcers would never admit that. They were too busy claiming that Louisville was having an "off-night." Yes, that tends to happen when an inspired opponent is harrassing your every shot.

I also have a theory that teams missing a star player can always rise to the occassion. At least for one game. And that's why it looked like on Wednesday. When you are missing one of your stars, you tend to make that extra pass and become reallly dilligent on defense. That's not to say that the Rebels certainly won't welcome Wink back on Saturday against New Mexico.

Utah also used a strong defense to down Gonzaga, 66-65. The Runnin' Utes held the Bulldogs to only 2-of-13 shooting (15 percent) from 3-point range. Luke Nevill was nearly unstoppable down low, scoring 15 points. Nevill was able to get loose down low, and shot 10 free throws. There seemed to be a lot of reaching and sloppy defense. Gonzaga might have thought it could sleep walk against Utah, but that wasn't to be. Matt Boldin nearly bailed them out with a last-second shot, but it wasn't to be.

Of course, people will start questioning Gonzaga. But Utah is a tough place to play. You have to straddle the line between giving Utah the credit it deserves, but also question Gonzaga's motivation in this game. The Bulldogs didn't play their best game, but you have to give the Utes credit for that.

Overall, it was a great day for the Mountain West. This conference wants to become a serious, multiple-bid conference and this was a great day for that. UNLV should be in the Top 25 next week and is -- unless something major happens -- a lock for the tournament. Utah has some nice wins that will look good on its tournament resume if they can keep winning during the Mountain West conference season.

An aside for Gonzaga, so much for being the top seed in the West. They don't have leeway for letdown during conference play.

UNLV, Utah Do Mountain West Proud originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last Chance of the Year for Mountain West, WAC to Make Some Noise

Adam Papagiorgio — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:38:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, Louisville, Nevada, UNLV, MWC, WAC, North Carolina

Well, it's only the calendar year, mind you. And really, don't you hate running into people on this day who love to say, "See you next year?" And here I am contributing to the problem. But enough about that, UNLV, Utah and Nevada all have an opportunity to make a splash on New Year's Eve with some high-profile games.

The question is, will they be able to take advantage of them? Here's a quick rundown of tonight's games.

UNLV at No. 18 Louisville. The Runnin' Rebels had a brief two-game let down earlier this season, but have established an 11-2 mark, including a big win over Arizona. But tonight's contest could be a tough one, as senior star Wink Adams will be a game-time decision. Adams suffered an abdominal injury recently, but a recent MRI revealed that it was only a strain.

Even if Adams is able to play, UNLV will have a tough test. The Rebels haven't been good on the boards and Louisville is a strong rebounding team. Plus Louisville's defense was able to smother the Rebels in the closing ten minutes of last year's game at the Thomas and Mack Center. Still, that game was closer than some thought. So I expect a similar game this year, where UNLV will hang tough for a while, but ultimately fall. Prediction: Louisville wins. Make your own pick.

Utah at No. 16 Gonzaga. This game suddenly became a huge one for Gonzaga. The Bulldogs looked like a solid Final Four candidate, but recent losses to Connecticut and Portland State has the team reeling, and many questioning the toughness of Gonzaga. That can't be good news for Utah.

The Runnin' Utes had a nice win over Oregon, but followed that up with three consecutive losses to Idaho State, Cal and No. 5 Oklahoma State. Utah also lost a close one to Utah State, and had more trouble then it should have with Big West doormat, UC Irvine. Utah looked good early against Oklahoma and have done well in flashes. But it looks like they are catching Gonzaga at the wrong time. Prediction: Gonzaga in a blowout. Make your own pick.

No. 1 North Carolina at Nevada. First off, congratulations to North Carolina for playing at UC Santa Barbara this season and at Nevada. Some more of the "big boys" should take note of this, because it makes college basketball a whole lot better.

But let's be honest about this one. Unless there is some kind of Reno 911 plot that will keep Tyler Hansbrough detained in a room at Fitzgerald's, then maybe Nevada would have a chance. But unless North Carolina makes like that Carver team that hit the nightlife in Las Vegas prior to a game during the White Shadow, this should be an easy Tar Heels' victory.

But as mentioned before, you can't imagine who exciting this is for Nevada fans and students who will finally get a chance to yell at Hansbrough. (Keep it clean, kids.) This is a once-in-a-lifetime game for them. And again, that's awesome for college basketball. Prediciton: North Carolina wins. Make your own pick. (And who are the six percent picking Nevada? See, this is why games like this are awesome.)

