BIG SHOW IN OMAHA

Every college basketball player dreams of participating in the NCAA Tournament, and UNLV senior Curtis Terry is no different. But he is dreading one part of the experience.

When the 65-team bracket was unveiled Sunday, the Rebels were sent to Omaha, Neb., which does not rank as an attractive vacation destination.

"It might not be the most desirable place to go," Terry said, smiling.

At least Terry and his teammates won't be distracted by a desire to go sightseeing. The trip will be strictly business.

UNLV (26-7) was awarded the No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region and will play No. 9 Kent State (28-6) at about 11:55 a.m. PDT Thursday in a first-round game at the Qwest Center.

The Rebels earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by defeating Brigham Young 76-61 on Saturday to win the Mountain West Conference Tournament for the second straight year.

At a Sunday awards banquet at Cox Pavilion, UNLV's players and coaches were able to relax and wait for an opponent and site to be announced. Everyone left feeling good, even if going to Omaha was not on the wish list.

"I've never been there," junior guard Wink Adams said. "I'm just going to enjoy the trip. I just want to get in the tournament and play well."

Adams, named the Most Valuable Player of the conference tournament, added: "Everybody wanted to play in California."

In that respect, BYU got a slightly better draw. The Cougars were assigned the No. 8 seed in the West Region and will play Texas A&M on Thursday in Anaheim, Calif.

Rebels coach Lon Kruger is more concerned with his team's first-round opponent than he is taking a flight to Nebraska.

Kruger called UNLV's No. 8 seed "probably better than projected," and said he would begin scouting Kent State, which beat Akron 74-55 in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship on Saturday.

If the Rebels can get by the Golden Flashes, they likely would play top-seeded Kansas (31-3) in the second round.

"Obviously, you have an evenly matched first game, and then you've got a huge obstacle in the second one," Kruger said. "We expect it to be tough.

"The feelings of satisfaction for the guys and what they accomplished, it's a good day. The anticipation of preparation for the week is exciting. Not everyone is doing this."

Last March, the tournament draw resulted in UNLV being assigned a No. 7 seed and being sent to Chicago, where the Rebels defeated Georgia Tech in the first round and Wisconsin in the second round.

UNLV advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 16 years, but finished the season 30-7 after a loss to Oregon in St. Louis.

Terry, a backup on last year's team, is the point guard and a leader of the Rebels this time around. He had no complaints about the bracket.

"I thought it was fair. We didn't get a lot of big wins against big-time Top 25 teams this year," Terry said. "You obviously see Kansas there, but we've just got to worry about the first game."

Terry was joined by 11 family members at Sunday's banquet. "It's good to spend this time with friends and family so they can be a part of the experience with us," he said.

Kruger, in his fourth year as UNLV coach, also took teams at Kansas State, Florida and Illinois to the NCAA Tournament. He is a veteran of the postseason, so his positive feelings Sunday were mostly for his players.

The Rebels are planning to leave Tuesday for Omaha, where they will practice Wednesday.

"You want kids to have a good college experience, and these families are ecstatic," said Kruger, while greeting and shaking hands with his players' parents and fans.

"You're delighted to be playing. Now we've got to try to win a game or two."

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