Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008 | 11:01 a.m.
Fourth-year UNLV basketball coach Lon Kruger has a perfect situation Saturday to show why he's worth the raise, to $5.2 million for five seasons, he received last spring.
He earned that after guiding the Rebels to their first appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament since 1991.
Wednesday's defeat in Utah was coming. A 7-footer, Luke Nevill, keyed an interior game that took advantage of a short UNLV squad that must rely on being pesky, trapping the ball and sinking 3-point shots.
Still, the Rebels are 17-5 with a Mountain West Conference-best Rating Percentage Index, one of the factors used by the NCAA tournament selection committee, of 34. Barring a collapse, a return to the NCAAs looks likely.
Don't look for them to fold Saturday afternoon, against Colorado State at the Thomas & Mack Center. Since Kruger's been almost entirely responsible for the UNLV roster, the past two seasons, the Rebels are 8-1 in games following defeats.
That bounce-back ability is a solid gauge of the mettle of a team.
Especially its coach.
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