UNLV takes on role as tournament favorite

Steve Addy

Monday, March 6, 2000 | 10:33 a.m.

After two months in furious pursuit of the Mountain West lead, the Rebels' well-timed ascension to the top spot has suddenly imposed a headier role upon them -- favorite.

They spent all season chasing Utah after losing their conference opener, but now that they have essentially leapfrogged the Utes to gain the top seed in this week's MWC tournament, the Rebels are no longer the pursuers.

They are now targets, despite sharing the regular-season title with Utah at 10-4. UNLV captured the No. 1 seed on a tiebreaker after Saturday's 80-67 home win over New Mexico. The Rebels had a 2-0 record against the third-place Lobos, compared to Utah's 1-1.

"We're not underdogs anymore. Every team wants a piece of us now," center Issiah Epps said.

That challenge begins at 9 p.m. Thursday against eighth-seeded San Diego State (0-14, 5-22) in the quarterfinal round. In Thursday's other openers, New Mexico (No. 3) plays Brigham Young (6) at noon, Utah (2) meets Air Force (7) at 2:30 p.m. and Colorado State (4) plays Wyoming (5) at 6 p.m. The semifinals are at 6 and 9 p.m. Friday, with the finals at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Having won eight straight at the Thomas & Mack Center, including seven in the MWC, only cements UNLV's favored status in the tournament. The Rebels beat every conference opponent at home except BYU, and they would not have to face the Cougars -- or the Utes, for that matter -- until the championship game.

But the Rebels' new status does not fall under the heading of "Be careful what you wish for." They responded like champions against New Mexico, dropping the Lobos out of a three-way tie for first, and the Rebels (20-7) welcome the opportunity to prove their worth to an NCAA Tournament committee that likely requires further convincing.

"We got what we wanted," Mark Dickel said. "Not to be bigheaded or anything, but I think we're the top seed for a reason. Everybody has to come here to play us now. We've beaten everyone apart from BYU, so we feel really confident. There is no reason we can't win the conference tournament if we come out ready with good energy."

"We are going to find out how we handle the pressure," Trevor Diggs said. "This is the first time we have been in this spot all season. We've been chasing Utah, trying to do this and that, and now people are going to come after us.

"But I think it's good for us to be the No. 1 seed. It gives us a confidence boost because all year long, we kept fighting to get first place and we finally did it."

While it might be stretching to call the Rebels strong favorites only two weeks after they lost at Utah by 44, neither the Utes nor New Mexico qualify.

Utah gained a share of the championship by beating Air Force 86-63 Saturday night, but the Utes lost their last four MWC road games, starting with a 72-66 loss at UNLV on Feb. 5. That doesn't bode well for their chances this week. New Mexico had been the league's hottest team with eight wins in 10 games, but UNLV was clearly superior to the Lobos on Saturday, leading by as much as 20.

Frankly, the Rebels couldn't ask for a better scenario, with the exception of an automatic NCAA bid for winning the tournament, which won't be on the line until (presumably) next season.

"We'll have to deal with (being the favorites)," coach Bill Bayno said. "Whether we are the hunters or the hunted, it doesn't mean anything as long as we understand that the pressure is on us to get better, to compete and to play to win. I think we're embracing that formula. Wins will take care of themselves as long as you do those things."

After the exhausting climb to first place, Bayno assessed how his club got there.

"This team has really overachieved," he said. "We are not a great outside shooting team, but we were able to do it by playing defense and gutting it out. The guys have worked hard and they have gotten better.

"But the good news is we can get even better. We can take it up a notch. We can clean up a few things on offense, and you can always get better defensively."

New Mexico coach Fran Fraschilla is impressed with the Rebels, his Lobos having lost to them by margins of 12 and 13.

"I can see why they're the No. 1 seed," he said. "Billy has done a great job with them. They have great athletes and a great inside player with (Kaspars) Kambala. They make it really tough to come play them here."

The Rebels, freshly minted favorites, hope to prove that repeatedly this week.

* REBEL NOTES: In the latest RPI rankings, Utah is 38th, UNLV 51st and BYU 52nd. ...

Just in time for national media voting, UNLV has begun an All-America campaign for Dickel, who leads the NCAA in assists with 8.9 per game. Placards touting his season (and career) are being mailed around the country this week. ...

Wyoming sophomore forward Josh Davis was named Mountain West player of the week.