Rebels, Wyoming vow to run, run, run

Steve Addy

Friday, Jan. 4, 2002 | 11:27 a.m.

At least UNLV and Wyoming emerged from nonconference play without an identity crisis.

On the eve of their Mountain West opener, both teams intend to stay true to their up-tempo styles Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Wyoming is 9-4 and UNLV 7-4, but neither team gained an unexpected nonconference win, and neither played especially well against quality competition. But self-doubt hasn't entered their mind-sets.

"We're going to push the ball on every possession," Cowboys coach Steve McClain said Thursday. "Get the ball up and down -- that's the only way we know how to play."

UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour countered, "We're going to try to run. We can't change what we do."

If both teams stick with what works, there's a good chance a track meet will break out, which could mean a reasonable facsimile of last year's regular-season finale, a wildly entertaining 106-102 home victory by UNLV. Trevor Diggs scored 49, giving the Rebels a season sweep of the Cowboys and dropping Wyoming into a three-way share of the MWC title.

Both teams have maintained their offensive credentials this season. Wyoming's nucleus is almost intact, and the Cowboys lead MWC clubs in nonconference scoring at 80.6 per game. UNLV is second at 78.5.

"We're going to try to get the game up in the 100s. I hope it's 106-102 again," McClain said.

"That would be fine with me, as long as we have the 106," Spoonhour said. "I'd be tickled with that. And 53-50 is all right, too, if we've got the 53."

Spoonhour is new to the MWC, but it is that sort of sparring that has helped make UNLV-Wyoming the most compelling rivalry since the league's formation in 1999. The Rebels hold a 4-1 edge since then, winning the last four, but most of the games have been close and high-scoring.

"We've been having some good games with them," forward Dalron Johnson said. "We always seem to beat them, even if we have been on a losing streak and they're on a winning streak. They give us a hard game, but something always seems to go in our favor."

Last February at Laramie, Johnson's 3-pointer at the buzzer gave UNLV an 80-78 win. In four starts against the Cowboys, he has averaged 15.8 points and 10 rebounds.

But without Kaspars Kambala this season, it won't be as easy for Johnson and the Rebels to match up with the Cowboys' bulky lineup, featuring junior center Uche Nsonwu-Amadi (6-10, 260), power forward Josh Davis (6-8, 235) and backup Ronell Mingo (6-8, 230).

Making Wyoming's big guys run the floor defensively will be crucial for UNLV.

"We have to keep sprinting the ball right at them and go aggressively to the basket," Johnson said. "Their big post guys won't get time to go down and set up. Hopefully we'll wear them down in the second half.

"We've been doing a lot of extra conditioning this week. A running game may work to our advantage, as long as we get back on defense, find our men and get our hands up to contest shots. We can't give up easy baskets."

But, gee, who ever heard of defense at a track meet?