Rebels back at the Mack to host Santa Clara

After the extended rodeo break, the UNLV basketball team finally gets a chance to return to its home floor this evening when it hosts Santa Clara.

It will be the Rebels’ first game at the Thomas & Mack Center in two-and-a-half weeks. But there certainly won’t be as many spectators to greet them as the team may have hoped.

The weather is wreaking havoc on travel, and many fans will certainly choose to stay away.

Just minutes from tip-off, just a few thousand brave souls have decided the opportunity to watch this team attempt to win its ninth game of the season was worth the dangers associated with the journey to the arena.

My commute to the Mack had me pass by no fewer than four cars that had spun off the road. All of the drivers appeared to be OK, but it demonstrates how dangerous it can be to drive in bad weather.

The best part of the trip was actually the beginning. Spending ten minutes scraping piles of snow off the car in the driveway doesn’t sound like much fun, but when you have so few opportunities to do such a chore, it actually isn’t too bad.

Now, if it lasts more than a few days, that attitude will certainly change.

BRONCOS FEATURE STAR CENTER

Santa Clara might not be the biggest-name program in the West Coast Conference, but it features one of the league's best players.

While Gonzaga, St. Mary’s and San Diego get most of the headlines, Broncos center John Bryant has clearly established himself as the premier post player in the league.

Last season, he led the conference in rebounds and blocked shots, and finished second in scoring. This year, a slimmed down Bryant (now listed at 275 pounds) is averaging 18.4 points and 12 rebounds per contest. As always, the senior is very efficient offensively. He is making almost 62 percent of his shots.

He is still very large and a bit slow, but he will pose all kinds of problems for Darris Santee and Brice Massamba on the defensive end of the floor.

On the other hand, Santee should be able to take advantage of his obvious advantage in athleticism and do some damage away from the basket on the offensive end.