Rebels will battle Huskers in Opener

Steve Carp

Monday, March 8, 1999 | 10:28 a.m.

First, it was Pocahontas. Now, it's Zig Ziglar and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

What is it about the Thomas & Mack Center and mid-March that seems to work against the UNLV basketball team? Surely the arena's primary tenant shouldn't have to play its first-round National Invitation Tournament game on the road.

But because coach Bill Bayno supposedly gave the OK for T&M director Pat Christenson to book Ziglar and other motivational speakers for Thursday's "Success '99" which needs an advance day to set up, that being Wednesday, the Rebels are hitting the road -- to Nebraska.

UNLV couldn't get in the building Friday because the Thunder has an IHL game and the Mack has booked the World Wrestling Federation for a show Saturday with Stone Cold, America's favorite redneck rassler.

So while WAC rivals Wyoming and Colorado State had their arena available and were given first-round home games, Bayno's 16-12 club will get on a plane first thing Tuesday, fly to Omaha, then bus two hours to Lincoln to play a 19-12 Nebraska team at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Two years ago, a Disney ice show forced the Rebels out of their home and UNLV had to play an NIT quarterfinal game at Arkansas on short notice. With a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line, UNLV lost 86-73.

Bayno said he didn't remember the conversation he had with Christenson last year around this time, but said, "If Pat said I said it, I guess I said it.

"Still, I don't know why someone couldn't have been pro-active and saved the dates."

Maybe Ziglar can give the Rebels a freebie pep talk before they leave Las Vegas Tuesday.

Better yet, maybe he has a scouting report on the Cornhuskers, who were ousted in the Big 12 tournament Friday by eventual champion Kansas, a team Nebraska had beaten twice during the regular season.

"We don't know a lot about them," Bayno said of Nebraska.

Word was the NIT committee was going to have UNLV play in California, against either USC or Pepperdine, if the Waves could get UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. However, when Pepperdine couldn't get Pauley, the Waves were shipped to Colorado as were the Trojans, who will play at Wyoming.

In all, five WAC teams were invited to the NIT. Texas Christian plays Kansas State, which is in UNLV's bracket. In fact, should the Rebels win Wednesday, they'll play the K-State-TCU winner next Monday or Tuesday at a site to be determined.

Colorado State was invited after all and the Rams will host Mississippi State. Fresno State, the fifth WAC team, plays at California.

When he learned where his team was going, Bayno said, "I wasn't shocked. Just a little surprised. I'd been hearing California, too.

"It's still a privilege and an honor to play in the NIT. To not take the bid is to quit and the one thing this team has not done all season is quit."

Indeed, the players are looking forward to wiping out the bitter taste of losing to SMU a third time, in last Thursday's WAC quarterfinals.

"I'm glad we got this opportunity," senior co-captain Kevin Simmons said. "As a basketball player, you want to play as many games as you can, no matter where it's at."

Simmons, who is from New York, has added incentive. Win three straight and he and his teammates get a trip to the Garden.

Brian Keefe, the other senior co-captain, is also glad to see his career extended at least one more night.

"Obviously, we're all disappointed to not be playing in the NCAAs," he said. "But we don't want to end up on a sour note like last week. It's tough to swallow losing games like that (to SMU).

"We're a competitive group. We'll be ready."

Hoop du jourThis will be only the second time UNLV and Nebraska have met. In the lone contest in 1978, the Rebels defeated the Cornhuskers 79-63 in the Rebel Roundup at the old Convention Center. ... Nebraska and UNLV had three common opponents this season -- Tulsa, Colorado State and Kansas. The Rebels swept Tulsa, split with CSU and lost to Kansas in the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic. Nebraska went 2-1 with Kansas and lost to Tulsa and Colorado State. ... UNLV is 6-5 in four previous NIT appearances, making it to Madison Square Garden in 1980. This is Nebraska's 12th time to the NIT. The Huskers are 19-10 and won it all in 1996. ... As of now, there are no plans to televise Wednesday's game back to Las Vegas. The game will be broadcast live on KXNT 840-AM beginning at 4 p.m. with the extended one-hour pregame show.