March 1, 2002

LAS VEGAS - The Runnin' Rebels will host New Mexico in the regular season finale for both teams on Saturday, March 2 at 7:05 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center (18,500). It will be televised live in Las Vegas on KLAS TV-8 with Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler providing the commentary. The game may be heard live in Las Vegas on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) and worldwide on the internet at UNLVRebels.com with Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick calling the action.

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Sat., March 2New Mexico at UNLV7:05 p.m. PST

Game at Thomas & Mack Center (18,500), Las Vegas, Nev., Game televised live on KLAS TV-8 in Las Vegas, Game may be heard live on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and worldwide on the internet at UNLVRebels.com

THE RUNNIN' REBELS

UNLV (17-9, 8-5 MWC) has won its last three games and nine of its last 11. The Runnin' Rebels currently sit alone in third place in the Mountain West Conference standings. UNLV is coming off a 73-66 win over Air Force Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center, where it is 13-2 this season. Dalron Johnson leads the team in scoring (16.6) and rebounding (6.9). Marcus Banks is second in scoring (16.0) and leads the team in assists (2.9). Lou Kelly is also averaging double figures in scoring (14.5). Last year, the squad finished with an overall record of 16-13 and placed fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 7-7 mark.

THE NEW MEXICO LOBOS

New Mexico (16-11, 6-7) has won two of its last three games. The Lobos are coming off an 84-71 loss at San Diego State on Thursday. UNM is 2-6 on the road this season. The Lobos are led in scoring by 6-4 junior guard Ruben Douglas (17.0), 6-3 senior guard Eric Chatfield (11.1) and 6-9 sophomore post player Patrick Dennehy (10.4). Dennehy leads the team in rebounding (7.4) and 6-4 junior guard Senque Carey leads the team in assists (3.2). Head Coach Fran Fraschilla is in his third year at UNM with a record of 55-38 (.591) and in his ninth year overall as a head coach with a career mark of 175-97 (.643). New Mexico was 21-13 overall last year and finished tied for fifth in the MWC at 6-8. New Mexico made it to the NIT's third round last year before falling at Memphis to end its season.

SERIES HISTORY

UNLV leads the all-time series with New Mexico 11-9. UNM won the last meeting earlier this year on Feb. 5 in Albuquerque in overtime 84-81. The two teams split the season series last year with UNM winning 75-56 in Albuquerque on Feb. 19, 2001, and UNLV winning 80-72 at home on Jan. 22, 2001. New Mexico has won the last two meetings. Before UNM's current streak, UNLV had won four straight against the Lobos. UNLV is 7-3 vs. UNM at home. The series started on Jan. 17, 1976 with UNLV winning 80-73 in Albuquerque.

UP NEXT

After the New Mexico game, UNLV will participate in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, which will be held March 7-9 at the Thomas & Mack Center. Tournament seedings and pairings will be announced Saturday after the UNM game.

SCHEDULE CHANGE

The New Mexico game on March 2 was originally scheduled for a 7:35 p.m. start. It has been changed to 7:05 p.m.

THREE IN A ROW

UNLV has a current three-game win streak. The team has won three straight games three separate times this season. The last time UNLV had a win streak of longer than three games was last year, when it won seven straight.

FEBRUARY SUCCESS

In the month of February, UNLV went 7-2. UNLV was 3-3 in January, 5-2 in December and 2-2 in November.

IN OVERTIME

UNLV is 38-18 (.679) all-time in overtime games and is 3-1 in overtime this season (80-79 win at San Diego State on Jan. 26, 84-81 loss at New Mexico on Feb. 5, 96-91 win at Colorado State on Feb. 18 and 83-76 win at home vs. San Diego State on Feb. 23). UNLV has only had one other season with four overtime games (1994-95) and has never had more than four overtime games in one season. Last season, UNLV was 1-2 in overtime games. UNLV is 31-15 in single overtime games, 5-3 in double overtime and 2-0 in triple overtime. The Runnin' Rebels have a record of 7-3 in overtime games at the Thomas & Mack Center.

