Ladies & Gentleman...for my final Bracket Busters selection...may I please introduce to you...the UNLV Runnin' Rebels!!!I know I come across as a bandwagon jumper by picking UNLV here. My master plan was to have BYU win the Mountain West Conference, then select UNLV as my 5th and final Bracket Buster. If that scenario had played out...I would have successfully chosen a Conference Champion (which would have helped my stats) and been able to select UNLV for this column while they were under the radar (which would have helped my cred). But that dream scenario didn't quite happen, so here I am, choosing the Mountain West Champs, UNLV. I still like this pick. I couldn't go with BYU here as they have been nationally ranked for awhile and didn't have the feel of a successful sleeper team. UNLV has been trying their best for a decade to move beyond the successful, but controversial, Jerry Tarkanian era...where controversy and scandal were just as common as winning Conference Championships. (gotta love the towel chewing though) The Runnin' Rebels won the MWC last year and made a nice splash in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the sweet sixteen after upsetting #2 seed Wisconsin. Nobody has been talking about this UNLV team as a threat in the tournament (until today's game - damn!), which is one of the reasons why I like them to win a game or two next weekend. Here are a few other reasons why I've selected UNLV as my fifth and final Bracket Buster team:
- The Runnin' Rebels beat BYU twice over the course of the year and they also have a win over San Diego (both NCAA tournament teams).
- UNLV has a RPI of 24 after their MWC Championship. That's pretty darn good, and better than teams such as Notre Dame, USC, Purdue, and Virginia Tech. The fact that the Mountain West has a conference RPI of 9, helps the Rebels cause here.
- Going along with my last bullet point, if UNLV is actually as good as their #24 RPI, then they are probably going to get grossly mis-seeded as an 8, 9, or 10 seed. I like their chances against any team they would play in those circumstances. My point of listing these Bracket Busters was to pick teams (that don't get a lot of hype) that I liked to get a win or two in the NCAA Tournament. I think UNLV is going to be put in a great position to win at least one game. Because you're going to take the team with a top 25 RPI (UNLV) over a team with an RPI in the high 30's or 40's (Kansas State, Mississippi State, etc.) every single time, regardless of their seeding. I'm just trying to help you play the odds here people.
- You have to love any team where the mascot's name includes the letter 'N' followed by an apostrophe. UNLV doesn't have any place in their program for the letter 'G'!
- Head coach Lon Kruger deserves a ton of credit for the turn-around at UNLV. Last year's NCAA Tournament appearance was the team's first since 2000, and their first Tournament WIN in 15 years. He's done a great job of changing the culture of that basketball program. UNLV has now back-to-back MWC Tournaments and is looking for back-to-back sweet sixteen appearances.
- It's time for the final edition of America's favorite running segment! Notable UNLV alumni include: Ronnie Vannucci (drummer for The Killers), Kenny Mayne (ESPN anchor and personality), William Macbeth (President of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino), John Ensign (current Nevada Senator), Ickey Woods (former NFL player), Randall Cunningham (former NFL player), Adam Scott (PGA golfer), Cecil Fielder (former MLB player), and Shelley Berkley (current congressional rep. for Nevada's 1st district).
I've now chosen my five Bracket Buster teams: UMBC, Drake, Kent State, South Alabama, and UNLV. I have a very good chance of all five teams making the NCAA Tournament, with only South Alabama needing an at-large bid. I'll be keeping track of how these teams fair during the Big Dance. I would not be surprised if two or even three of these teams reach the sweet-sixteen. Happy Busting.