Wow, 0-for-3 for the Mountain West and WAC? That's depressing.

Last Chance of the Year for Mountain West, WAC to Make Some Noise originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UNLV Gets Big Win; BYU Not So Much

Adam Papagiorgio — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:58:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, MWC

UNLV dominated Arizona on Saturday, winning 79-64, and giving the Mountain West that signature win that they had been lacking in recent weeks. Wink Adams had a huge game, scoring 25 points, giving Rebels fans the performance that they had been seeking in recent weeks. Not to say that Adams has struggled, but expectations were high for this exceptional senior.

While UNLV was winning and bringing some much-needed prestige to the conference, the same couldn't be said for BYU. The Cougars were beating No. 20 Arizona State, but let them off the hook, losing 76-75, when Charles Abouo's last-second tip was a touch too late.

BYU looked like they won on Abouo's put-back, but replays showed that he was just a moment too late. And right now BYU fans aren't really happy with the state of Arizona when you also add in Arizona's win over the Cougars in the Las Vegas Bowl.

BYU's loss at University of Phoenix Stadium was the first of the season for the Cougars, but brought to mind Dennis Green's classic meltdown about letting the Sun Devils off the hook. (They are who they thought they were.) BYU had a ~~huge win over North Carolina~~ (Adam's note, I'm a moron) noble loss to North Carolina last year, but there hasn't been much since. You just can't seem to count on the Cougars in big games. And not to harp on this point, but if the MWC wants multiple bids, they need to win games like this.

San Diego State did beat UC Santa Barbara at home. We can count that as a good win for the Mountain West. So the top three conference teams split with the Arizona schools and beat one of the best teams in the Big West. Not bad, when you consider Wyoming's win over Sacramento State and New Mexico's loss to Texas Tech is a wash. This wasn't really as good of a weekend as it could have been in the Mountain West, but it was a step in the right direction.

UNLV Gets Big Win; BYU Not So Much originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mountain West Good, Needs Signature Wins

Adam Papagiorgio — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:20:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, Mid-Majors, MWC

UNLV knocked off Santa Clara on Wednesday night, while New Mexico beat Oral Roberts to run the Mountain West's record to 63-27 for the 2008-09. That is a pretty impressive mark for a conference that looks to cash in on some extra bids come March. BYU is 10-0. UNLV 9-2. In fact, the only conference school with a losing record is Colorado State (3-7).

The Mountain West's record looks impressive and you can imagine that the conference heads are pretty enthused by the way the season is starting.

The only question is, where are the big wins? The kind of wins where tournament committee members can point at and say, "This win should put them in the dance?" Because there aren't many of them.

BYU and UNLV are the only two programs that should feel comfortable in receiving automatic bids to the dance. But Saturday is going to be decision Saturday for the two flagship basketball programs.

The Cougars have beaten Utah State and Boise State -- programs that impress West Coast fans. Not so much tournament directors. BYU will play at No. 20 Arizona State on Saturday. The Cougars have been unbeatable at home, so this road test will give BYU an argument for a higher seed. If not, they do have a home date with Wake Forest in a few weeks.

UNLV has played a pretty good schedule in recent years, too. The Rebels will face Arizona on Saturday. The Wildcats looked dead at the start of the season, but a recent win over Gonzaga shows that Arizona is back. At least for this year. The Runnin' Rebels are growing under coach Lon Kruger and have three tournament wins in the past two years. But the respect hasn't quite returned. They need to win games at Arizona to make that next step.

Some of the other programs looking to step up need to make some noise. San Diego State has lost to St. Mary's in the Wooden Classic in consecutive seasons. Lorenzo Wade has returned to the program, but how about a victory? The challenging part of State's schedule has passed and is filled with losses to St. Mary's, Arizona and Arizona State. The Aztecs did beat San Diego, but that's looking less impressive this season.

Utah is a pretty good program, and a win over Oregon looks nice. Until you realize that Oregon is getting close to being on Reggie Theus watch -- if they aren't there already. But they did beat Mississippi, and even if the SEC is down, you always take a win over that conference. New Mexico also knocked off Mississippi.

