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Dave Rice
Week off gives UNLV time to refocus
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Andy Carpenean/The Associated Press
UNLV's Justin Hawkins (31) dribbles while eyeing Wyoming defender Luke Martinez during Saturday's game at Laramie, Wyo. UNLV lost 68-66 and will look to bounce back Saturday against San Diego State.
Updated: Feb. 9, 2012 | 8:33 a.m.
This has been an important week of practice for us. A week in between games has come at a good time.
We continue to be pleased with the overall progress of our team, but we were disappointed with Saturday's loss at Wyoming. Certainly we need to give Wyoming a lot of credit for its preparation, but we were disappointed that we didn't bring a greater sense of urgency to the game on the defensive end. It will be something that we will learn from, and we will do better the next time out.
This is also an important week of preparation with the San Diego State rematch at 1 p.m. Saturday. We are excited about the fan support that we have had at the Thomas & Mack Center this season, and Saturday will be one of the best crowds of the year. Our staff and players have a lot of respect for San Diego State and its program, so we are looking forward to a great opportunity to play them at the Thomas & Mack.
Saturday also will be a great day for Runnin' Rebel tradition. The 1987 Final Four team will be honored at halftime. It will be terrific to see a number of those players and the support staff that made it such a special team. I can remember watching them play, and it certainly is one of the great Runnin' Rebel teams of all time. That team finished 37-2 and really epitomized Runnin' Rebel basketball in terms of success and style of play.
I know that the late Armon Gilliam would have loved to have been here for the 25th anniversary celebration of that team, but he will be represented by a number of family members. Armon is one of the great Runnin' Rebels in history, and what made him so special was not just that he was a fabulous player, but that he was an even better person. What he represented will continue to live on in our program.
We are fortunate to have been selected as one of four college basketball programs that CBS is featuring this March around the NCAA Tournament. They have a camera crew here all week, and we have granted them the opportunity to do an inside, all-access look at our program. We are very proud of the players that we have and the tremendous support staff that makes it all work. As part of their visit, they will be at my radio show, which takes place at 7 tonight at the Bourbon Street Lounge inside the Orleans. The show is open to the public, and we hope to see many Runnin' Rebel fans there.
Again, thanks so much to our great fans for all of their support. We need all of you there Saturday when we take on the Aztecs.
UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice writes a weekly column for Rebels Report.
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That game against Wyoming was one of his best (and that's saying something) but to me, his all time best was against Indiana in the Final Four; just awesome.
The Hammer will be missed at Saturday's game. Saw him play in Seattle against Wyoming and then Iowa in the game that sent them to the Final Four that year. May your shots always fall and the ref never whistle you...