Thursday, March 12, 1998 | 11:30 a.m.
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Given his choice of an extra week to prepare or an additional three days of rest, Tyrone Nesby would have gone for option No. 3.
He would have liked to have played Princeton Monday, not Thursday.
The UNLV senior played his final game as a collegian and he went out sort of the way he came in, scoring 19 points but needing 15 shots in which to do it. And against Princeton, that wasn't enough to keep Nesby and his mates playing as the Rebels fell 69-57 to the No. 8 Tigers at the Hartford Civic Center.
Nesby said trying to cram for a tough test like Princeton on short notice was worse than flying cross-country and playing on four days' rest.
"We should've played them right after we beat New Mexico," Nesby said. "I think we got caught trying to think too much out there instead of just letting our instincts take over."
Some of Nesby's teammates agreed that the Rebels were so concerned about Princeton's back- door cuts they forgot about doing the things that got them here.
"I think when a team is running 30 seconds off the clock and hits a three with five seconds left, it's a little frustrating," junior Brian Keefe said. "You try and get it back quick and that doesn't work."
Nesby said the frustration took its toll in the end.
"We get it to five, then they make a layup and another layup and all of a sudden, we're down a lot again," he said. "That's tough to come back from."
Coach Bill Bayno said the extra rest may have helped his team sustain its second-half run when it outscored Princeton 11-2 and cut a 14-point deficit to five with just over eight minutes to play.
"I think we ran out of gas trying to come back," he said. "I was real worried about our legs going into the game but I'm not going to make excuses. We got our second wind in the second half. We just used it up trying to come back."
First early loss
Thursday marked the first time UNLV lost a first-round NCAA game. The Rebels had a bye in the opening round of the 1983 NCAAs, but lost their first tournament game to North Carolina State.
Princeton, meanwhile, extended its winning streak to 20 in a row and shot above 50 percent from the field (.551) for the 18th time in 28 games. The teams combined for just 51 rebounds. By comparison, North Carolina had 57 as a team in its win over Navy earlier in the day.
This is only the second time since 1984 that the Tigers are advancing to the second round of the tournament. In 1996, Princeton beat UCLA 43-41 and moved on to the second round where it lost to Mississippi, 63-41.
What slow start?
With just over three minutes to play in the first half, North Carolina led Navy by only four points. But the nation's No. 1 team wasn't about to let the Midshipmen hang around. By halftime, the margin was 10, and when it was all said and done, the Tar Heels had sunk Don DeVoe's team, 88-52.
UNC coach Bill Guthridge wasn't surprised how things turned out.
"I always say that your first game in the NCAA Tournament, especially after winning the ACC tournament, is tough because you are so emotionally charged," he said. "But we had two good practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, although they weren't long.
"I was really happy with what we did today. I thought Navy did a great job and played a great game. But we played with confidence and I am really proud of our team."
Forward Vince Carter said the team tried to come out strong and maybe the Tar Heels tried too hard.
"At first, we were rushing some plays and made some bad passes," Carter said. "We were going for the jugular, so to speak. I think we were a little excited at first. But once we settled down, we were able to make some things happen."
Carolina showdown
Their campuses are just 125 miles apart. But hard as it may seem to believe, North Carolina and North Carolina-Charlotte have never met on the basketball court.
That will change Saturday when the schools square off in the second round at the Hartford Civic Center.
When Dean Smith coached, he had an unwritten rule that the Tar Heels would not play anyone from within the state that didn't play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. But Smith amended the rule a year ago and started playing the other North Carolina schools -- at home, of course -- in alphabetical order.
Actually, North Carolina and UNC-Charlotte were supposed to play this season. But the game was pushed back a year at Smith's request prior to his retiring. The game is tentatively set for this coming December.
Forward DeMarco Johnson said UNCC is looking forward to playing the Tar Heels, but conceded it won't be easy.
"We know it's going to be a tough game," Johnson said. "We need to focus and play like it's another game and a chance to get to the Sweet 16."
But it's not just another game. The winner gets to not only keep playing, it plays in Greensboro, N.C., where the East Regional semifinals and finals are being held.
"Maybe the state is going to shut down and watch the game," Charlotte coach Melvin Watkins said.
Hoop du Jour
* ROJOS MAKE IT: Nine members of the Rojos, UNLV's student fan group, made the trip to Hartford for Thursday's game after raising over $4,000 in donations the past 72 hours, a big chunk of it coming from Ocean Front Landscaping. The group arrived at Newark (N.J.) International Airport early Thursday afternoon, then drove to Hartford. Three of the Rojos won tickets in the UNLV student lottery. The other six got in thanks to some no-shows from the rest of UNLV's 350-ticket allotment.
* MIDDIES SINK: Navy picked a heck of a time to go in the tank as the Midshipmen shot a season-low 27 percent from the floor in their loss to North Carolina. Navy made just 20 of 74 shots. The 36-point loss was the worst of the season for Don DeVoe's team.
* DOUBLE-DOUBLES EVERYWHERE: It was a day for double-doubles (double figures in points and rebounds) as UNLV's Kevin Simmons had 13 points and 12 rebounds in the Rebels' 69-57 loss to Princeton, North Carolina's Antawn Jamison had 17 points and 14 rebounds against Navy, UNC-Charlotte's DeMarco Johnson had 30 points and 13 boards against Illinois-Chicago and teammate Sean Colson had 18 points and 13 assists for his own unique double-double. It was Simmons' fourth double- double of the season while for Jamison, it was the 17th time he went for a double-double, the 47th of his career. Johnson recorded his 12th of the season and 35th of his career. Colson has 11 career double-doubles.
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