Editorial: Could we be dreaming?

Friday, Feb. 2, 2007 | 7:09 a.m.

We honestly thought it was a misprint: The UNLV men's basketball team was ranked in a national poll.

Coach Lon Kruger was brought in to try to bring the Rebels back to prominence, and improvements are showing: For the first time in 14 years, the Rebels are in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, tying with Indiana for 25th in the nation.

That is quite a turnaround for the program that last was in the coaches poll in 1993.

That was the year after Jerry Tarkanian, the coach who brought UNLV a national championship, was forced out.

Kruger's team, at 19-4 overall, is putting together quite a season so far and is now tied for first place in the Mountain West Conference. UNLV is in good company atop the league - Air Force is ranked 16th in the coaches poll and 17th in the Associated Press poll of sports writers.

It could be a great year overall for basketball in Nevada - UNR, which has had a strong program for the past several years, is ranked 13th in the coaches poll and 15th in AP's poll.

It is too early to declare that UNLV's program is back and start dreaming of March Madness - the Rebels are only halfway through the conference season - but it is wonderful to see the excitement again at the Thomas & Mack Center.

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