Critical game for Runnin' Rebels is Senior Day "White Out"
WHAT, WHEN & WHERE:
The
UNLV Runnin' Rebels (22-7 overall, 10-5 Mountain West Conference) close out their regular season at home when they play host to the
Wyoming Cowboys (10-19, 3-12) tomorrow - Saturday, March 6 - at 1 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a free white UNLV t-shirt. All fans are encouraged to wear white to the game. This year's senior class -
Darris Santee and
Steve "Chop" Jones - will be honored in a pregame ceremony. Former Runnin' Rebel
Scott Hoffman, who began his business career last summer and did not play his final season with the Rebels, will also be honored during the pregame ceremony.
The UNLV-Wyoming game will be televised nationally on
VERSUS and will be aired locally in Las Vegas on
ESPN Radio 1100 AM with the broadcast team of
Jon Sandler and
Robert Smith. The audio broadcast and Gametracker are available online at UNLVRebels.com.
VERSUS is available in the Las Vegas market on
Cox Cable (Channel 38) and
Cox Digital Cable-HD (Channel 738). It is also available throughout the nation on
DISH Network (Channel 151) and most cable providers.
WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW:
- UNLV has won three-straight games (and eight of its last 11) and is now 22-7 overall and 10-5 in league play (tied for third place with San Diego State)... UNLV has won its last three games by a total of 77 points defeating Colorado State (70-39), TCU (78-62) and most recently Air Force (77-47).
- The Runnin' Rebels had a bye during the middle of this past week. The game vs. Wyoming is important for UNLV as it is vying for an at-large bid in the upcoming NCAA Tournament...
Click here to read the story "UNLV fans wonder: Are Rebels in NCAA Tournament?" at CoachKruger.com.
- UNLV finished
9-3 this season in true road games. The last time the Runnin' Rebels won nine-plus road games in a season was
1991-92 when UNLV went 11-2... The Rebels went 8-5 on the road during the 2006-07 season.
- The Runnin' Rebels won at Air Force last Saturday, 77-47, in their last road game of the regular season... Sophomore
Chace Stanback scored a career-high 21 points as junior
Kendall Wallace had 15 and sophomore
Oscar Bellfield added 12. The Rebels hit a season-high 13 three-pointers and shot 58.8 percent from the field.
- Wyoming is led by freshman guard
Desmar Jackson with 11.3 ppg... Sophomore center
Adam Waddell leads the team in rebounds with 5.5 rpg while junior forward
Djibril Thiam pulls down 5.0 rpg... The young Wyoming team is considered one of the most athletic teams in the Mountain West Conference.
- Earlier this season, UNLV defeated the Cowboys, 78-50, on the road in Laramie, Wyo. Junior
Matt Shaw came off the bench to score 16 points for UNLV. The Runnin' Rebels lead the all-time series 25-14. Head coach
Heath Schroyer is in his third season at Wyoming.
- Join
St. Rose Dominican Hospitals and UNLV Runnin' Rebel basketball coach Lon Kruger for the
Walk of Health tomorrow at 10 a.m. in front of the Thomas & Mack Center prior to the game at 1 p.m. Coach Kruger will help kick off the event with the first lap around the Thomas & Mack Center with participants. There will also be free giveaways and the chance to win a signed basketball by Coach Kruger.
- Now 22-7 overall,
UNLV has 20-plus wins in four-consecutive seasons (2006-10) for the first time since 1989-93. Prior to the current run, the Runnin' Rebels had not had three consecutive 20-win seasons since 1990-93... UNLV has won 100 times since the beginning of the 2006-07 seasons, one of the top win totals in the West during that four-year span.
-UNLV will play its first game of the
2010 Conoco Mountain West Conference Basketball Championships on Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center. With a win tomorrow against Wyoming, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels would secure the No. 3 seed and play their first game of the tournament on Thursday, March 11 at 8:30 p.m. If they were to advance to the next round (the semifinals), they would play again on Friday at 8:30 p.m... If UNLV were to lose to Wyoming on Saturday and drop to the No. 4 seed (this would include a San Diego State win on Saturday), UNLV would play at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday and 6 p.m. on Friday (if it were to advance to the semifinals).
- Four
Mountain West Conference teams are vying for at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament... In today's updated
Bracketology on ESPN.com,
Joe Lunardi projected UNLV to be a No. 7 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Lunardi projects
New Mexico as a No. 2,
BYU as a No. 4 and
San Diego State as a No. 13 seed... The winner of the upcoming MWC Tournament will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
- Read the official UNLV-Wyoming game notes at UNLVRebels.com.
-
Ferraro's Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar is "The Pre-game Place to BE" for UNLV Runnin' Rebel basketball games. Now located at 4480 Paradise Road, Ferraro's is just minutes from the Thomas & Mack Center... Call for a reservation - (702) 364-5300 or visit
www.ferraroslasvegas.com. Ferraro's is proud to be the presenting sponsor of this UNLV Runnin' Rebel game announcement and is a partner of
ISP Sports... Show your ticket prior to a game or after a Rebel game for a 15% discount.
- The LB3 program - which benefits the Lindsay Bennett Memorial - generates funds through pledges from fans for every three-pointer the Runnin' Rebels make throughout the season. Bennett, a former Rebel Girl dancer, was killed last April by an alleged drunk driver.
Deadline to pledge is tomorrow at midnight. For more information or to make a pledge, visit
www.GoLB3.com...
Leavitt Insurance is proud to support LB3.
- The
Lon Kruger Radio Show - featuring Coach Kruger and Jon Sandler - will air next on Monday, March 8 from 7-8 p.m. on ESPN Radio 1100 AM. Fans are also invited to attend the live show at
Brendan's Irish Pub located in The Orleans Hotel and Casino.
- Be sure to check out
"Game Time with UNLV Hoops" on Sunday nights at 11:35 p.m. on KLAS Channel 8. Lon Kruger is joined weekly by Channel 8 sports director
Chris Maathuis. Replays are also shown during the week on The Mtn. Shows are archived at UNLVRebels.com.
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DEADLINE TODAY FOR MARCH 14 BANQUET
The Runnin' Rebel Basketball Banquet will be held Sunday, March 14 at 1 p.m. in the Cox Pavilion. Seating is limited. Cost is $30 per person or $15 for children ages 12 and under.
Fans will be able to meet and greet their favorite Runnin' Rebel players from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring cameras to the family-friendly event.
Lunch will be held from 1:45 to 2:15 p.m. with the program scheduled to be held from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m.
Dress is business casual. RSVPs are required by the end of the business day today - March 5 - by calling the UNLV men's basketball office at (702) 895-3295.
Cox Communications, Big Town Mechanical (BTM) and
Rogers, Mastrangelo, Carvalho and Mitchell Attorneys at Law are the presenting sponsors of the event.
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BUFFALO WILD WINGS SUPPORTS COACHES VS. CANCER
The third annual
Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic - hosted by the men's basketball coaches of the Mountain West Conference - will be held May 23-25. This year,
Buffalo Wild Wings has teamed with Coaches vs. Cancer to raise awareness for the annual event as well as the American Cancer Society.
With March Madness just around the corner,
all nine Buffalo Wild Wings locations in the Las Vegas area will be participating by giving customers the opportunity to donate. Each donor will be invited to hang up a basketball-shaped card in the restaurant with his or her name on it.
Each store will be accepting donations from now until the end of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in early April. All proceeds will be donated towards the Coaches vs. Cancer event, which benefits the American Cancer Society.