BANKS MAKES SINGLE-GAME SCORING LIST

Marcus Banks scored a career-high 36 points against San Diego State on Feb. 23. His 36 points puts him in a tie for the 36th most productive scoring night in UNLV men's basketball history. Additionally, only 16 Runnin' Rebel players have ever scored more than 36 points in a game. Banks' 36 points is the fourth-best individual point total in a game ever by a MWC player and is the highest individual point output in a game by a MWC player this season.

JOHNSON SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT

Dalron Johnson scored his 1,000th career point at New Mexico on Feb. 5. With that, he became the 30th player in Runnin' Rebel history to score at least 1,000 career points. Johnson currently has 1,105 career points, which puts him at No. 26 on the all-time UNLV scoring chart. Reggie Manuel is No. 25 with 1,118, Bernie Fumagalli and Michael Burns are tied for No. 23 with 1,122 and Richie Adams is No. 22 with 1,168.

THREE MORE FOR NO. 1

With 144 blocked shots for his career, Dalron Johnson is No. 2 on the all-time Runnin' Rebel blocked shot list. He just needs three more blocks to pass Elmore Spencer for the No. 1 spot all-time. Johnson has passed Stacey Augmon, Keon Clark, Richie Adams and George Ackles on the UNLV career blocked shot list this season.

TOUGH STRETCH

UNLV played five games over a span of 10 days from Feb. 9 to Feb. 18. The Runnin' Rebels went 4-1 over that period.

DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK

With only nine points vs. San Diego State on Feb. 23, Dalron Johnson's streak of scoring 10 or more points in a game ended at 19 straight. For the season, Johnson has scored in double figures in 24 of 26 games.

JEVON BANKS - ASSISTS TO TURNOVERS

Overall for the season, Jevon Banks has 46 assists to only 13 turnovers. But even more impressive is in conference games only, Banks has 28 assists to only 5 turnovers. That is 5.6 to 1.

SHORT SHOT BLOCKER

Through games of Feb. 17, Lou Kelly was tied for 10th in the nation in blocked shots per game for players 6-foot-5 or shorter. Kelly was averaging 0.91 blocks per game. Short shot blocker stat provided by STATS, Inc.

500TH 3-POINT GAME

UNLV's win on Feb. 23 vs. San Diego State marked the 500th game that UNLV has played in since the NCAA adopted the 3-point goal in 1986-87. UNLV holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games with a made 3-pointer at 501.

SIX PLAYERS SCORE 10 OR MORE

UNLV had six players score in double figures in the same game for the first time this season vs. DePaul on Feb. 3. UNLV has had three other games in which it has had five players score in double figures. Five Runnin' Rebels scored 10 or more points vs. UNR, at San Diego State and vs. Florida International. UNLV has had four players score 10 or more points in the same game six other times this year.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

UNLV is 13-2 at home this year...is 11-1 when heading into the locker room ahead at halftime....is 9-1 when shooting a higher field goal percentage in a game than its opponent...is 9-1 when taking less shots in a game than its opponent...is 7-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field in a game...is 10-2 when taking less 3-point shots in a game than opponent...is 14-3 when going to the free throw line more in a game than its opponent...is 10-0 when outrebounding its opponent in a game...is 12-1 when recording more assists in a game than its opponent...is 14-3 when committing less fouls in a game than its opponent...is 9-1 when scoring 80 or more points in a game and 16-3 when scoring 70 or more...is 8-2 when limiting its opponent to less than 70 points in a game.

BLOCKED SHOT STREAKS

Dalron Johnson has had two separate streaks of 10 and eight games in which he blocked at least one shot in a game this season. He has blocked at least one shot in 24 of his last 29 games. Johnson is No. 2 on UNLV's all-time blocked shot list. Last year he blocked at least one shot in 22 of his 27 games and during his freshman year he blocked at least one shot in 21 of 31 games, so for his career he has blocked a shot in 64 of 84 games. That is 76.2 percent of the games.

20 POINT CLUB

Three Runnin' Rebels have scored 20 or more points in a game this season a combined 23 times. Marcus Banks has had nine 20-plus point nights, while Dalron Johnson and Lou Kelly have both had seven. Marcus Banks is the only Runnin' Rebel to have scored 30 or more points in a game as he scored 36 vs. San Diego State and 31 vs. Old Dominion.

