Columnist Dean Juipe: Risky spot for Rebels vs. Hawaii

Dean Juipe

Wednesday, March 19, 2003 | 9:36 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

Inconceivable as it seems, this is a team that suffered a letdown on the night of its biggest game of the season. So just how inspired will UNLV be tonight when it faces Hawaii at the Thomas & Mack Center?

It could go either way. The Rebels may come out with a renewed determination and a "we'll show you" attitude, or they could submissively roll over and excuse themselves from what has been a fairly tumultuous season.

My lack of confidence in the team -- which is shared by most of its fans, from what I can gather -- keeps me from actually making a prediction.

But I will say this: If they're so inclined, it's going to be easy for the Rebels to call it quits.

For starters, they're coming off a terribly disappointing game against Colorado State that cost them a spot in the NCAA tournament. The table was set -- UNLV was at home and playing a team it had beaten by 33 points a month earlier -- yet a failure to execute resulted in a loss and sent the dinnerware flying.

As a disheartening result, the Rebels were dropped to the lesser National Invitation Tournament and matched with a Hawaii team that is 18-11 and led by a potential NBA draft choice, guard Carl English.

And while it's always a pleasure and an advantage to be playing at home, UNLV runs the risk of being further demoralized when it takes the floor and sees how empty the arena will be. A small crowd is all that can be expected, given the community's disappointment, the single-game nature of the ticket sales and the intriguing option of staying home and watching Saddam's 48 hours expire and the war with Iraq get under way on TV.

Nonetheless, UNLV is an 8-point favorite.

But if the Rebels are going to win, they'd better do something they didn't when they faced Colorado State, and that's bring their 'A' game -- which is something they've frequently misplaced. It was shocking that they didn't put the hammer down on CSU when they were up by 10, just as it was shocking when they played so poorly in a nationally televised game with Southern Cal that had numerous implications.

A similar lack of focus would be costly against Hawaii, as English -- who has had a ton of national attention -- is apt to be driven to give his best effort. It's said he's leaning toward declaring himself for the NBA draft, yet he has another year of eligibility (despite the fact he'll graduate this spring) and there are those who feel he could benefit by playing an additional year in the islands.

How he fares against the Rebels could determine his immediate course of action.

But he also could be dragging, as he and his Hawaii teammates have crisscrossed the Pacific the past few days and might well be running low on adrenaline. They were hoping to host an NIT game and weren't anticipating a trip back to the mainland after competing in the WAC tournament last weekend.

What they'll see when they get here is a UNLV team that has frustrated its followers with its inconsistency.

And at stake -- beyond advancing in the NIT -- is how these Rebels are going to be remembered. While the season still has its salvageable elements, a loss tonight assures them of a legacy with a number of unflattering overtones.