Rebels enjoy many highs since major low against Duke in 1991

Few outside of UNLV’s locker room expect the Rebels to give fifth-ranked Duke much of a game when the two storied basketball programs meet at 2:15 p.m. Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

Though both programs have gone in different directions since the Blue Devils upset UNLV 79-77 in the 1991 national semifinals, the Rebels still had more than their share of big-game moments.

UNLV has beaten some of the nation’s top teams in the years since, recording attention-grabbing victories under coaches from Jerry Tarkanian to Dave Rice.

So as excitement continues to build for Saturday’s game — all tickets are gone except standing room — this is a good time to revisit UNLV’s top 10 regular-season victories since that last Duke meeting.

The games are listed in chronological order.

Nov. 30, 1991: UNLV 76, Louisiana State 55. No. 9 LSU brought Shaquille O’Neal to the Thomas & Mack Center, but UNLV’s 7-foot center, Elmore Spencer, outplayed Shaq by totaling 20 points and 12 rebounds. O’Neal had 26 points and seven rebounds, but foul trouble in the second half limited his impact.

“They just whipped us in every part of the game,” LSU coach Dale Brown said. “They outhustled us, they outrebounded us. They beat us totally.”

UNLV would go on to finish 26-2 in Tarkanian’s final season and be ranked No. 7. The Rebels were barred from playing in the NCAA Tournament after reaching an agreement with the NCAA regarding rules violations.

Jan. 23, 1993: UNLV 96, Georgetown 80. Highlights were few under coach Rollie Massimino, but this was unquestionably the biggest. Before a sold-out crowd at the T&M, Isaiah Rider scored 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting as No. 15 UNLV blew past the 18th-ranked Hoyas.

“UNLV is back,” Rider said. “We’re back on TV, we’re winning, we’re running. People like to see that.”

The Rebels, though, would stumble down the stretch, losing four of their final six games, including in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament.

Feb. 12, 2005: UNLV 93, San Diego State 91 (overtime). The Rebels looked done, trailing by 10 points with 28.5 seconds remaining. But they took advantage of mistakes by the host school and rallied to force overtime on Curtis Terry’s 3-pointer at the buzzer, eventually pulling off the victory.

“From a basketball standpoint, San Diego State should never lose that game or any team in that position,” Terry said last year. “Ten points in 18 seconds shouldn’t happen. For us, it was almost like it was meant to be because everything fell into place perfectly.”

That game helped elevate the rivalry into the fiercest in the Mountain West.

Dec. 31, 2008: UNLV 56, Louisville 55. The Rebels had plenty to celebrate in going to No. 18 Louisville and winning on New Year’s Eve. Oscar Bellfield drove and tossed in a shot over Louisville’s Samardo Samuels high off the backboard with 16.8 seconds left to give UNLV the victory.

“I wanted to go right, (and) the big man came at me,” Bellfield said. “I had to duck under him and get it high off the board. I haven’t hit a last-second shot since middle school.”

Louisville went on to claim a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advance to the Elite Eight. UNLV, which was coming off a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament, made the NIT that season.

Nov. 28, 2009: UNLV 76, Louisville 71. UNLV made it back-to-back victories over the Cardinals, this time at home.

The Rebels made the game more interesting than they needed to, giving away a 19-point lead in the second half before Bellfield came through again. He scored eight consecutive points in a late three-minute span and finished with 17 points to help beat No. 16 Louisville.

“Oscar was amazing,” UNLV’s Derrick Jasper said. “I think he has Louisville’s number.”

Combined with a double-overtime 74-72 victory at Arizona four days later, the Rebels built a resume good enough to receive an at-large bid to the NCAAs.

Nov. 20, 2010: UNLV 68, Wisconsin 65. Clinging to a one-point lead, Justin Hawkins stole the ball for the Rebels and then made two free throws with 6.7 seconds left to defeat the No. 14 Badgers at the Thomas & Mack.

“I couldn’t believe (Wisconsin’s Mike Bruesewitz) threw a bounce pass in that situation,” Hawkins said. “I was sure they were going to lob it. But Derrick (Jasper) did a great job covering it. I just read the play and got my hands on the ball.”

The victory helped UNLV gain another at-large bid to the NCAAs.

Nov. 26, 2011: UNLV 90, North Carolina 80. The Tar Heels went to Orleans Arena as the nation’s top-ranked team, but the Rebels came away with the best victory of Rice’s career. In his first season on the job, Rice’s team improved to 7-0. Chace Stanback scored 28 points for UNLV.

“It’s a great thrill,” Stanback said. “We prepared really hard for this game, and it showed.”

The Rebels ended the season with a trip to the NCAAs.

Dec. 23, 2014: UNLV 71, Arizona 67. Two days before Christmas, UNLV gave itself the gift of knocking off the nation’s third-ranked team at the Thomas & Mack.

Chris Wood dominated inside with 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Rashad Vaughn scored 21.

“We didn’t have an answer for Wood and Vaughn,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “Those guys had 19 field goals. We’ve held teams to fewer field goals than 19.”

Despite the victory, the Rebels didn’t make the postseason.

Nov. 25, 2015: UNLV 72, Indiana 69. The Rebels found paradise and a major victory in the Maui Invitational by defeating the No. 13 Hoosiers.

Patrick McCaw led UNLV with 20 points, and Ike Nwamu and Ben Carter each scored 16.

“It’s huge,” Nwamu said. “We knew what our goals are at the beginning of the year. To be able to play well against a good ranked opponent, it speaks volumes.”

Dec. 4, 2015: UNLV 80, Oregon 69. The Rebels beat a ranked opponent for the second time in 10 days, this time topping the 16th-ranked Ducks at the MGM Grand Garden.

Nwamu came through again, making five 3-pointers and scoring 19 points.

“We got off to a fantastic start,” Rice said. “Ike got us going. The maturity level Ike brings is huge. One of the best things he does is score the basketball.”

That would be the last major high point for Rice, who was fired three games into Mountain West play. The Rebels did not make a postseason tournament.

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.