Only four months ago, the UNLV men's basketball team looked as listless as its local fan support. On Nov. 17, the Rebels lost to lowly UC-Santa Barbara, 79-76, before about 8,000 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The memories of No. 1 rankings, Final Fours and sold-out home games faded a bit farther into the oblivion of the arena's empty upper bowl.
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Today, that loss is ancient history. And a city that seemed to have long outgrown the splendor of college sports is, for the first time in 16 years, alive with the unifying energy of March Madness.
On Sunday, the Rebels upset the Wisconsin Badgers, a Big 10 Conference power that was ranked No. 1 in the nation a few weeks back, to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Valley residents watched the thrilling 74-68 win together. They rocked area sports books with their cheers. And that night, hundreds of fans flocked to McCarran International Airport and the Thomas & Mack Center to welcome the team back from Chicago -- and back to the national spotlight.
The Rebels are the unlikely darlings of this college basketball showcase, the lowest-seeded team to survive the first two rounds of play. They have no All-Americans, no players who make the hearts of NBA scouts flutter. They have five seniors, bench players who take and make big shots and a game built around in-your-face defense.
On Monday, these once-anonymous Rebels topped ESPN broadcasts and were the lead story on the Sports pages of The New York Times and USA Today. By Friday night, when UNLV meets the Oregon Ducks in the Midwest Regional semifinals in St. Louis, fans across America will know about the toughness of Wendell White; about Gaston Essengue's basketball journey from Cameroon to Compton, Calif., to Las Vegas; and how an obscure, recently rescinded NCAA rule allowed guard Kevin Kruger to transfer from Arizona State, play immediately for his father, Rebel coach Lon Kruger, and help transform a Mountain West Conference afterthought into a 30-game winner.
Meanwhile, the buildup to Friday's game will give the Las Vegas Valley five full days to revel in unabashed boosterism following UNLV's biggest win since the 1991 Final Four season.
So much has changed since then. Sixteen years ago, the valley had a population of less than 800,000 people, traffic was bearable, beers on the Strip cost $1 and UNLV was a relatively small commuter campus. Eight Rebel head coaches later, 1.9 million people call the Las Vegas Valley home, the university has an enrollment approaching 30,000 and traffic are drink prices are ... well, we won't spoil the moment.
Although their season is still alive and well, these Rebels deserve the valley's congratulations and thanks for rekindling a love affair that was beyond estranged. In a city where nearly everyone is from somewhere else and roots for some other team, UNLV basketball is, at long last, bringing Las Vegans together again.
Regardless of how and when this March Madness ends, here's hoping the valley's newfound Rebel fever carries over to next season and the years ahead. A college basketball program can't sustain greatness without great fan support.
