The two-time defending WNBA champion Aces have the best players and the best coach, and they’ll fight through down moments to claim another title.
Basketball
Dedan Thomas Jr. was spectacular in an overtime loss to San Diego State in the Mountain West tournament, coming oh so close to sending the Rebels to the semifinals.
The Rebels deserved to lose after blowing leads at the end of regulation and in overtime in falling to Colorado State at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The NCAA Tournament — all 67 games — will be contested in Indiana, with most matchups spread out across the state’s capital city of Indianapolis.
The WNBA last year saw average attendance figures dip below 7,400 per game for the first time in its 22-year history. The Aces ranked ninth by averaging 5,208 and hope to improve on that number in their second season.
Here we are again — what, has it been 10 minutes, a season, three? — and UNLV’s basketball program is apparently at another crossroads with its coaching position.
The Rebels beat Air Force 81-73 and with it allowed UNLV to reach 30 wins over the short tenure of head coach Marvin Menzies.
The Warriors believe former UNLV player Patrick McCaw can be one of those two-way players teams continuously pursue, but his place on the league’s best team was born from this reality: He can really defend.
Most believe UNLV basketball coach Chris Beard will take the Texas Tech job. Why wouldn’t he? Why shouldn’t he? No one could have seen this coming.
In the narrative that is UNLV basketball, Stacey Augmon is royalty, the greatest player in program history not named Larry Johnson.
Eric Musselman went to his first football game at UNR a few weeks ago and saw the excitement and emotion and tension that is a rivalry with UNLV. The days and hours and minutes and seconds passed as kickoff grew closer, causing those who love and support the Wolf Pack and all that is blue to become more and more animated. He believes it can happen in basketball, too.
The future is always about three weeks in March, because fair or not, sensible or foolish, right or wrong, college basketball teams and those who coach them are ultimately judged on how they perform once the madness begins.
Think of the NBA and its perception of Las Vegas as the weekend tourist who only takes in the best sights, who catches a show and enjoys a wonderful meal and gambles just enough to experience the rush but not to the point of losing next month’s mortgage.
Dave Rice just concluded his fourth season as UNLV’s coach, his second straight without a postseason appearance, and it is no secret that his job is in jeopardy after an 18-15 season. Rice and athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy are expected to meet this week.
Youth is out the window now. Youth doesn’t dictate effort. First-graders can play hard all the time if they want, or at least if there is a special treat at snack time for those who look engaged. Chris Wood should take notice.
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