Kruger makes handshake deal

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When they last met, UNLV basketball coach Lon Kruger and Louisville’s Rick Pitino parted ways without a handshake. Kruger was the surprise winner, and Pitino was perceived as a sore loser.

After the Rebels’ 56-55 upset of the Cardinals on New Year’s Eve, Pitino complained to the officials and rushed off the Freedom Hall court without shaking Kruger’s hand.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” Kruger said, laughing off the episode.

Kruger and Pitino recently agreed on a long-term relationship. UNLV and Louisville will play again Nov. 28 at the Thomas & Mack Center, and Kruger said, “It will turn into a four-year deal.

“When we played last year, Rick and I talked about it and we wanted to play again if we could make it work. It will be a good series.”

The Rebels’ 14-game nonconference schedule for the 2009-10 season was released Tuesday, and Louisville and Arizona are the biggest names on the lineup for the third consecutive year.

UNLV plays the Wildcats in Tucson, Ariz., on Dec. 2 to conclude a four-year contract. Arizona won the first two meetings before the Rebels retaliated with a 79-64 victory in December.

Kruger must replace three senior starters — Wink Adams, Joe Darger and Rene Rougeau — and he said the schedule “will challenge this group” before Mountain West Conference play.

UNLV plays road games against Arizona, Santa Clara and Southern Utah in December before traveling to Honolulu for the eight-team Diamond Head Classic from Dec. 22 to 25.

“It’s a good schedule,” Kruger said. “How it fits our team, because we have so many question marks with this team, it’s hard to measure. We’ll be tested at home, on the road and at neutral sites.”

Tre’Von Willis, the Rebels’ No. 2 scorer at 11.4 points per game as a sophomore, returns at a guard spot. Kruger will be integrating several newcomers, including 6-6 junior guard Derrick Jasper, a transfer from Kentucky, and 6-8 sophomore Chace Stanback, a UCLA transfer.

UNLV opens the regular season against Pittsburg State, a Division II team from Kansas, on Nov. 14 at the Thomas & Mack.

The Rebels also host UNR, Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Weber State and South Carolina-Upstate.

Kruger arranged a series with Kansas State, which visits the Orleans Arena on Dec. 12. UNLV will play the Wildcats at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., the following year. Kruger was a star guard for Kansas State in the 1970s, and he was head coach there from 1986 to 1990.

The tournament field in Honolulu includes Hawaii, Southern California, Southern Methodist, College of Charleston, Saint Mary’s and Western Michigan. The final team is yet to be determined.

“Hopefully our fans can make Christmas plans in Hawaii,” Kruger said.

The Rebels’ win at Louisville, which won the Big East Conference regular-season and tournament titles, capped a 12-2 nonconference record last season.

But UNLV stumbled down the stretch, losing seven of its last 11 games, and finished 21-11 with a loss at Kentucky in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.

“Last year’s schedule was perfect,” Kruger said. “We positioned ourselves exactly like we wanted going into conference play, but we couldn’t finish.”

The Mountain West schedule is expected to be announced in August.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.