Rebels still have a lot to shoot for

Steve Addy

Friday, Dec. 15, 2000 | 9:48 a.m.

Next up

Who: UNLV vs. No. 17 Cincinnati in the Las Vegas Showdown

Where: Thomas & Mack Center

When: Saturday, 9 p.m.

TV: ESPN (Ch. 19)

Radio: KBAD 920-AM

Opener: Oregon plays Auburn at 6:30 in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader (ESPN2)

Tickets: About 7,000 balcony tickets ($22) remain for Saturday's twinbill

By banning UNLV from postseason play this season, the NCAA robbed the Rebels of their most reliable motivational tool.

Until the NCAA sanctions were handed down Tuesday, the Rebels could gaze into the distance and always see a tangible goal to shoot for -- a coveted spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Even for a 3-4 team, it gave them an abiding sense of purpose.

But despite the loss of the Rebels' primary goal -- barring a successful appeal -- they'll still have motivation to spare Saturday when they host 17th-ranked Cincinnati (4-2) in the Las Vegas Showdown.

It is a game loaded with opportunity for the Rebels, mainly because an upset of Cincinnati would quickly counter the PR nightmare they suffered this week with the NCAA sanctions and the removal of coach Bill Bayno.

After the public heard nothing but lousy things about UNLV all week, when it was placed on four years' probation, an ESPN-televised victory might show the college basketball world that the Rebels aren't wallowing in scandal.

New coach Max Good joked that he would rather play a soft team in his Rebels head coaching debut, but a power team like Cincinnati potentially provides UNLV with a greater upside.

"With all of the stuff that's gone on this week, it will be hard to put that behind us," senior forward Danny Brotherson said. "But playing a ranked team might make it easier for everyone to focus, especially because that's a team that blew us out last year."

Ah, yes, the blowout. Had the Rebels not been so preoccupied with other matters this week, they might've been more focused on atoning for last season's 106-66 rout at Cincinnati. It was a result that bothered the Rebels all year, because it showed that they were not ready for such high-caliber competition -- a point they proved over and over last season.

"We don't need to prove a point about last year's game, because that was last year and it isn't the same (Cincinnati) team," Dalron Johnson said. "But we want so show that we can compete with them this year, and let our fans know the kind of team we can be."

So far, the fans have not gotten a great impression. On the last two Saturdays, the Rebels lost at Oklahoma State and Nevada-Reno because of the same symptoms -- too many turnovers, poor defense and inconsistent rebounding.

Had the coaching change not taken place, the Rebels still would've entered Saturday's game with wounded psyches. But especially after the upheaval, they can't afford to let the game get out of hand.

"Cincinnati comes after you like a shark," Good said. "They will smell the blood in the water. That's the way they play."

But the Bearcats will also be toting some emotional baggage into the Thomas & Mack after a 69-67 home loss to Xavier on Thursday night.