Alford lobbies hard for Lobos

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- In a year of political campaigning, New Mexico coach Steve Alford is getting in the spirit.

Alford wants to see a change in the way the Mountain West Conference handles its basketball tournament, and he spoke passionately on the subject Monday.

He also lobbied for Lobos senior guard J.R. Giddens to be voted the conference's player of the year.

On both points, Alford's agenda opposes the best interests of UNLV. And now, the Rebels get their chance to respond.

With both teams' NCAA Tournament credentials up for debate, second-place UNLV (22-6, 11-3 MWC) visits third-place New Mexico (22-7, 9-5) at 6 p.m. today at The Pit.

"UNLV is a very good basketball team ... a team that smacked us pretty good in Vegas and had us down 30 points," Alford said, referring to the Rebels' 79-60 victory over the Lobos on Feb. 2.

Junior guard Wink Adams, UNLV's candidate for player of the year, outscored Giddens 24-13 in the first game.

The teams might meet a third time in the Mountain West tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. The prospect of that upsets Alford, who said the Rebels should not "get home games" when the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament is on the line.

"I think it's very, very important for our league to really look closely at what we're doing with our league tournament," Alford said. "The league tournament needs to be at a neutral site. Right now, it's not fair to the other eight teams in our league."

UNLV coach Lon Kruger was not sympathetic to Alford's argument.

"It's kind of a moot point," Kruger said. "The tournament is going to be (in Las Vegas) for the next three or four years, and then we'll decide where it's going to go after that."

Kruger said a venue in Las Vegas other than the Thomas & Mack might be an "ideal scenario." But the Mountain West's four-year contract with the Thomas & Mack is through 2010 with a two-year option.

"I think everyone recognizes that Las Vegas is a place people want to go to and watch games," Kruger said.

The numbers support Kruger's statement. In 2006, when the tournament was held at the Pepsi Center in Denver, the five-session attendance total was 37,293. Last year in Las Vegas, the tournament drew a total attendance of 54,921.

The Rebels will enter a hostile environment tonight at The Pit, where a sellout crowd of 18,018 is anticipated.

In a highly entertaining game last year in Albuquerque, UNLV beat New Mexico 85-83 despite a 28-point performance from Giddens.

"A lot of focus is on Giddens because he's the one who gets their team going," Adams said. "We've got to have our emphasis on him, and try to make somebody else score."

The 6-foot-5-inch Giddens is projected as a first-round NBA Draft pick. The Rebels made him look ordinary in early February by using full-court pressure and half-court traps to take the Lobos out of their offense.

Corey Bailey, a 6-5 senior forward, will be UNLV's primary defender on Giddens, but Bailey will get some help.

"Corey is always ready to guard the best player on the other team. We're probably going to send a double team at Giddens," Rebels junior guard Rene Rougeau said.

"We're definitely looking forward to shutting him down. If we shut him down, I feel we'll get a win. We definitely can't let him drop 30 on us."

Giddens is averaging 15.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. In conference play, his scoring average is 18.8 ppg.

Giddens and backup guard Jamaal Smith, a graduate of Foothill High School and the son of former UNLV star Robert Smith, will be honored on Senior Night.

It's almost a must-win game for New Mexico. A loss could force the Lobos to win the conference tournament in Las Vegas, and Alford apparently does not like his team's chances of doing that.

"They're trying to get to the NCAA Tournament, and they think this is a win that could push them there," Rebels senior Curtis Terry said. "We've got to be composed early and stay in control of the game."

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