Rebels draw Aztecs in Mountain West basketball opener

When the calendar turns to January, Dave Rice will get a shot to stop an ugly streak. It's not something he was a part of, but a streak he inherited as UNLV's first-year basketball coach.

The Mountain West Conference announced its 2011-12 schedule Wednesday, and the Rebels were sent on the road to open against their nemesis, San Diego State.

The Aztecs, who won all three meetings last season and have taken five straight in the series, will host UNLV on Jan. 14. It's the third time in four years the Rebels will open league play on the road.

Rice's first conference home game as UNLV coach is set for Jan. 18 against Texas Christian at the Thomas & Mack Center.

UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State figure to be the league's top contenders for the title. With the departures of Brigham Young (West Coast Conference) and Utah (Pac-12), the Mountain West becomes an eight-team conference by adding Boise State.

The Rebels host the Lobos at the Thomas & Mack on Jan. 21, four days before UNLV pays a visit to Boise State.

All of the Rebels' conference games will be televised, with seven on The Mtn., three on NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) and three on CBS Sports Network (formerly CBS College Sports). UNLV's date at New Mexico on Feb. 18 will be a split national TV game on CBS.

The Rebels close the conference season at home against Wyoming on March 3, followed by the league tournament at the Thomas & Mack.

Because of MWC realignment, UNLV will play 14 league games and 18 nonconference opponents. The Rice era officially begins when the Rebels host Grand Canyon, a Division II team from Phoenix, on Nov. 11.

The highlights of the nonconference schedule at the Thomas & Mack are games against UNR (Nov. 14, CBSN), Texas-El Paso (Dec. 14, The Mtn.) and California (Dec. 23, CBSN).

The Rebels' other nonconference opponents include Southern California, Wichita State, UC Santa Barbara, Wisconsin, Illinois and Hawaii.

Rice, hired April 11 after former coach Lon Kruger left for Oklahoma, inherits a team that finished 24-9 last season and returns four starters -- seniors Oscar Bellfield and Chace Stanback and juniors Anthony Marshall and Quintrell Thomas.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.