UNLV out of basketball rankings again, but New Mexico and SDSU grab spot in polls

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Monday, Jan. 28, 2013 | 10:40 a.m.

The UNLV basketball team didn’t crack the top 25 for a second consecutive week in either major poll, but Mountain West Conference foes New Mexico and San Diego State each are ranked.

Despite winning their lone game last week, a 62-50 victory against Wyoming, the Rebels (16-4, 3-2 Mountain West) didn’t do enough to regain a spot in the rankings, which are released each Monday. The Rebels fell into the ‘others receiving votes’ category in both the Associated Press rankings and in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.

UNLV would be No. 27 on each list, picking up 56 votes from the 65-member voting panel in the AP poll, which was 160 points behind No. 25 Marquette. In the Coaches’ Poll, the Rebels received 32 votes, and No. 25 Marquette had 75.

League-leading New Mexico (17-3), despite scoring just 34 points Saturday in a loss at San Diego State, is the Mountain West’s highest ranked team at No. 20. San Diego State is No. 22. SDSU was ranked in the same spot in the Coaches’ Poll.

Michigan moved to No. 1 in the AP poll after previous No. 1 Duke lost last week at Miami. Michigan received 51 first-place votes; No. 2 Kansas picked up 13 first-place votes; and No. 4 Florida received one first-place vote. Duke fell to No. 5, Indiana is No. 3 and Oregon, which beat UNLV earlier in the season, cracked the top 10 at No. 10.

UNLV had been ranked in at least one of the two polls every week since the preseason rankings in October until last week. The Rebels host UNR at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center and hit the road for a Saturday game at Boise State.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.