The rest of the conference seems a touch bloated on some lesser talent. Wyoming is 8-1 and has a legit chance to make some noise at UCLA on Dec. 23.

But the bottom line is, if the Mountain West wants to fancy itself as a three- or four-bid conference, they need to win some of these games. Hell, the Mountain West football programs feasted on the Pac-10. Time for the basketball teams to follow suit.

Mountain West Good, Needs Signature Wins originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UNLV Does Like Winning

Adam Papagiorgio — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:15:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, Mid-Majors, MWC, WAC

UNLV blew a golden opportunity over the weekend to establish themselves as worthy of the Top 25. Instead, they suffered home losses to Cal and Cincinnati. But sometimes you can't measure the true mark of a team until they are faced with adversity.

The Runnin' Rebels went on the road and won at Fresno State on Tuesday night, showing some grit that they failed to show over the weekend. Of course, the win was over Fresno State. Not like it was one of the elite teams in college hoops. But it was still a dangerous opponent playing at home. That's nothing to be ashamed of. You hate to to label a December game as "must win," especially in college basketball. But coach Lon Kruger really need to keep this thing from snowballing and he did.

Former coach Jerry Tarkanian had an interesting take on why the Rebels were struggling -- they have too many good players. Yeah, uh, they were too good.

"I've seen some of UNLV's basketball games, lately, and I think (coach) Lon Kruger is feeling his way right now. He sure has a lot of talent. I never had that many players. I never wanted that many players. Every guy on his team is a player, so that might take you longer. You have to give them all a shot.

"I always went into the season knowing who my top eight or nine players would be. DeShawn Mitchell has looked absolutely super. That kid who transferred from UCLA, Chace Stanback ... I couldn't believe they didn't have room for him at UCLA. He's a big-time player and I can't wait to see him next season.

"Fans will have to be patient. But I believe Lon will have a very good team."

Hmm, you still have to defer to the coach on this one. And he is right. Kruger is going to have to find the right combination of players and establish his substitution patterns. The problem is, we at the 'House are pretty high on UNLV, so there are expectations there. We want to see wins right now.

Some other games of note:

Utah continues to put together some impressive wins, knocking off Oregon, 95-81. Hard not to like Utah right now, but the true barometer game will come on Dec. 10 when they face Cal.

Wyoming jumped out to a 5-0 record playing some of the Sisters of the Poor like CS Bakersfield. But the Cowboys earned more respect by hanging tough with defending WAC tournament champion Boise State before losing, 86-85.

Colorado was smacked around by TCU. Wow, is Jeff Bzdelik enjoying his career jump? He should have stayed at Air Force.

That was about as much as you could expect out of New Mexico State, who lost at Kansas. Marvin Menzies has a unique situation going at in Las Cruces, but at least he rid himself of Herb Pope. Jahmar Young is better anyway.

UNLV Does Like Winning originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recap of the FanHouse 2008 Semi-Preseason BlogPoll

Shiloh Carder — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, Connecticut, Davidson, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, LSU, Marquette, Memphis, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA, UNC, UNLV, USC, Wake Forest, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, Pac-10, SEC, NCAA Basketball BlogPoll, Fans, University of Miami

Well, there you have it. The FanHouse Preseason College Hoops BlogPoll for 2008 is complete.

The voting for No. 1 was not close. North Carolina was atop every single ballot. UCLA, Louisville and UConn usually followed in a variety of orders. From there, it was a typical free-for-all as there is a glut of teams from No. 5 to No. 12 that was very fluid.

The poll also had some newcomers to it. Davidson is now a household name; St. Mary's will soon be; UNLV is back on the map while schools like Arizona State, Miami-FL and Wake Forest are primed to make their move. Defending champion Kansas didn't make the cut.

Still, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The top two ranked teams were in the Final Four last year, UConn takes back its place among the elite and six of last March's Elite Eight are ranked in the top twenty.

Will we be wrong with this poll? Of course! Heck, our No. 2 team has already been beaten. But name me the last time the Associated Press or the coaches got their preseason poll completely right. The key is that these teams will be the ones to know when March Madness rolls around.

Big thanks to all the bloggers across the internets for lending a hand and breaking down these teams.

