Wednesday, Dec. 18, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- UNLV fans will receive a late Christmas present in the form of an extra basketball game, courtesy of Michael Gaughan and the Barbary Coast.
The Dec. 28 UNLV-South ern Cal game at the Thomas & Mack Center will be preceded by Georgetown vs. Pacific. Fans holding tickets for the UNLV-USC game will be admitted to the 5 p.m. contest between the Hoyas and the Tigers.
UOP and Georgetown were supposed to meet in Halifax, Nova Scotia on the 28th. But the game promoter, Peach Basket Productions Ltd., failed to meet its financial obligation and the game had to be moved from Canada.
A couple of months ago, Georgetown coach John Thompson talked to Gaughan, one of his closest friends, about the possibility of relocating the game to Las Vegas in the event it didn't come off in Canada. Gaughan spoke to UNLV coach Bill Bayno, who was glad to accommodate the two teams.
When the Canada deal officially died Dec. 11, the game was moved to the Thomas & Mack.
"John likes playing in Las Vegas and Georgetown has always been a good draw," Gaughan said. "When the Canada thing was in trouble, John asked me if I could call the university about moving the game here.
"When I called the university and asked if they would be interested in having Georgetown and Pacific play before the USC game, they thought it was a good idea."
Gaughan has purchased a block of game tickets to help defray some of the costs for the two schools.
"We are very appreciative that in the 23rd hour UNLV and Athletic Director Charlie Cavagnaro were able to include Georgetown and Pacific as part of a doubleheader," said Georgetown AD Joseph Lang in a statement. "This will be a great college basketball event with teams from the WAC, the Pac-10, the Big West and the Big East."
UOP coach Bob Thomason said: "We're glad the game's going to go on. We're probably losing $40,000 on the deal, but being in Vegas is a lot better than Halifax.
"But it'll all work out. We've had some success there the last couple of years and I think our kids will enjoy it."
Associate AD David Chambers said: "Clearly, it's a win-win for everyone involved. We've had doubleheaders before, so it wasn't a problem. It's a way for us to say 'thanks' to our fans by giving them an extra game and we're glad to help Georgetown and Pacific."
It also means a proposed game next year in Hamilton, Ont., between UNLV and Northeastern is off. UNLV officials had been working with Peach Basket Productions on the game which would have produced an estimated $75,000 guarantee for the Rebels.
Hoop du jour
* KENTUCKY COMING? Another Las Vegas gaming mogul, Mirage Resorts Inc. chairman Steve Wynn, apparently is the driving force in bringing a big-name team to town -- defending national champion Kentucky. Bayno confirmed that Wynn and Wildcats coach Rick Pitino have talked about Kentucky and UNLV playing a home-and-home series beginning in 1998 or 1999. "It's still in the talking stages," Bayno said. "We're definitely interested if it can get done." Bayno who initially mentioned the potential Kentucky matchup on his TV show Sunday, said Tuesday it won't be easy. "There isn't a lot of room (with TV)," he said. "And with the (National Finals) rodeo (at the Thomas & Mack Center), we've either got to play it in late November or in late December, which would mean moving the (Las Vegas) Shootout. It's going to be hard to do."
* BOUNCE-BACK GAME: Tonight's game matches teams coming off tough losses. Especially the Orangemen, who were upset 68-65 by Eastern Michigan in Saturday's Carrier Classic final. It was only the third time the 'Cuse has lost its own tourney in 20 appearances. With the Orangemen struggling at 5-4 along with being winless in the Big East at 0-2, the ESPN-televised game takes on added significance. Coach Jim Boeheim said it's a matter of his team regaining its confidence. "Confidence comes from doing things well," he said. "When you lose games, you lose confidence." It will be interesting to see how the Rebels respond after losing a game. Saturday's 78-69 loss to Nevada-Reno was the first defeat of the season for Bayno's club. "I don't know if it's a fair barometer for that," he said. "It's Syracuse, it's the Carrier Dome and we've traveled cross-country to play. "The important thing for me is that we play hard at both ends of the floor. We need to play hard defensively to stay in it and we need to play hard offensively to give ourselves a chance to win."
* SECOND TIME AROUND: Tonight's game is only the second between UNLV and Syracuse. The first meeting came in 1975 when the Rebels defeated the Orangemen 105-83 in the Steel Bowl Classic in Pittsburgh. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was an assistant on that '75 team and would become head coach the following year. ... Tonight is also the second of two head-to-head meetings for UNLV with the Big East. The Rebels, 10-8 lifetime against the Big East, won the first go-round when they beat Miami 55-43 Nov. 29.
* POINT BATTLE: Tonight also showcases the freshman point guard UNLV has against the point guard UNLV tried to get as Mark Dickel goes head-to-head against Syracuse's Jason Hart. UNLV fans will recall the Rebels battling the Orangemen and USC for Hart's services before the 6-2 Inglewood (Calif.) High star opted to play for Boeheim. ... So far, the numbers for the duo are virtually identical. Dickel is averaging 8.4 points and 5.6 assists while Hart is averaging 8.4 points and 6.4 assists.
* ON THE AIR: Today's game will be aired live locally on ESPN (Prime Cable Channel 19) beginning at 4 p.m. John Saunders and Bill Raftery call the action. ... A reminder the "Bill Bayno Show" will air at 7 p.m. Thursday from Barley's in Green Valley on KVEG 840-AM.
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