March 13, 2002

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's basketball team will travel to South Carolina for a second round National Invitation Tournament game on Tuesday, March 19 in Columbia, S.C. The game will start at 6 p.m. PST and will be shown live to a national audience on ESPN.

UNLV (21-10) defeated Arizona State 96-91 at the Thomas & Mack Center in the NIT's first round on Tuesday for its 13th win in its last 16 games and seventh of its last eight. The win gave the Runnin' Rebels their first postseason victory since 1997 when they won the first two games of the NIT, then lost at Arkansas in the quarterfinals.

South Carolina (19-14) advanced to the second round by defeating Virginia 74-67 in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday.

UNLV is 1-3 all-time against South Carolina. The series started in 1972 with USC winning the first three games. UNLV won the last meeting 73-56 on Nov. 25, 1985 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

UNLV is participating in its sixth NIT and has an all-time record of 7-6 in the tournament, turning in its best finish in 1980 when it advanced to the semifinals in New York. UNLV head coach Charlie Spoonhour has led four teams to the NIT, advancing furthest in 1985-86 with Southwest Missouri State making the quarterfinals.