UNLV Men's Basketball

Tourney Treats: Stories and trends to watch for in the Syracuse-Montana game

Sam Morris

Syracuse players and coaches take part in practice for their second round NCAA Tournament game against Montana Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

Tourney Treats: Stories and trends to watch for in the Syracuse-Montana game: If the Rebels advance, they would play Saturday against the winner between the No. 4 Orange and the No. 13 Grizzlies; Wed, Mar 20, 2013 (2 p.m.); By Taylor Bern; UNLV’s priority is to take care of itself and snap a four-game NCAA Tournament losing streak. The rest of us, though, are free to look ahead on the bracket, and that’s exactly what we’re doing here.

UNLV forwards Khem Birch, left, and Roscoe Smith joke around on the bench during their exhibition game against Dixie State Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012 at the Thomas & Mack. UNLV won in overtime 81-80.

Tourney Treats: NCAA champ stays behind as Rebels prepare for tournament: Wednesday, March 20, 2013; By Taylor Bern; Roscoe Smith is the last player in the gym. Not in the typical show-up-early-and-stay-late way you usually hear about with athletes, though the UNLV sophomore does plenty of that, too.

UNLV Runnin' Rebel head coach Dave Rice watches with the men's basketball team as they wait to learn their selection while watching the NCAA Tournament's Selection Show at the Mendenhall Center Sunday, March 17, 2013. UNLV will play Golden Bears in its NCAA tournament opener on Thursday at HP Pavilion in San Jose.

Tourney Treats: Upsets in the 12 vs. 5 games a March Madness tradition: UNLV quick hits: UNLV has never before received a No. 5 seed so this is the team's first experience on this side of a tournament crowd pleaser; Wednesday, March 20, 2013; By Taylor Bern; Anybody who’s ever tried to fill out a few brackets knows about the 12-5 upset. Trying to figure out which 12 is going to be in the Round of 32 is a March tradition almost as much as the CBS March Madness theme.

UNLV forward Anthony Bennett laughs after scoring the team's first 11 points against New Mexico during their Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game Saturday, March 16, 2013 at the Thomas & Mack Center. Checking Bennett is Lobos forward Alex Kirk.

Tourney Treats: Special prop bets available for UNLV-Cal game: Rebels quick hits: Plus a look at what the statistical models from Nate Silver and Ken Pomeroy say about the Rebels' chances in the tournament; Wednesday, March 20, 2013; By Taylor Bern; Will Anthony Bennett go over or under 25.5 combined points and rebounds in UNLV’s Round of 64 game against Cal?

UNLV's Anthony Marshall takes a photo with a young Rebel fan before boarding a bus to Albuquerque for the NCAA Tournament, Tuesday March, 13 2012.

Tourney Treats: Fans invited to Rebels send-off this evening: Also, fans can watch UNLV practice at HP Pavilion on Wednesday, and there are still plenty of options to get game tickets; Tuesday, March 19, 2013; By Taylor Bern; UNLV basketball fans are invited to a team send-off for the NCAA Tournament today on campus at about 4:45 p.m. The Rebels will board a bus in the white lot of the Thomas & Mack Center parking lot and then leave for the McCarran International Airport.

UNLV guards Katin Reinhardt and Bryce Dejean-Jones celebrate Dejean-Jones' two consecutive three-point baskets against New Mexico during their Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game Saturday, March 16, 2013 at the Thomas & Mack Center. New Mexico won 63-56.

For the Mountain West, just getting into the tournament not good enough: Analysis: The conference has a record five teams in the NCAA Tournament, but another rash of early exits on the big stage could hurt league's image; Tuesday, March 19, 2013; By Taylor Bern; The Mountain West has been in the national conversation the entire college basketball season. Now it has a good chance to stay there for the next couple of weeks.

Members of the UNLV men's basketball team, from left, Khem Birch, Daquan Cook and Katin Reinhardt learn their selection while watching the NCAA Tournament selection show at the Mendenhall Center on Sunday, March 17, 2013. UNLV will play the Cal Golden Bears in its NCAA tournament opener Thursday at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

Rebels' newcomers eager to live their dreams in NCAA Tournament: UNLV basketball:; Tuesday, March 19, 2013; By Taylor Bern; The first eight notes are all you really need to hear. The tune is so unmistakable and tied to such a specific time of year that it’s strange to hear CBS’ March Madness theme any other time.

