Wednesday, March 5, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Bill Bayno has lived in Las Vegas long enough to know the importance of the number 21.
It's a make-or-break figure at the blackjack tables. And for his 20-8 UNLV basketball team, it's the make-or-break number for the Rebels getting a shot at the NCAA Tournament.
At least that's his perspective. A win Thursday over Tulsa in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals would put the Rebels at 21-8. From Bayno's point of view, that should be good enough to warrant serious consideration from the tournament selection committee.
But many observers believe it will take more than 21 for the Rebels to get a true look from the committee. That would mean winning Thursday's quarterfinal and again Friday in the semifinals.
"If we win Thursday, we deserve to be in there before anyone else below us," Bayno said of the current Rating Percentage Index poll, which had the Rebels at No. 54 prior to Tuesday's 71-61 win over Rice in the opening round of the WAC tourney at the Thomas & Mack Center.
"We have the fifth best (WAC) power rating. How are they going to hold two one-point losses to Hawaii against us?"
With Tuesday's win, the Rebels locked up an already-anticipated NIT berth and would likely host a first-round game. A win over the Golden Hurricane, which at 22-8 and with some quality wins on its docket is NCAA-bound, would definitely improve UNLV's NCAA tourney at-large chances.
But senior forward Warren Rosegreen said it's going to take a total team effort to defeat Tulsa.
"We need to be physical with those guys and I need to set the tempo," he said. "We've got to win the battle of the boards and play hard for 40 minutes.
"Our goal against Rice was to play a 40-minute ballgame and I think we did that. We didn't have any letdowns. And that's what it's going to take to beat Tulsa. They've got some great players and they've won some big games."
Senior Shea Seals has been leading the Golden Hurricane all season and has stepped it up down the stretch. In his last seven games, the 6-foot-5 swingman has averaged 26.6 points, and Tulsa has won three of its last four heading into Thursday's game. Only Utah has beaten Tulsa the last two weeks.
"We talked about when it got probably down to the last six games that you only have 5-4-3-2 and this is your last game," coach Steve Robinson said of Seals' strong finish.
"I think he's aware of that. He has developed a sense of urgency toward the way he's playing, knowing there's not a lot of tomorrows left."
But for Tulsa, it's more than making sure Seals finishes strong. The more the Golden Hurricane wins this week, the higher its NCAA seeding.
"They know this is not a vacation," Robinson said of his team's mind-set for the WAC Tournament. "This isn't a 'let's hang out in Vegas' type thing. We're going there for one thing and that's to try and win as many basketball games as we can.
"If they don't understand that, then they don't understand the commitment of playing on our basketball team."
UNLV's sense of urgency is probably greater than Tulsa's as far as the big picture goes. Yes, 20 wins is nice and Bayno is tickled with reaching that plateau, but even a win Thursday afternoon and a 21-8 mark doesn't guarantee anything.
"No, it doesn't," Bayno said. "But it certainly would help if we win Thursday."
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