STEALING THE BALL

UNLV has recorded 106 more steals this year than its opponents. UNLV has recorded 266 steals to its opponents' 160. That is a 10.23 to 6.15 per game average. UNLV leads the Mountain West Conference in steals and is recording almost two full steals more per game than Air Force, which is second with 8.54 per game. Five UNLV players are ranked in the top 14 in steals in the Mountain West Conference.

SHOOTING 50 PERCENT

When UNLV shoots 50 percent or better from the field, it wins. The Runnin' Rebels are 7-0 in games in which they shoot over 50 percent. UNLV shot 56.4 percent vs. Wisconsin, 60.3 percent vs. Nicholls State, 52.4 percent vs. Nevada, Reno, 58.2 percent vs. Tennessee State, 52.5 percent at Air Force, 54.2 percent vs. Colorado State and 57.4 percent vs. DePaul. As a team after 26 games, UNLV is shooting 45.5 percent from the field.

BANKS WAS ON A ROLL

During a four game stretch from Dec. 20 through Dec. 30, Marcus Banks averaged 27.0 ppg, shot 58.3 (35-of-60) percent from the field and 60 (6-of-10) percent from 3-point range. In each of those four games, he set a new career-high in scoring (22, 26, 29, 31).

100 POINTS

For the fourth consecutive season, UNLV has scored 100 or more points in a game. UNLV scored 101 vs. Tennessee State on Dec. 28. Last year, the Runnin' Rebels scored 100 or more points in a game three times.

RUNNIN' REBELS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST STATS

UNLV leads the MWC in two team statistical categories. UNLV is No. 1 in steals with 10.23 per game and is first in turnover margin at +3.42 (UNLV's opponents turned the ball over an average of 3.42 more times per game than the Rebels). Also, the Runnin' Rebels are second in scoring offense with 76.2 ppg, are second in free throw percentage at .707 and are third in blocked shots with 3.92 per game. Individually, Dalron Johnson is in the top five in the following categories: blocks (1st with 1.65 per game), steals (2nd with 1.77 per game), free throw percentage (T3rd with .848), scoring (5th with 16.6 ppg) and offensive rebounds (5th with 2.54 per game). Other Rebels in the top five are Marcus Banks (1st in steals with 2.24 per game) and Chris Richardson (2nd in field goal percentage with .560).

UNLV IS 43-7 IN LAST 50 GAMES AT THE MACK'

The Runnin' Rebels are in their 19th season in the 18,500-seat Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV has posted an all-time record of 255-44 (.853) in the arena since it opened in 1983. This year, the Runnin' Rebels are 13-2 at home. They were 12-3 at home in 2000-01 and were 18-2 during the 1999-00 season, so UNLV has won 43 of its last 50 games at home. UNLV has been edged at home by four points or less 17 times and the 44 losses has been by an average of 7.9 points (349 total points).

LAST TIME OUT - AIR FORCE (FEB. 28)

Lou Kelly scored 19 points, including two free throws that put UNLV up for good, as the Runnin' Rebels beat Air Force 73-66 on Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center. Kelly's free throws broke a 64-64 tie with 1:45 remaining, and UNLV tallied the next six points, including two more Kelly free throws, to secure a 72-64 lead with 15 seconds left. Kelly made 3-of-5 3-pointers and had five assists, and Jevon Banks added 14 for the Rebels (17-9, 8-5 Mountain West), who outscored Air Force 42-26 in the paint for their third straight win. UNLV jumped to an early lead behind 4-for-8 3-point shooting in the first half. The Rebels led 41-29 at halftime and were up by as many as 16 in the second half. The Falcons (9-17, 3-10), who've lost their last four games, trailed 58-46 midway through the second half. But Tom Bellairs scored five of his 11 points in a game-tying 18-6 Air Force run that knotted it at 64-64. Joel Gerlach scored 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting to lead the Falcons, who were outrebounded 31-24.

