Today kicks off the annual WUWS team preview capsules. They may be filled with errors, rumors and innuendo but it sure beats hearing the same shit from Digger Phelps. Today, I'll look at one of my all time favorite teams the UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
Team: UNLV Runnin' Rebels
Conference: Mountain West
Current Record: 24-6 (11-4)
Notable Wins: at Nevada, at Texas Tech, BYU, Air Force
Times I've seen them on TV: 0 (The MWC has managed to have a worse TV contract than the Pac-10 so none of their games are ever shown)
This is the most wins UNLV has had since JR Rider was terrorizing the strip. They were picked to finish with 18 or so wins and yet another trip to the NIT. Somehow, they have played above their heads and in the process saved coach Lon Kruger's job. Speaking of Kruger, his son Kevin transferred from Arizona St. becuase he knew they were going to be terrible. That's the kind of heady thinking that has allowed the coach's son to be a leader on this team. The other stars are JoVan "Wink" Adams and Wendell White. They form an especially badass backcourt in the Rebels' 3 guard lineup. The flip side is that UNLV's lack of height could be exposed by bigger teams.
Most bracket projections currently have the Rebels around a 6 seed. This means they will be matched up with a mediocre team like Illinois or Creighton that is equally capable of beating UNLV or rolling over and playing dead. I see them winning their first round game prompting Verne Lundquist to comment that "you need guards to win in March." UNLV's season will come to a crashing halt in the second round when they play a team like Georgetown or Pittsburgh. They will get killed on the boards prompting Lundquist to comment that "it's such an advantage to have big men."
