Hill: Rebels have to earn spot in big college hoops showcase

UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger stares down a referee during a second-round NIT game between Boston College and UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center on Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @madelinepcarter

By Adam Hill / Las Vegas Review-Journal

November 3, 2024 - 6:00 am

The announcement last week of an unbelievable college basketball doubleheader at Allegiant Stadium was an exciting reminder that the Final Four is coming to Las Vegas in 2028.

But seeing a field of Arizona, Duke, Indiana and Kansas coming to Las Vegas in November 2027 had to be tough for longtime Las Vegans and old-school UNLV fans.

Those are some of the school’s biggest rivals from the glory days, and now they will be prominently featured to the nation just down the street from campus.

It would be nice for UNLV to be included in such events, but the Rebels just aren’t on that level at the moment.

Coach Kevin Kruger and company are tasked with getting them back in that conversation. Keeping guys like Dedan Thomas Jr. around can only help that mission.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.

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