Editorial: Sweet home, Chicago

Monday, March 19, 2007 | 7:23 a.m.

Outstanding. We can't think of too many other words - well, maybe stunning - to describe the fact that the UNLV men's basketball team has made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

Before the season started most basketball analysts - and even diehard UNLV fans - thought it unlikely that UNLV would have been invited to the 65-team tournament.

But UNLV, after its convincing wins against Georgia Tech on Friday and Wisconsin on Sunday in Chicago, is making believers of the skeptics who remained after this team's impressive regular-season record.

The Lon Kruger-coached team played solidly against Wisconsin, a remarkable achievement in light of just how well the Badgers have performed this season. Not only did Wisconsin enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest region, but as recently as a month ago it had been ranked No. 1 in the nation.

UNLV was not to be denied a victory on Sunday, something that can be attributed in part to the team's hard work and discipline. In other words, they played like a team, something that can't be overstated in an era when teamwork often is lost amid selfish play.

The UNLV squad may not have the same kind of outstanding players that made up UNLV's championship team - UNLV legends such as Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony immediately come to mind. But this team in some ways does remind us of that star-laden 1990 team, which displayed tenacity and a tough defense.

It is tempting at this point to simply say the Rebels, who came into the Midwest region as the No. 7 seed, should be satisfied with whatever happens from here on out, particularly since they already have compiled a 30-win season with just six losses. Something tells us, however, that this team is hardly ready to rest on its accomplishments and will do everything it can to keep advancing in the NCAA Tournament.