Instant analysis: Another classic game between Rebels, Cougars

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Friday, March 12, 2010 | 10:55 p.m.

Everyone in the Thomas & Mack Center could surely sense the UNLV basketball team’s lead wasn’t safe. Not against rival BYU.

The Rebels led by eight points with seven minutes to play Friday in the Mountain West Conference semifinals before BYU went to work. First, the Cougars cut the deficit to six points. Then to four. And, finally, they tied the game at 59 with three minutes to play.

What else would you expect when UNLV and BYU get together on the hardwood with league bragging rights on the line?

UNLV eventually trailed by two points before scratching and clawing its way to a 70-66 victory in a game full of twists, turns and momentum swings. It was yet another epic chapter in the rivalry between the Mountain West powers.

Here are five notes from what turned out to be another Rebel-Cougar classic.

• The streak reaches eight : BYU lost for the eighth straight time to UNLV at the Thomas & Mack, a streak that includes tournament and regular season games. UNLV always plays with extra energy against BYU, and that intensity is magnified thanks to the vocal support of the hometown faithful. Give the fans an assist tonight — and in the past seven wins — for making a difference. It was truly a great college environment and a sellout for the first time in the league’s 11-year tournament history.

• Rebels couldn’t miss … again : The Rebels must have felt like they were throwing a beach ball into the Pacific Ocean in connecting on 61 percent of their shots in the first half, including going 8-of-11 on 3-pointers. It was the same story Feb. 6 when UNLV scored 56 first-half points in an 88-74 victory against BYU. When the Rebels are that accurate from the outside, they are tough to beat — whether they are playing BYU or an NCAA Tournament opponent next week.

• Unsung hero : Sophomore point guard Oscar Bellfield has been limited with a sore left knee for weeks. Just don’t expect him to use that as an excuse. Bellfield had nine assists and two turnovers in playing a team-high 36 minutes. He’s easily the Rebels’ most underrated player.

• Dave Rice in a familiar spot: Dave Rice, a member of UNLV’s national championship team in 1990 and a former Rebel assistant coach, was back in his old seat on the home bench at the Mack for the semifinal clash. Now an assistant at BYU, Rice occupied the sit next to Cougars’ coach Dave Rose. It’s exactly where he sat during his playing tenure with the Rebels when they advanced to consecutive Final Four appearances. He learned from the best those two years, getting a first-hand lesson in Xs and Os from one of basketball’s most respected coaches — legendary UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian. BYU sat on the home bench for the tournament game because it was the higher seed.

• League makes a statement : I know the Mountain West Conference is considered a mid-major league. And I know it will never equal traditional powers such as the Big East or ACC. It just didn’t appear that way on Friday in what proved to be two classic semifinal games, and one of the best evenings of basketball in the Thomas & Mack Center’s 25-plus year history. The end result will be a record four Mountain West teams reaching the NCAA Tournament. How many do you think the Pac-10 will get? Take a wild guess at which conference I think is the better league.