Members of the UNLV men's basketball team applaud as they learn their selection while watching the NCAA Tournament's Selection Show at the Mendenhall Center Sunday, March 17, 2013. UNLV will play Golden Bears in its NCAA tournament opener on Thursday at HP Pavilion in San Jose.

Tourney Treats: UNLV-Cal rematch was 'best we could do,' committee chair says: Monday, March 18, 2013; By Taylor Bern; The basic process for sorting through the giant field of eligible Division I basketball teams and placing them in the NCAA Tournament is detailed in the NCAA’s official principles and procedures handout.

UNLV guard Anthony Marshall yells as time out is called during their Mountain West Conference Tournament game against Air Force Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at the Thomas & Mack. UNLV won 72-56 and will face the winner of the Fresno State vs. Colorado State on Friday.

Making four straight tournaments is nice for UNLV duo, but there is more to achieve: Monday, March 18, 2013; By Ray Brewer; Not to take anything away from the accomplishment of making four straight NCAA Tournaments, but UNLV seniors Justin Hawkins and Anthony Marshall still have more to achieve.

UNLV guard Bryce Dejean-Jones defends Cal guard Allen Crabbe during the first half of their game Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif.

Cal’s Crabbe on UNLV matchup: ‘It’s like a home game for us’: unlv basketball :; Monday, March 18, 2013; By Ray Brewer; The headline on the official website for the Cal basketball teams says it all: “Bears Stay Local, Face UNLV in San Jose.” That’s about a one-hour drive from the Berkeley campus, giving 12-seeded Cal one big advantage against UNLV on Thursday when they meet in the NCAA Tournament's second round. Additionally, it’s the Golden Bears’ first tournament game in the Pacific time zone since 1950. “I thought we were going to play in Philadelphia or Austin, Texas,” Cal’s Allen Crabbe told the San Jose Mercury News on Sunday. “It’s like a home game for us.”

Members of the UNLV men's basketball team, from left, Anthony Bennett, Savron Goodman, and Anthony Marshall, learn their selection while watching the NCAA Tournament's Selection Show at the Mendenhall Center Sunday, March 17, 2013. UNLV will play Golden Bears in its NCAA tournament opener on Thursday at HP Pavilion in San Jose.

Rebels ready to get down to business in NCAA Tournament rematch: UNLV basketball: UNLV gets a 5 seed and will play Thursday in San Jose, Calif., against 12 seed Cal; the Rebels won 76-75 at Cal on Dec. 9; Sunday, March 17, 2013; By Taylor Bern; Crowded together on one side of the upstairs lounge in the Mendenhall Center, the Rebels didn’t whoop and holler when they saw “5 UNLV” appear on CBS’ selection show for the NCAA Tournament.

6 things do in San Jose when you're not watching the Rebels: Travel:; Sunday, March 17, 2013; By Brian Nordli; In between the hours of basketball being played at the HP Pavilion and the UNLV game against Cal, there will be the inevitable downtime.

The UNLV men's basketball team will play California in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

How to draw up a game plan to see the Rebels in San Jose: Travel: Team opens the NCAA Tournament against Cal at HP Pavilion; Sunday, March 17, 2013; By Brian Nordli; The clock is ticking; travel madness begins now. The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels have booked their ticket to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed in the San Jose, Calif., regional, where they will face the No. 12 seed Cal Golden Bears on Thursday at the HP Pavilion.

Rebels to face Cal in NCAA opener, seeded No. 5 in East Region: unlv basketball:; Sunday, March 17, 2013; By Ray Brewer; Bring on the Golden Bears. Again. The UNLV basketball team received a No. 5 seed Sunday for the NCAA Tournament and will face Cal on Thursday in San Jose to open the 68-team event. The Rebels earned an at-large bid for the fourth straight season and will look to win their first tournament game since 2008.

UNLV guard Bryce Dejean-Jones is defended by New Mexico guard Tony Snell while taking a three-point shot during their Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game Saturday, March 16, 2013 at the Thomas & Mack Center. New Mexico won 63-56.

Rebels are going to need a little luck on Selection Sunday: Analysis:; Sunday, March 17, 2013; By Taylor Bern; What follows is mostly speculation, because when it comes to bracketology what else is there? The Rebels have been squarely in the field of 68 for some time, so the last couple of weeks have been more about getting to a point where they’re playing well enough to have a chance to do something in the tournament.