UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
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| UNLV Runnin' Rebels | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| University | University of Nevada, Las Vegas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conference | Mountain West | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Las Vegas, NV | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head Coach | Lon Kruger (4th year) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arena | Thomas & Mack Center (Capacity: 18,776) |
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| Nickname | Runnin' Rebels | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colors | Scarlet and Gray
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| Uniforms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| NCAA Tournament Champions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NCAA Tournament Final Four | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977, 1987, 1990, 1991 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971, 1972, 1977, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975, 1976, 1984, 1986, 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975, 1976, 1977, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 2000, 2007, 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conference Tournament Champions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2007, 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are a NCAA Division I men's basketball team who play at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament was in 2008 where they reached the Second Round but lost to eventual champion Kansas.
UNLV is the third-winningest program by percentage (.716) in Division I history — ranking behind Kentucky and North Carolina and ahead of Kansas, Duke and UCLA. UNLV is 33-15 all time in the NCAA tournament a .688 win percentage.
In 1990, UNLV won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship by beating Duke University by a record-setting margin of 103-73, becoming the first team to score over 100 in the championship game. Before becoming a basketball powerhouse in the late 1970s, UNLV was often referred to as "Tumbleweed Tech" due to its relative obscurity. Led by famed coach Jerry Tarkanian, the Runnin' Rebels were among the most exciting teams in the nation. They consistently led in the nation in points scored, turnovers forced, and most importantly - wins.
Tarkanian was suspected of violating numerous NCAA regulations, and was forced out in 1992 by then-president Robert Maxson. In 1998 the U.S. Supreme Court forced the NCAA to pay Tarkanian $2.5 million for violations stemming from its investigation of UNLV. On November 26, 2005, for his achievements as coach of the Runnin' Rebels (he was 509-105 in 19 years as head coach), the basketball court at the Thomas & Mack Center was renamed Jerry Tarkanian Court.
The years after Tarkanian's departure were tumultuous. UNLV hired former Villanova coach Rollie Massimino to replace Tarkanian, but after a 15-13 season in 1993-94, he was let go. The community was outraged to discover that Massimino had been awarded a secret contract [1] — a deal that ultimately led to Maxson's departure from UNLV.
Massimino was replaced by well-respected Tarkanian assistant Tim Grgurich, but he lasted just 7 games in 1994 before resigning. Howie Landa and Cleveland Edwards finished the 1994-95 season for UNLV. The team hired UMass assistant Bill Bayno for the 1995-96 season.
Bayno was an excellent recruiter, bringing in future NBA talent including Shawn Marion, Tyrone Nesby, and Keon Clark. But the Rebels only made the NCAA tournament twice in Bayno's 5-plus seasons, losing in the first round both times. Bayno was let go in 2000, after the NCAA found that UNLV had violated rules while recruiting Lamar Odom. Odom ultimately chose Rhode Island over UNLV.
It was in the wake of Bayno that UNLV began looking for a well-respected coach to act as an anchor for the program. The school intensely pursued former New York Knicks coach Rick Pitino, who ultimately spurned the university before choosing to work at Louisville. Former Saint Louis University coach Charlie Spoonhour replaced Bayno for the 2001-02 season, compiling a 54-31 record before resigning in the middle of the 2004 season.
The anchor turned out to be Lon Kruger, who came to Las Vegas after an unsuccessful stint as the coach of the Atlanta Hawks. Kruger is 91-42 since taking the helm at UNLV in 2004, with a 3-2 record in the NCAA tournament.
On Dec. 9, 2006, UNLV won a significant road game at University of Nevada, Reno 58-49, ranked No. 20 in the nation at the time. It was the first time UNLV had won a game on the road vs. a ranked opponent since the No.1 Runnin' Rebels won at No.12 University of New Mexico 86-74 on Feb. 25, 1991, the year UNLV finished 34-1 under coach Jerry Tarkanian with a 79-77 loss to Duke University in the NCAA semifinals being their only defeat. A win later that year on ESPN at Texas Tech University as Bobby Knight attempted to set the all-time coaching wins mark put UNLV in NCAA tournament contention, and winning the Mountain West Conference tournament sealed their bid. The Runnin' Rebels ultimately lost to Oregon in the Sweet 16 after defeating Georgia Tech and upsetting Wisconsin. The team finished 14th in the polls.
On March 15, 2008, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels won the 2008 Mountain West Conference Basketball Championship defeating No. 24 BYU 76-61. Wink Adams scored a game-high 23 points and was given the MVP title. This was the only time of the season they beat a ranked opponent.
They were a No. 8 seed for the 2008 NCAA Tournament and played Kent St. on Thursday, March 20, 2008, beating them with a final score of 71-58. UNLV had the lead the entire game and held Kent. St. to a tournament record 10 points in the first half. They faced top-seeded, and eventual national champion, Kansas on March 22, 2008. They ended the half above expectations, trailing only by five, 29-34. However, Kansas would come in tough for the second half and deny UNLV their fifth straight 2nd round win, ending the game 75-56.
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[edit] UNLV Runnin' Rebels NCAA Tournament Record
| Year | Record | Loss | Coach |
| 1975 | 2-1 | Arizona State | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1976 | 2-1 | Arizona | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1977 | 4-1 Final Four | North Carolina | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1983 | 0-1 | NC State* | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1984 | 2-1 | Georgetown* | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1985 | 1-1 | Kentucky | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1986 | 2-1 | Auburn | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1987 | 4-1 Final Four | Indiana* | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1988 | 1-1 | Iowa | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1989 | 3-1 | Seton Hall | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1990 | 6-0 Final Four | Champion | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1991 | 4-1 Final Four | Duke* | Jerry Tarkanian |
| 1998 | 0-1 | Princeton | Bill Bayno |
| 2000 | 0-1 | Tulsa | Bill Bayno |
| 2007 | 2-1 | Oregon | Lon Kruger |
| 2008 | 1-1 | Kansas* | Lon Kruger |
| 33-15 | * - Eventual national champion |
[edit] Retired numbers
UNLV has retired seven players' uniforms. [2]
- 4 – Larry Johnson (basketball)
- 21 – Sidney Green
- 23 – Reggie Theus
- 25 – Glen Gondrezick
- 32 – Stacey Augmon
- 40 – Ricky Sobers
- 50 – Greg Anthony
Other UNLV basketball alumni include:
- J.R. Rider - former NBA basketball player
- Keon Clark - former NBA basketball player
- Armon Gilliam - former NBA basketball player
- Shawn Marion - NBA basketball player with Miami Heat
- Marcus Banks - NBA basketball player with Miami Heat
- Louis Amundson - NBA basketball player with Philadelphia 76ers
- Joel Anthony - NBA basketball player with Miami Heat
- Tyrone Nesby - Former NBA basketball player
- Glen Gondrezick - Former NBA basketball player
[edit] References
[edit] External links
UNLV Runnin' Rebels Official site
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