march madness vegas

Thu, Mar 20, 2008 (2:04 a.m.)
UNLV men’s basketball coach Lon Kruger was supposed to be rebuilding this year. The squad that made it to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 last year was heavy with seniors, and prospects for this year were further diminished after three players, including the team’s center, were dismissed for breaking team rules.
The only rebuilding Kruger did, though, was restoring UNLV’s reputation as a basketball power.
On Saturday the Rebels won their second straight Mountain West Conference title with a come-from-behind victory over Brigham Young University, which was ranked No. 24 in the nation. With the win, the Rebels (26-7 overall) earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament and will play Kent State today in Omaha, Neb.
The two titles are far from a fluke. Kruger came to UNLV four years ago with a reputation for building solid teams and he has proved himself again, especially this year. Las Vegas is starting to consistently experience excitement about the program that hasn’t been seen since the team’s heyday under Jerry Tarkanian.
As the Las Vegas Sun’s Ron Kantowski recently noted, even former UNLV and NBA star Larry Johnson has returned to the Thomas & Mack Center, ending his long estrangement because of bitterness over Tarkanian’s ouster in 1992.
No matter what happens in the tournament, it is clear that the basketball program under Kruger is building a strong foundation. Kruger says he intends to stay at UNLV. After so many years of mediocrity and a continual churn of head coaches in the men’s basketball program, we hope he does.
When the Rebels do well, it brings Las Vegans together, adding to the sense of community here. And besides, it’s just a lot of fun.
Go Rebels!