UNLV Bows Out of MWC Tourney with San Diego State Loss, and Future is Unsettled for Once Proud Hoops Program in Crowded Las Vegas Sports Market
By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
LVSportsBiz.com photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
UNLV’s basketball season limped to a finish Thursday afternoon at the Mountain West Conference tourney, as the Runnin’ Rebels registered only 55 points and left Las Vegas wondering about the basketball program’s future in a very competitive sports market.
UNLV basketball was the gold standard of Las Vegas sports, but those days are long gone. San Diego State, with a decent contingent of fans from Southern California, defeated UNLV, 63-55. UNLV had an 11-7 conference mark, but produced no significant victories during a down year for the Mountain West Conference. UNLV shot 32 percent from the field against a gritty San Diego State team. But San Diego State shot less than 30 percent — yet still won by eight points.
“My thoughts? Let’s see,” Menzies started his postgame comments. “We’re very disappointed as a team, as a staff, as a basketball program.”
While UNLV bows out of the MWC tourney, fourth-seeded San Diego plays top-seeded Nevada, Reno Friday.
San Diego State fans typically travel well to Las Vegas and they enjoyed watching their Aztecs basketball squad win the conference championship in the UNLV home arena last season. So, the UNLV home court was hardly an advantage for the Runnin’ Rebels at a tournament based in Thomas & Mack Center.
The UNLV basketball program faces some difficult issues. The Runnin’ Rebels used to pack The Mack, but there were plenty of open red seats at Thomas & Mack Center this past season. San Diego State’s fans will be back in force at Thomas & Mack Center Friday for a tip-off against nationally-ranked Nevada Wolfpack.
UNLV hoops are also running straight into a more competitive sports market in Las Vegas, which has an NHL team, a WNBA club and a United Soccer League squad all in their second seasons. Plus, the Triple-A baseball team has a new ballpark, which will be a major attraction — and the NFL Raiders are arriving in 2020 when a new domed stadium opens. (UNLV’s football team will play in that new stadium, too.)
Typically, university basketball programs can count on students to fill a healthy chunk of seats in their home arena. But UNLV’s students were not a major attendance factor at home games this season, and it looked like there were 4,000-5,000 people for UNLV basketball games this 2018-19 season for an arena that used to draw 15,000 for UNLV basketball games.
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