Rebels feel excitement again

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As a high school senior, Anthony Marshall relaxed at his parents’ home in Las Vegas as he watched the NCAA Tournament selection show. That was a year ago, when UNLV was not invited to the dance.

His anxiety level was higher Sunday afternoon, when the Rebels’ freshman guard sat in front of a big screen at a party inside Cox Pavilion.

"I was following UNLV last year and wondering if they were going to get in or not. But their name didn’t get called," said Marshall, a former star at Mojave High. "I couldn’t wait to be in that position and try to help contribute this year.

"To see our name pop up on the screen was a great feeling. I’m pretty excited about it."

The Rebels (25-8) drew a No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region and will open play against No. 9 Northern Iowa (28-4) at 4:10 p.m. Thursday at Oklahoma City.

UNLV, which waited for an at-large invitation after losing to San Diego State 55-45 in the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship on Saturday, is making its third NCAA Tournament trip in four years.

"I think people sometimes just assume getting into the NCAA Tournament is pretty easy to do, and it’s not," coach Lon Kruger said. "We’re thrilled to be in because it’s hard to earn an at-large bid.

"We’re not going to stop and celebrate, but that goal that every basketball team in the country has in October — to play in the NCAA Tournament — these guys have realized that."

The achievement is not to be taken for granted, Kruger said, and his message was repeated by several Rebels players.

A tailspin at the end of last season landed UNLV in the less prestigious National Invitation Tournament, and the Rebels lost their opening game at Kentucky.

"Last year was a disappointment. Right now, it feels good," junior guard Tre’Von Willis said. "You can see the look in the guys’ eyes and on their faces and tell we’re ready to try to make some special things happen."

UNLV was sent to the Midwest Region for the third consecutive time. The draw proved lucky in 2007, when the Rebels went to Chicago and upset Georgia Tech and Wisconsin en route to the Sweet 16.

In 2008, UNLV was a No. 8 seed in Omaha, Neb., and defeated Kent State in the first round before falling to top-seeded Kansas 75-56 in the second round.

So this year’s draw presents a sense of déjà vu because if the Rebels advance to the second round, Kansas most likely will be waiting. The Jayhawks are the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, and toppling them would be a monumental task.

Willis said that a few minutes into the selection show on CBS, he and teammate Kendall Wallace predicted UNLV’s fate.

"We called it out before they announced it. It definitely wasn’t a shock," Willis said. "As soon as I saw Kansas as the first seed, I just had a feeling they were going to put us in the 8-9 slot. I know they love to put us in the Midwest."

Kruger said he had no qualms with the Rebels’ seed, and he would welcome an opportunity to play Kansas.

"Right now, we absolutely want that because that would mean we won the first game," Kruger said. "The 8-9 games are expected to be tossup games."

Kruger is not an oddsmaker, but his opinion was on the money. Las Vegas Sports Consultants made UNLV a 1½-point underdog to Northern Iowa, and the line opened pick ’em at the Las Vegas Hilton sports book.

The Panthers won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles. They were in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed last year and suffered a first-round loss to Purdue, 61-56.

Kruger planned to spend Sunday night watching game film of Northern Iowa. Marshall, Willis and the rest of the Rebels said they were anxious to hit the practice floor today.

"As you can see," Willis said, "all of us are excited."

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