The Rebels’ season that just concluded was way below standard — an 18-15 record, a seventh-place finish in the Mountain West and an exit in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament. There are disappointed fans and powerful boosters who want coach Dave Rice out.
It was as ugly as it gets, a grinding game about defense. But there were a few style points, and Josh Adams got the credit. He let a shot fly that was a thing of beauty.
New Mexico State’s four seniors combined for 55 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists, and the top-seeded Aggies rolled to an 80-61 victory over No. 3 Seattle in the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference tournament — the fourth straight title for New Mexico State.
Dave Rice just concluded his fourth season as UNLV’s coach, his second straight without a postseason appearance, and it is no secret that his job is in jeopardy after an 18-15 season. Rice and athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy are expected to meet this week.
The Wildcats, who have been flirting with one of the four No. 1 seeds that will be handed out Sunday for the NCAA Tournament, whipped the Ducks for the third time this season, 80-52. Former Findlay Prep star Brandon Ashley was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
After weighing the pros and cons of extending UNLV’s basketball season, coach Dave Rice and athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy cut it short Friday.
Josh Adams scored 27 points and Larry Nance 20 as Wyoming upset No. 1 seed Boise State 71-66 in overtime in a Mountain West tournament semifinal Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Cowboys will play San Diego State, which defeated Colorado State 56-43, for the title Saturday.
The top-seeded Wildcats hold off UCLA 70-64 in the semifinals of the Pacific 12 Conference tournament at the MGM Grand Garden. Arizona will meet Oregon, a 67-64 winner over Utah, in the championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Steve Alford won’t be climbing any ladder or cutting anything down at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday after his UCLA team was eliminated by top-seeded Arizona 70-64 in the Pacific 12 Conference tournament semifinals Friday night.
Tshilidzi Nephawe could have given the politically correct answer when he was asked Friday about being left off the All-Western Athletic Conference first team. Instead, New Mexico State’s senior center opted for honesty.
Former UNLV guard Bryce Dejean-Jones left the program last year after he was threatened with gun violence by a teammate, according to a story in the Ames (Iowa) Tribune. Dejean-Jones, a senior who is finishing his career at Iowa State, reflected on a collegiate run that began at Southern California and included a three-year stint at UNLV.
Boise State defeats New Mexico 66-60 to win the Mountain West women’s basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center, giving the Broncos the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
An issue that has tormented the Rebels for most of the Mountain West season did them in again Thursday, when UNLV emerged from its locker room at intermission and promptly gave up a six-point lead, watching helplessly as San Diego State opened the second half on a 12-0 run.
Aqeel Quinn scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half as No. 2 seed San Diego State rallied to defeat seventh-seeded UNLV 67-64 in a Mountain West tournament quarterfinal at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Las Vegas is the place to be this week and next week if you bet college basketball. It’s not all about next week, either. Many of the fans at the Thomas & Mack Center, MGM Grand Garden and Orleans Arena showed up with betting tickets.