LAST TIME VS. NEW MEXICO (FEB. 5 - ALBUQUERQUE)

Ruben Douglas scored 29 points, including 15-for-15 at the free throw line, as New Mexico beat UNLV 84-81 in overtime in Albuquerque on February 5. UNLV's Dalron Johnson, who led the Rebels with 25 points, missed a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left in the overtime. New Mexico scored 11 of its 13 points in the overtime from the free throw line, converting on 11-of-12 attempts. Douglas was 4-for-4, his last two putting the Lobos ahead to stay at 79-75 with 1:00 left. The only field goal for the Lobos in overtime came on a layup by Patrick Dennehy. New Mexico got double-doubles from Douglas and Dennehy and a season-high 24 points from Eric Chatfield. Douglas also had 11 rebounds, while Dennehy had 16 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute of overtime. The Rebels forced overtime with Lou Kelly's 3-pointer with 7 seconds left. UNLV trailed 69-65 with 1:48 left, but erased the deficit with 3-pointers from Johnson and Kelly. Chatfield missed a 3-pointer with a second left in regulation. New Mexico appeared to have the game in hand with an 82-77 lead with 36.8 seconds left in overtime. But UNLV got an offensive rebound basket from Johnson and Marcus Banks hit two free throws with 14 seconds left after a New Mexico turnover. Senque Carey then was fouled and hit two free throws - his only points of the night - with 10 seconds remaining. For the game New Mexico was 29-for-35 at the line. Both teams picked up the offensive pace in the second half after struggling through horrendous first half shooting. New Mexico led 31-29 at halftime despite shooting a season low 27 percent, while UNLV was only slightly better at 34 percent. Between them the two teams missed 50 shots in the opening 20 minutes. Banks finished with 21 points and Kelly had 16.

SPOONHOUR WINS IN 500TH GAME

UNLV Head Coach Charlie Spoonhour coached his 500th game as a Division I head coach vs. Tennessee State on Dec. 28. The win gave Spoonhour his 325th career win. Spoonhour is in his 17th season as a Division I head coach and has a career record of 336-180 (.651).

STREAKING FROM THE STRIPE

When Marcus Banks missed his fifth free throw attempt of the game vs. Wyoming on Jan. 5, his streak of 22 consecutive made free throws came to an end. He was 9-of-10 from the line vs. Tennessee State, 11-of-11 vs. Old Dominion and 5-of-9 vs. Wyoming. Also, Dalron Johnson had a streak of 14 consecutive made free throws early in year.

EVERYONE SCORES THIS YEAR

Every Runnin' Rebel that has suited up for a game this season has scored at least three points.

FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE

Senior Chris Richardson recorded his first career double-double vs. Nevada, Reno with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

MORE DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Junior Dalron Johnson has recorded his 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th double-doubles of his career this year. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds at LMU, 19 points and 10 rebounds vs. Tennessee State, 19 points and 14 rebounds vs. Old Dominion and 25 points and 11 rebounds at New Mexico.

NICE FIRST HALF

It would be difficult to imagine Dalron Johnson having a better first half than he did against Nicholls State. Johnson was 8-of-9 from the field, 3-of-3 from 3-point range, had 19 points, 3 rebounds and an assist, a block and a turnover in 13 minutes of action. He ended up scoring a career-high 29 points for the game on 13-of-16 shooting including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He also tallied 5 rebounds in a total of 19 minutes.

MARGIN OF VICTORY

UNLV's 43-point victory over Nicholls State was its largest margin of victory since defeating Sacred Heart by 47, 103-56, on Nov. 14, 1998.

MWC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

This season, Dalron Johnson and Marcus Banks have been named the Mountain West Conference's Men's Basketball Player of the Week twice. Johnson was named POW on Dec. 17 and Feb. 18, while Banks was honored on Dec. 31 and Feb. 25.

UNLV WINS VS. MOUNTAIN WEST

The Runnin' Rebels have a .500-or-better record all-time against the other seven members of the conference. Air Force (14-1), BYU (7-6), Colorado State (15-5), New Mexico (11-9), San Diego State (23-5), Utah (11-10), Wyoming (13-10).

UNLV BOASTS BEST HOME RECORD IN MWC

Out of the eight Mountain West schools, UNLV has the best all-time winning percentage on its home court. UNLV is 255-44 (.853) at the Thomas & Mack Center. Utah is second at .824 (412-88).

HOLDEN LEAVES PROGRAM

Jamal Holden was granted a release from the UNLV men's basketball program on Dec. 18. Holden, a 6-10 center, who transferred to UNLV from Westark (Ark.) College prior to this season, had played in five games, averaging 8.0 minutes per game. He also averaged 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.

