Dean Juipe: UNLV crowd got what it came to see

Friday, Jan. 10, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

BASKETBALL CROWDS at UNLV are atypical in the sense the fans don't necessarily want to see a good, competitive game in exchange for their hard-earned money.

They want to see the Rebels win in a rout. The greater the margin of the lead during the game and the greater the margin of victory, the better.

It has always been that way, or at least since the program's heyday.

People would pack the Thomas & Mack Center and ask for nothing more than a lopsided game in return. Unlike the situation in most arenas, where the fans might be aroused and intrigued by a close and nerve-wracking contest, UNLV fans have habitually preferred a less-stressful outing in which their Rebels prevail in some sort of overwhelming fashion.

This curious trademark still exists, as was demonstrated Thursday night at the T&M when the 13,887 on hand were at their most vociferous not when UNLV's game with San Diego State was intermittently suspenseful, but when the Rebels were adding -- and adding -- to a significant lead.

There was a reverse correlation in effect: As the suspense lessened, the crowd noise increased -- precisely the opposite of what might normally be expected.

And the crowd noise was never greater than when the Rebels pulled away for good, burying the Aztecs once and for all en route to a 79-59 victory.

It was a great win for the team and an equally vivid reminder that UNLV fans are pining for the old days, when the average attendance was at or near capacity and the freewheeling Rebels of the early '90s were demolishing hapless opponents like Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara on a regular basis, much to the fans' collective amusement.

For the UNLV faithful, it's the more (points the Rebels win by), the merrier.

And adding to their zeal for seeing San Diego State convincingly plowed under was the desire to reaffirm their faith in the program, to be shown once again that things are really in the process of turning around.

The Rebels came into the game a hot topic, people in town having been all but mesmerized by the team's amazing 22-0 run Monday at Texas Christian, a streak that wiped out what had been a 20-point deficit and one that led to a most improbable victory. In the aftermath of that startling comeback, UNLV fans were crossing their fingers that there wouldn't be a slip-up against San Diego State. A loss, after all, would have meant a return to square one.

Hence, not just a victory but a resounding victory was appreciated by one and all. The big crowd had no qualms about sitting through a game that, by its final score at least, might have been perceived from a distance as dull and boring.

It was actually quite exciting. The Rebels played well, they led by as many as 16 in the first half and they quashed the Aztecs' minirally in the second half, extending what had been a three-point lead to 16 in the space of seven minutes.

To win by 20, that's what UNLV fans wanted to see.

It's what they always want to see.