Rebels unveil hoop foes

Steve Carp

Thursday, June 11, 1998 | 1:27 a.m.

The official schedule is still a couple of months away from being announced. But the 1998-99 UNLV basketball season will begin Nov. 14 at the Thomas & Mack Center and will feature both powerhouse and little-known opponents.

Bill Bayno's club will open against his alma mater, Sacred Heart, on the 14th to kick off four straight home games. The Rebels will meet Troy State on the 16th, Southern Cal on the 21st and Weber State on the 24th before flying to Springfield, Mass., to meet Kansas in the nationally televised Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic.

The Kansas game begins a four-game road trip as UNLV has to vacate the Mack for the National Finals Rodeo. The Rebels will play at Nevada-Reno Dec. 2, then travel to Cal Poly-SLO Dec. 5. The road trip concludes with a trip to Pauley Pavilion to face UCLA on Saturday, Dec. 12.

The third annual Las Vegas Shootout will be held at the T&M on Saturday, Dec. 19. UNLV will meet Cincinnati with Arizona facing Iowa State in the opening game of the nationally televised doubleheader.

Associate athletic director Jerry Koloskie said he's still trying to juggle some dates to accommodate Georgetown, Oklahoma State and Southern Utah on the home schedule. The Rebels will face Columbia of the Ivy League on Dec. 30.

"We're waiting on Georgetown's Big East schedule to be announced so we can set a date with them," he said. "We're trying to move Southern Utah so we can play Oklahoma State on Dec. 22 or 23 and they're trying to work with us.

"But essentially, the schedule's pretty much set. Obviously, the WAC schedule will get moved around some because of ESPN (Big Monday). But we know who we're going to play, and that's the important thing."

UNLV's WAC opener tentatively is set for Saturday, Jan. 9, when the Rebels entertain Air Force. Tuesday's decision by the remaining WAC members to keep the rotating quadrant formula intact means games with Rice, Tulsa, Texas Christian and Southern Methodist still are on.

There was talk last week that the schedule might be altered to reflect the planned departure of eight schools, including UNLV, from the WAC at the end of June 1999. That would have meant UNLV being grouped with New Mexico, Brigham Young, San Diego State and Air Force along with quadrant partners Air Force, Wyoming and Colorado State.

Coach Bill Bayno is in Tahiti coaching a collegiate all-star team and could not be reached for comment. But before leaving, Bayno said it wouldn't make a major difference who UNLV played its final season in the WAC.

Koloskie said he had talked to Bayno late last week as the opponents for the 1998-99 schedule were firmed up, and he said Bayno liked the schedule.

"I think Coach Bayno's very comfortable with it," Koloskie said. "It's a competitive schedule. There are some very good games at home and some tough ones on the road.

"I think it's pretty attractive and I think our fans will like seeing Georgetown, Cincinnati and Oklahoma State coming here. Those will be very tough games. And you've got Kansas, UCLA and Reno on the road, so overall, we think it's pretty competitive."