Rebels ready to begin 2nd season

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 | 9:50 a.m.

NEXT UP

What: UNLV at BYU

When: Today, 6 p.m.

Where: Marriott Center, Provo, Utah

TV: Las Vegas ONE, Cox Channels 1 and 39

Radio: KBAD 920-AM

Line: BYU by 7 1/2 points

PROVO, Utah -- As they entered their locker room in the Cox Pavilion for practice this week, the UNLV Rebels were greeted by a Xeroxed copy of the Mountain West Conference logo taped to the door.

Written above the symbol in black ink were four words.

"Only the strong survive," center J.K. Edwards said with a smile while reading the words out loud. "Only the strong survive."

Step one in what figures to be more of a marathon of a Mountain West race than a sprint begins for the Rebels (11-2) tonight at the Marriott Center against a BYU (11-4) squad that owns the nation's longest home court winning streak at 43 games. The Cougars started that string on Feb. 19, 2000 by holding on to edge UNLV, 83-82.

UNLV has only won twice here, the last time coming in 1998 by a 84-76 score over a Cougars squad that finished just 9-21. The Rebels' only other victory came in 1981.

Still, it is a confident UNLV squad that flew here after an intense 75-minute practice on Wednesday. The Rebels bring a five-game win streak of their own into the contest, including arguably their best game of the year last Saturday when they upset DePaul, 75-70, in Chicago.

"We're always confident," senior forward Dalron Johnson said. "It's going to be a grind on the road there. They've got that streak going so they'll probably be waving 'The Streak' signs and everything. But we're going to try and block that out and see it as our first (conference) road game and also as a possible momentum booster starting out the conference."

"Other than healthy, yeah, I'm happy where we're at," coach Charlie Spoonhour said. "We've got so many guys nicked up it makes it hard to have a good practice. The guys work hard, but you lose a little bit in practice when you have a couple of people out."

Spoonhour was referring to starting guard Demetrius Hunter (Achilles' tendinitis) and starting center Edwards (strained groin), both of whom spent more time in the training room this week than on the practice floor.

The good news is that both took part and made it through Wednesday's final tuneup in good shape.

"As long as it gets loosened up, I'm OK," said Edwards, who will be counted on to help defend redhot BYU center Rafael Araujo.

Hunter, who likely will be matched against Cougars 3-point shooting whiz Mark Bigelow, also said his left leg felt better.

"But that's because I didn't practice for a few days," he said. "Once I play in a game it will get worse again. It's just something I'll have to play with the rest of the season."

After all, as the locker room door sign says, only the strong survive.