Sonic Utes

Steve Addy

Friday, Feb. 4, 2000 | 11:05 a.m.

Good thing a Las Vegas cocktail waitress won the Megabucks two weeks ago. At least that means Rick Majerus might only be the second-happiest person in town this weekend.

No question, life is pretty wonderful these days for the Utah coach/quipster/comedian.

Majerus has guided the Utes to a No. 19 national ranking, a 17-3 record and a 6-0 mark in the Mountain West Conference, all of which they'll put on the line against second-place UNLV (13-5, 4-2) Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. With a win, they would emerge with a three-game lead halfway through the MWC season.

No wonder the sometimes-prickly Majerus is in such a good mood. He could scarcely contain his happiness while speaking to some UNLV fans and media this week. No laugh track was necessary.

"I am so excited to come to Vegas to eat," the bulbous coach said. "I'm Mr. Vegas at every buffet table, hands down. No matter where I go, I am king of the buffet. You don't want to be behind me in a buffet line."

With a knowing chuckle, he added, "Vegas is a nice place to visit when you're from Utah."

Then there was this quote after the Utes' 82-70 win over New Mexico on Monday. Of forward Alex Jensen, whom he has had to encourage to shoot, Majerus said, "He's like a beautiful, beautiful girl. She's always reticent and shy because she doesn't know how pretty she is."

Can this guy lay on the shtick or what?

But UNLV's goal isn't to put Majerus' gag writers out of work or wipe the smile off his face. It's to put a blot on Utah's spotless MWC record and claim a victory that could come in especially handy when NCAA tournament bids are awarded March 12.

The Rebels desperately need to beat a quality team, and Saturday will be one of their last chances; winning Feb. 21 at Salt Lake City seems a near impossibility for the Rebels, because the Utes have won their last 47 games at the Huntsman Center.

But even on their own court, the Rebels' task will not be easy. The Utes have won 15 of their last 16 games. The teams haven't met since UNLV's quarterfinal victory in the 1998 WAC tournament.

"We've got a chance to upset a great team," Rebels coach Bill Bayno said. "They are the most talented team in the league. They've got incredible size, they do a great job of executing on offense and they control the tempo. They're good and they're deep."

Utah is among the biggest teams UNLV will play. Power forward Hanno Mottola (6-foot-9) is the club's top scorer at 17.7 points per game, though he is battling elbow and thumb injuries. He will also need knee surgery after the season, having missed the Utes' first eight games. Center Nate Althoff (6-11, 260) averages 9.2 points and is a strong defender.

But former role player Jensen (6-7) has been the Utes' biggest surprise, averaging 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. Those numbers do not indicate his true value to the club, especially lately.

He has averaged 20 points and 10.7 rebounds in his last four games, capped by fantastic games against Air Force and New Mexico. His 3-point play with 15 seconds left at Air Force let Utah escape with a 64-63 win, then he had a career-high 26 points and 12 rebounds against the Lobos.

"Jensen does everything, and he's so consistent night in and night out," Bayno said. "He's right up there for the best player (in the MWC)."

Majerus refers to Jensen as "a consummate Bobby Jones kind of player. It pains him to shoot. He's a throwback of all throwbacks. I usually don't get effusive in my praise, but in every category of play, I rate this kid very good."

Utah's size will make it especially hard for UNLV to depend on center Kaspars Kambala for the bulk of its offense. The Rebels' best hope is to push the tempo, making the Utes' big men run back, Bayno said. But that will also require UNLV to win the rebounding battle.

"We have to try to get easy baskets. We can't beat them just in a halfcourt game. We have to take advantage of our transition opportunities," Bayno said. "We need to attack the boards, then get out and run. And we need to pick our spots in the halfcourt."

Point guard Mark Dickel will be in charge of speeding the tempo and leading the break, though Utah is likely to run a big man at him and try to trap him. Majerus respects Dickel's skills.

"You've got to love his enthusiasm and the way he directs the attack," Majerus said.

* REBEL NOTES: Nearly 4,500 tickets remain, so it looks like Bayno and radio commentator Glen Gondrezick won't have to shave their heads for a sellout. ...

Utah is 25th in the RPI ratings. Among MWC teams, BYU is second at 47th, then UNLV at 70th.