The Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV were not expected to be here …here meaning in the NCAA Tournament, much less in the Midwest Regional semifinals or as pundits and fans call it, “The Sweet-16.” But just like it was back in the 80’s and early 90’s when Jerry “Tark the Shark” Tarkanian chewed his towel through numerous NCAA appearances, the Runnin’ Rebels are back. Tonight Lon Kruger's UNLV Rebels and the Oregon Ducks square off in a Midwest Regional semifinal game from the Edward Jones Dome in Saint Louis, Mo., with the winner advancing to play the winner of the Georgetown/Vanderbilt matchup in the other semi-final game played earlier. Tip-off will be at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET or thirty minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
Oregon is the favorite according to oddsmakers installing it with a -3.0-point chalk (140.5 total) at most offshore sportsbooks. Oregon has won eight straight games including the Pac-10 Tournament in Los Angeles on March 10 with an 81-57 win over USC. The Ducks defeated Miami (Ohio) in the NCAA Tournament’s first round 58-56 and then beat Winthrop 75-61 in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16.
Oregon has five players averaging in double figures and is led by senior guard Aaron
Brooks with 17.8 points per game average. Junior center Maarty Leunen leads the team in rebounding with 8.3 boards per game. Oregon head coach Ernie Kent is in his 10th season at the school with a record of 192-119 and he is in his 16th year overall as a head coach with a career mark of 282-19.
UNLV has won nine straight games after its 74-68 win over No. 2 seed Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at the United Center in Chicago. The Runnin’ Rebels beat No. 10 seed Georgia Tech 67-63 last Friday in the first round. UNLV is 11-1 in its last 12 games and has won 16 of its last 18 overall. UNLV’s win in the first round of the tournament marked the first for the Runnin’ Rebels since 1991 and their trip to the Sweet 16 is also the first for the program in 16 years.
Point-Spreads.com pick: Oregon -3.0
