Friday, March 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Let the guessing games begin.
NCAA or NIT? Two NIT home games or three? Wednesday or Thursday? A Pac-10 opponent or someone from the Big West? Or a rematch with a Western Athletic Conference foe like Fresno State or Colorado State?
There will be all sorts of speculation between now and Sunday afternoon when the NCAA Tournament field is announced and the NIT puts its 32-team field together shortly thereafter. But one thing is for sure -- UNLV's basketball season has been extended at least one more week.
"We'll be here in front of the TV on Selection Sunday," said Rebels coach Bill Bayno after his team was ousted from the WAC Tournament Thursday by Tulsa, 68-65. "We're still on the bubble. We're fighting for that last spot."
At 20-9, it's debatable whether UNLV is indeed on the NCAA bubble. Losing to Tulsa, which has a Rating Percentage Index of 22, won't hurt the Rebels, whose RPI this week was 54. Nor did it hurt UNLV that Fresno State was routed by Texas Christian, dropping Jerry Tarkanian's embattled team to 20-11. Or the fact Hawaii got beat by New Mexico in Thursday's quarterfinal nightcap to fall to 20-7.
"TCU's win should not help their RPI," Bayno said of the Horned Frogs, who were at 58. "I think with Hawaii losing, we have a legitimate chance to get in."
Then Bayno hedged his bet.
"I saw Big East games on TV this morning. Syracuse is a 61 in the RPI and they lost," he said. "But (Dick) Vitale was pumping them to get in. We had a 54 and we lost on the last play of the game. I don't think the WAC will get the same respect as the Big East. I don't have a good feeling about it."
Realistically, UNLV's chances are virtually nil. Many believed the Rebels needed at least 21 wins to merit serious consideration from the NCAA selection committee, which is sequestered in a Kansas City hotel, sifting through the various teams that are trying to stake a claim to 37 at-large bids.
"If we got all the breaks in the world, maybe," said athletic director Charles Cavagnaro of UNLV's chances of going to the Big Dance. "But realistically, no. I thought all along we'd need 21 wins and the last time I checked, we had 20."
Bayno's players also were resigning themselves to playing in the NIT next Wednesday.
"We wanted to get to the Big Dance," said senior guard Damian Smith. "I thought we have a good enough record that we should be there. But it's out of our hands.
"But anything's an accomplishment. Nobody thought we'd get this far."
Senior forward Tony Lane said: "I'm just glad we're playing somewhere. We'll watch the show and I hope we get in. But if we don't, we'll just try to win the NIT."
Senior guard Kevin James said: "Nobody's ready to stop playing. We want to keep it going. "Last year, we were 10-16 and we didn't even go to the (Big West) conference tournament. This year, we've got 20 wins and I think we've done pretty well."
UNLV is expected to host the first round Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack. As far as possible opponents, Oregon, Washington, Santa Clara, Pacific, Nevada-Reno and yes, Fresno State, have been mentioned.
But Cavagnaro said any speculation regarding UNLV's NIT opponent is premature.
"We've had no discussions with the NIT about possible opponents," he said. "Anyone who says they know who we're going to play ain't telling the truth.
"We'll see what shakes out Sunday and that's when we'll know."
Regardless of what happens Sunday, Bayno's not disappointed with his team's performance to date. Considering the Rebels were 10-16 a year ago, 20-9 looks awfully good.
"I'm really proud of my guys," he said. "They've battled all year and we've been playing with eight guys. They've never given up. They've never stopped trying and I think you saw that today against Tulsa.
"The sign of a good team, a great team is they're playing their best ball at the end of the season. We've played very well down the stretch and this is a good team."
Hoop du jour
* SPECIAL TIME FOR GAME TIME: "Game Time with UNLV Hoops," coach Bill Bayno's weekly TV show, will air at a special time Sunday. The show will be televised at 3 p.m. on KLAS Channel 8 and will lead into CBS' coverage of the NCAA Tournament Selection Show.
* REST TIME: Bayno said the team will take today off, hit the weight room Saturday, practice Sunday, then watch the NCAA selection show. Once the Rebels know their NCAA or NIT fate, they'll prepare for whatever awaits. "I think we all can use a day or two to rest up and re-energize," said Bayno, who will use the next couple of days to catch up with recruiting. "We've been going pretty hard and it's a good time for a break." ... Warren Rosegreen said his sprained right ankle held up fine but he'll continue to take treatment for the ankle and make sure he's ready to go for next week. Everyone else came out of the Tulsa game in good shape.
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