March 12, 2007
LAS VEGAS - Fresh from a seven-game winning streak that included winning the Mountain West Conference tournament championship, the UNLV men's basketball team made a big move up the national rankings this week.
The Runnin' Rebels (28-6) jumped seven spots to 18th in the USA TODAY/ESPN coaches' poll, which was released late Sunday, and improved from 25th to 19th in the Associated Press media poll, which was announced on Monday.
It marks the highest the school has been ranked in the AP poll since also standing 19th on March 8, 1993.
UNLV, which finished the season with a 19-1 record at the Thomas & Mack, including a 17-game winning streak to end the year, will play Georgia Tech at Chicago's United Center in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:25 a.m. PDT on CBS-TV.
The MWC continued to have two ranked teams as BYU fell only one spot to 24th (AP) and remained 23rd in the coaches' poll after losing to UNLV in Saturday's conference title game.
ASSOCIATED PRESS MEDIA POLL
PL SCHOOL (1st Place Votes) RECORD POINTS
1. Ohio State (71) 30-3 17992. Kansas (1) 30-4 17183. Florida 29-5 16254. North Carolina 28-6 15265. Memphis 30-3 14916. Wisconsin 29-5 1407. UCLA 26-5 13948. Georgetown 26-6 13789. Texas A&M 25-6 117310. Oregon 26-7 104411. Texas 24-9 104212. Pittsburgh 27-7 101813. Washington State 25-7 86814. Southern Illinois 27-6 86015. Nevada 28-4 82016. Louisville 23-9 75617. Notre Dame 24-7 52218. Maryland 24-8 48419. UNLV 28-6 48320. Marquette 24-9 40321. Butler 27-6 32622. Winthrop 28-4 24523. USC 23-11 16824. Brigham Young 25-8 16225. Tennessee 22-10 134
USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES' POLL
1. Ohio State (30) 30-3 7732. Kansas (1) 30-4 7333. Florida 29-5 6944. North Carolina 28-6 6515. Memphis 30-3 6396. UCLA 26-5 6067. Wisconsin 29-5 6018. Georgetown 26-6 5989. Texas A&M 25-6 50810. Pittsburgh 27-7 45111. Texas 24-9 44212. Oregon 26-7 42413. Nevada 28-4 36813. Washington State 25-7 36815. Southern Illinois 27-6 35016. Louisville 23-9 29217. Notre Dame 24-7 26618. UNLV 28-6 17619. Butler 27-6 16720. Marquette 24-9 16021. Winthrop 28-4 14422. Maryland 24-8 11723. Brigham Young 25-8 9624. Creighton 22-10 8025. USC 23-11 79