1 - North Carolina Tar Heels
2 - UCLA Bruins
3 - UConn Huskies
4 - Louisville Cardinals
5 - Michigan State Spartans
6 - Gonzaga Bulldogs
7 - Oklahoma Sooners
8 - Pittsburgh Panthers
9 - Purdue Boilermakers
10 - Memphis Tigers
11 - Texas Longhorns
12 - Duke Blue Devils
13 - Miami-FL Hurricanes
14 - Arizona State Sun Devils
15 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish
16 - Wake Forest Demon Deacons
17 - Tennessee Volunteers
18 - UNLV Runnin' Rebels
19 - St. Mary's Gaels
20 - Davidson Wildcats
21 - Florida Gators
22 - Marquette Golden Eagles
23 - LSU Tigers
24 - USC Trojans
25 - Syracuse Orange

Recap of the FanHouse 2008 Semi-Preseason BlogPoll originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse NCAA Hoops Blog Poll: No. 18, UNLV Runnin' Rebels

Adam Papagiorgio — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: UNLV, Mid-Majors, MWC, NCAA Basketball BlogPoll, Fans

This week, FanHouse is taking a look at the top teams heading into 2008 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. To help with the team capsules, we've brought in some of the top fan bloggers around the internets to give us insights on their teams.

A side note, I grew up in Southern California, but followed UNLV anyway. So I was very careful in picking the right blogger for this preview, and we got a good one. Jordan Bunker is a fun read over at the Rebel Blog, and you should check him out after you read FanHouse, of course. Jordan is here to break down your UNLV Runnin' Rebels.

The hum of the neon lights on the Strip is no longer the only thing buzzing in Las Vegas. After back-to-back Mountain West Conference Championships and subsequent runs to the Sweet 16 and second round of the NCAA tournament, a contagious strain of Runnin' Rebel Fever has resurfaced and is running rampant throughout the city. Indeed, fifth-year head coach Lon Kruger has redefined the term "rebuilding".

Recent success and Kruger's pristine style of coaching not only basketball, but off-court life, has put UNLV back on the map as a hot-spot destination for transfers and freshmen, hence the number of new faces on this year's team. Count on Tre'von Willis, a sophomore transfer from Memphis, and freshman Oscar Bellfield to compete all season for the position of starting point guard. In the frontcourt, 6'8" junior college transfer Darris Santee quietly, yet more than adequately, handles the responsibilities of a big man. Backing him up in the paint is the combination of freshmen Brice Massamba and Beas Hamga, 6-foot-10 and 7-feet respectively.

This year's UNLV squad welcomes back four seniors in standout guard Wink Adams, sharp-shooting forward Joe Darger, blue collar hustler René Rougeau and much improved forward Mareceo Rutledge. Adams, Darger and Rougeau have been part of Kruger's system since they were freshmen, and their examples and leadership are trickling down and inspiring the entire roster.

Adams is the best overall player on the Rebels' roster. After averaging 16.9 points per game last year, scoring an average of 17 this season would make Adams the fifth member of UNLV's 2,000 point club. That would put him in the company of Rebel greats such as Stacey Augmon and Freddie Banks. Adams' uncanny ability to sense urgency in a game and make clutch shots will prove to be invaluable as the Rebels look to conquer the Mountain West Conference and advance further into the NCAA tournament than any UNLV team has gone in the past 15 years.

Why they should be ranked here: UNLV's current mix of depth and talent is unlike any UNLV squad in over a decade. If the Rebels live up to their potential, they are going to be extremely tough to beat. Also, the Thomas and Mack Center has returned as one of the greatest home court advantages in NCAA hoops. The Rebels have won 16 consecutive games at home, generating a momentum that, if sustained, will help them get past tough visiting opponents such as San Diego, Arizona and BYU.

Why they should be ranked higher: Two words: Lon Kruger. Possibly the most underrated coach in the entire NCAA, Kruger teaches his teams how to win and advance, all the while instilling an underdog mentality within each of his players. If the new guys are able to set their individual pride aside and put their faith in Kruger's defense-creates-offense psyche, these Rebels will be playing well into March.

Why they should be ranked lower: Again, depth. With so much individual talent on one team, there is always the possibility of each player thinking that his way is the best. Should this happen, it would be difficult to get the entire team united under one style of play.

Thanks to Jordan Bunker of the Rebel Blog for coming into the 'House to break down the Runnin' Rebels.

FanHouse NCAA Hoops Blog Poll: No. 18, UNLV Runnin' Rebels originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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