A look back at all the times the Lady Rebels made the NCAA Tournament

The UNLV women’s basketball team is preparing for its 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

UNLV, a No. 10 seed, will face No. 7 Creighton in a first-round game at 4 p.m. Saturday at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion.

The Lady Rebels will look to advance to the second round for the first time since 1991.

Here’s a look back at every season the Lady Rebels made the NCAA Tournament:

1984: First round

UNLV won the inaugural Big West tournament title to go to the NCAA Tournament, which was in its third year of existence for women’s basketball. The Lady Rebels went 24-7 and earned a No. 7 seed in the 32-team field and lost in the first round to No. 2-seeded Long Beach State 78-58.

1985: First round

UNLV won a second straight Big West title behind conference player of the year Misty Thomas and went 26-5. The Lady Rebels earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but lost 70-68 to No. 5 seed San Diego State, then a member of the Western Athletic Conference. UNLV finished ranked No. 16 by the Associated Press.

1986: Second round

A third straight Big West title gave UNLV (22-9) a third straight NCAA Tournament berth. With the tournament expanded to 40 teams, UNLV received a bye with a No. 5 seed and faced off against No. 4 seed North Carolina in the second round. The Tar Heels defeated the Lady Rebels 82-76.

1989: Sweet 16

UNLV’s deepest run in the tournament came despite not winning the Big West title. The Lady Rebels lost to Long Beach State for the conference title but regrouped to make a March run.

As a No. 6 seed, the Lady Rebels defeated No. 11 Utah 67-53 in the first round and No. 3 Colorado 84-74 in the second. UNLV lost to No. 2-seeded Texas 88-77 in the regional semifinals and finished 27-7 and 16th in the final AP poll.

1990: Second round

UNLV won 22 consecutive games, tied for the program record, and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country. Pauline Jordan was a second-team All-American and Big West player of the year, and coach Jim Bolla was named conference coach of the year.

The Lady Rebels received a bye to the second round of the tournament and a No. 4 seed but lost to No. 5 seed Mississippi 66-62. They finished 28-3 and No. 5 in the final AP poll.

1991: Second round

UNLV made its third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament despite not winning the Big West title and earned a No. 8 seed. The Lady Rebels defeated No. 9 Texas Tech 70-65 in a first-round game in Las Vegas. They lost to No. 1 seed Georgia 86-62 in the second round and finished 25-7 and No. 17 in the final AP poll.

1994: First round

UNLV won the Big West title and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh and final time under Bolla. The Lady Rebels received a No. 10 seed and lost to No. 7 seed Montana 77-67 in the first round to finish 23-7.

2002: First round

Led by three-time reigning Mountain West player of the year and third-team All-American Linda Frohlich, UNLV snapped a seven-year tournament drought, earning an at-large berth as a No. 12 seed under coach Regina Miller. The Lady Rebels lost to No. 5 seed Minnesota 71-54 in the first round and finished 23-8.

2022: First round

UNLV returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years in coach Lindy La Rocque’s second season.

Center Desi-Rae Young was named Mountain West player of the year as UNLV (26-7) won the conference regular-season and tournament title to earn an NCAA Tournament berth. As a No. 13 seed, the Lady Rebels fell to No. 4 Arizona 72-67 in a first-round game in Tucson.

2023: First round

UNLV backed up its tournament appearance with the program’s best season. The Lady Rebels set a program record for wins (31-3), went 18-0 in Mountain West play and won a program record-tying 22 consecutive games, and La Rocque was named conference coach of the year.

The Lady Rebels earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost to No. 6 Michigan 71-59 in a first-round game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

2024: TBD

UNLV won its third straight Mountain West title and will make its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. It’s the third time in program history the Lady Rebels have made the tournament three consecutive seasons.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.