LEWIS WILL NOT PLAY THIS YEAR

Jermaine Lewis will sit out the remainder of the 2001-02 season and complete rehabilitation to return at full strength for the 2002-03 year. Lewis, a 6-4 guard from Houston, Texas, had surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in May. "We want to protect the integrity of the surgery," head coach Charlie Spoonhour said on January 9. "We want to give Jermaine the best chance to compete at 100 percent of his capabilities. He is progressing on a normal schedule for the surgery, which has a six-to-nine month complete healing period. To have him come back now would be premature." This season will count as Lewis' redshirt year and he will return to play for the 2002-03 season for his final year of eligibility.

RUNNIN' THE REBELS - CHARLIE SPOONHOUR

UNLV has a new head coach this year. Charlie Spoonhour became the 12th head coach in Runnin' Rebel history on March 29. He came to UNLV after spending two years out of coaching, but he didn't stray too far away from the game as he served in the media as an analyst on college basketball broadcasts. Prior to that he was the head coach at Saint Louis University for seven years. Before SLU, Spoonhour was head coach at Southwest Missouri State University for nine seasons. He has a 17-year Division I head coaching record of 336-180 (.651) and has led 11 teams to the postseason, including eight to the NCAA Tournament.

THE REST OF THE STAFF

UNLV also has three new assistant coaches. They are Deane Martin, Jay Spoonhour and Derek Thomas. UNLV has retained Dave Rice, who will serve this season as Director of Basketball Operations. Rice is in his ninth year on staff. Martin was most recently the associate head coach at Tennessee-Martin. Spoonhour (Charlie's son) was most recently head coach at Wabash Valley JC in Mt. Carmel, Ill., where he led the team to the junior college national championship with a record of 36-1 and was named the National Junior College Coach of the Year. Thomas was most recently with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.

EARLY SIGNINGS

J.K. Edwards and James Peters have both signed a national letter of intent to enroll at UNLV and play basketball for the Runnin' Rebels beginning with the 2002-03 season. Both players will enroll at UNLV as juniors. Edwards, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound center from Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College, averaged 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. He was selected as a first team All-America last year and played in the Tournament of the Americas in Argentina this past August (on the same team as current Runnin' Rebel Marcus Banks). Edwards chose UNLV over Wisconsin, Tennessee and Iowa State. Peters, a 6-8, 215-pound forward from Butler County (Kan.) Community College, averaged 14.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and shot 59 percent from the floor last season. The second-team All-Jayhawk Conference selection chose UNLV over Illinois, Michigan State and DePaul.

44 YEARS OF BASKETBALL

The 2001-02 year marks the 44th season of Runnin' Rebel basketball at UNLV. Since the program's inception in 1958-59, the Runnin' Rebels have posted an all-time record of 929-360 (.721). In 1969-70, UNLV made the move to Division I and has since posted a record of 742-256 (.744) while competing at that level. In addition, UNLV has an all-time mark of 894-337 (.726) against Division I competition.

"THREE-POINT GOAL ..."

Since the 3-point field goal was adopted by the NCAA in 1986-87, UNLV has converted at least one 3-pointer in all 501 games played. During that span, the Runnin' Rebels have made 3,271-of-9,056 (.361) shots from behind the arc. The Big West Conference experimented with the 3-point shot in the 1982-83, 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. During that period, UNLV connected from 3-point range in 53 of the 64 games (the 3-pointer was used in some non-conference games). The Runnin' Rebels sank 194-of-505 (.384) 3-point attempts during that time. The UNLV streak for games in which it sank at least one 3-point shot stands at 518. The last time the Runnin' Rebels failed to make at least one 3-pointer came against Long Beach State on Jan. 25, 1986. So, UNLV has sunk at least one shot from behind the arch in 554 of the 565 games in which the rule was used. In the 565 total games, the Runnin' Rebels have shot .363 from this distance while sinking 3,466-of-9,561 attempts. UNLV holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games scoring a 3-point field goal. Prior to the beginning of the 2001-02 season, Vanderbilt was No. 2 on the list, three behind UNLV.

