UNLV has to take care of Aztecs

Steve Addy

Thursday, March 2, 2000 | 10:31 a.m.

SAN DIEGO -- The Rebels have gone as far as the kindness of strangers can take them.

There will be no more charity, no more wishing for other teams to lose, no more putting off their things to do until tomorrow. Now the Rebels must stand or fall on their own.

If they stand, they will close the regular season with two victories and the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West tournament. If they fall, it means their fitful quest for an NCAA Tournament bid will definitely be over and they'll have to settle for the not-so-soothing embrace of the NIT.

Those are their options, and the next step occurs tonight when the Rebels visit last-place San Diego State, which would love to get its first Mountain West victory and sabotage UNLV's grand plan all at once.

The Rebels (18-7, 8-4 MWC) don't figure to have much trouble with the Aztecs (5-20, 0-12), but considering all the assistance UNLV has required to control its fate this weekend, there is no room for a casual attitude. After all, the Rebels would be playing for second place if not for first-place Utah (20-7, 9-4) stumbling at Colorado State last Saturday and at Wyoming on Monday.

Especially in light of their 44-point loss at Utah two Mondays ago, it's difficult to believe the Rebels can actually tie the Utes for the MWC title and win the No. 1 seed on a tiebreaker. They must win tonight, then close the regular season by beating New Mexico at noon Saturday in Las Vegas.

"It's time for us to help ourselves," Rebels point guard Mark Dickel said. "We know that we have gotten some breaks, but we have to take advantage of it. It's all up to us now."

Say this for the Rebels: At least they're not in denial about how they got where they are.

"We recognize the fact that Utah opened the door for us and gave us this opportunity," coach Bill Bayno said. "Now we have to take care of our business. The kids know the urgency of this game. We can't take the mind-set that San Diego State is playing badly. We've got to anticipate that they're going to play their best game of the year."

"If we aren't ready to play, it could get ugly," Dickel said. "They're just trying to get a win, and we can't afford a loss, so both teams are desperate. They are going to play hard."

Sounds good in theory, but the Aztecs are a mess. Coach Steve Fisher's young club has lost its last 14 games, with the margin of defeat averaging 20 points in the last seven games. It's the second-longest skid in school history, trailing a 21-gamer in 1991-92.

Small forward Myron Epps is the only Aztec scoring in double-figures (16.3) in conference play.

"I thought we'd have more wins than we do, and I thought we'd be a better team than what we are," Fisher conceded.

But the Rebels say they're on alert for San Diego State's nothing-to-lose attitude.

"We have to approach them just like any other team," forward Donovan Stewart said. "They're going to relax and have fun. They will probably be throwing up crazy shots, hoping it's one of those good days. If they make some, it could be a big upset. We have to guard against that."

Rebels center Ike Epps said, "We can't slip up. San Diego is going to play us like it's their championship game. If they beat us, it'll be one of the biggest upsets in the conference."