Rebels to decline postseason invitation

After weighing the pros and cons of extending UNLV’s basketball season, coach Dave Rice and athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy cut it short Friday.

The Rebels, who finished 18-15 after getting eliminated by San Diego State in a Mountain West tournament quarterfinal Thursday, will remain home for the postseason for the second consecutive March.

UNLV officials explored the idea of accepting a bid to the 16-team College Basketball Invitational, but Rice said there were “too many obstacles” in the way.

“I think the consensus was it’s going to be too difficult,” Rice said.

The Thomas & Mack Center and Orleans Arena are unavailable next week, and Kunzer-Murphy said she refused to consider Cox Pavilion as an option. So the Rebels would have been forced to play on the road.

Rice said several of his players were dealing with minor injuries at the end of a long season, and with only seven scholarship players available, continuing the season did not make sense.

“Dave and I talked about it,” Kunzer-Murphy said. “We came to that agreement together. Is postseason play important to us? Absolutely.

“It’s just not the right timing for us, and everybody can read into that what they want.”

Last spring, Rice received a two-year contract extension through the 2018-19 season, but his job security is in question. He and Kunzer-Murphy are scheduled to meet early next week, and Rice said he will explain his big-picture plan for the program.

“I want to further articulate my vision and talk about how bright I think our future is,” Rice said.

The Rebels reached the NCAA Tournament in Rice’s first two years. After a 20-13 finish in 2013-14, he signed one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. He has another promising recruiting class lined up and five freshmen as building blocks.

Rice said he plans to hold himself to a “high standard” next season.

Kunzer-Murphy indicated the results need to show immediately.

“I don’t think anybody can be happy,” Kunzer-Murphy said. “I love our players. I love UNLV basketball, and UNLV basketball should be the biggest thing in the state of Nevada. We need to figure out how to get there.

“This job is something I take very seriously. I need to do what’s best for UNLV.”

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.