NOTEWORTHY NOEL

For the first time, the UNLV men's basketball team has one of its players writing a weekly diary for UNLV's website UNLVRebels.com. Noel Bloom writes an entry each week and it is posted at http://unlvrebels.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/noel-diary-index.html. Just go to the men's basketball page at UNLVRebels.com and click on the Noteworthy Noel graphic on the right-hand side of the page. This feature on the web gives fans a look inside the team from a different perspective. Previous entries are archived for later viewing.

RUNNIN' REBELS ON THE AIR

All Runnin' Rebel games are carried live on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and on the internet at UNLVRebels.com. Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick are in their 10th season calling Runnin' Rebel basketball. Broadcasts start one-half hour prior to the beginning of each game with the pregame show and the postgame show features a live interview with head coach Charlie Spoonhour followed by fan call-ins. The broadcasts are also available inside the Thomas & Mack Center by tuning to 99.5 FM. The fan call-in number is (702) 876-8585.

UNLV SPORTS NETWORK

For the first time Runnin' Rebel games are being heard on a regional network of stations. ESPN Regional at UNLV and Lotus Broadcasting have teamed up with PV Radio and KZBZ Radio to help create the first-ever UNLV Sports Network, a seven station grouping that reaches across the state and into parts of Arizona, California and Utah. The stations are in Las Vegas (Network Flagship - 920 AM), Pahrump, Nev. (95.9 FM), Amargosa Valley, Nev. (96.7 FM), Beatty, Nev. (93.5 FM), Scotty's Junction, Nev. (94.3 FM), Death Valley, Calif. (91.1 FM) and Pioche, Nev. (98.9 FM - Lincoln County and most of Southern Utah).

COACH'S SHOWS

"Game Time with UNLV Hoops" television show is shown Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on Las Vegas One (cable channels 1 and 39) and on KLAS TV-8 at 11:30 p.m. The show is hosted by Chris Maathuis and features head coach Charlie Spoonhour.

"The Charlie Spoonhour Radio Show" may be heard live Tuesdays from the ESPN Zone at New York-New York Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The show airs from 7-8 p.m. on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and may be heard on the internet at UNLVRebels.com on an archived basis. It is hosted by Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick and features head coach Charlie Spoonhour.

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual game balcony tickets are priced at $15 and $12. Individual game seats on the plaza level for men's basketball will go on sale only 24 hours prior to each game. Those tickets are $25. Also on sale are Family Four Packs, which include 4 balcony level tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 popcorns, and 4 sodas, all for $56. Family Four Packs are only available for purchase at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office. Individual game tickets may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, at all Tickets.com locations, by calling Tickets.com at (888) 464-2468, and by logging onto UNLVRebels.com. For more ticket information, please call (702) 895-UNLV.

LUNCHEONS

UNLV Sports Marketing luncheons featuring Charlie Spoonhour are held at the Si Redd Room at the Thomas & Mack Center. The remaining luncheon is scheduled for March 5. The luncheon begins at noon and is $10 for the public. Media interested in attending should RSVP to Andy Grossman. For more information, please call (702) 895-UNLV.

REBELS ON TV

UNLV will appear on television at least 18 times this season. The Runnin' Rebels have been on or are scheduled to appear on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+plus, ABC, SportsWest and ESPN Regional at UNLV.

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

The 2001-02 Mountain West Conference Basketball Championship will be played Thursday-Saturday, March 7-9, at the Thomas & Mack Center. All eight teams will compete in the tournament with the champion receiving the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is the third year that the MWC Tournament will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center and the sixth straight year a conference tournament will be played at the TMC (The WAC held its championship at the TMC from 1997-99). Tickets may be purchased by calling (702) 895-UNLV.

MEDIA TEAMLINK AND INFO CONNECTION

UNLV's release, statistics and latest box score are all available on the internet through www.mediateamlink.com. Media members may view documents on the internet or have the information e-mailed to them the moment it is updated. The service is free to all accredited members of the media. The same information is available on Info Connection and may be obtained by calling (770) 558-6000 from a fax machine. Media members without a PIN should call (770) 399-0096 to obtain one. The MWC's passcode is 692#. The Runnin' Rebel release code is 1906, the stats code is 1908 and the previous game box code is 1909.