93-582: The Pit is an indoor arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico , serving primarily as the home venue of the University of New Mexico Lobos basketball teams. The facility opened in 1966 as University Arena but gained the nickname "The Pit" due to its innovative subterranean design, with its playing floor 37 feet (11 m) below street level. The arena is located on the UNM South Campus and has
186-408: A seating capacity of 15,411 for basketball and up to 13,480 for concerts , with 40 luxury suites and 365 club seats. The Pit has frequently hosted NCAA basketball tournament games, including the 1983 Final Four , which featured North Carolina State's upset win over Houston . Before construction of The Pit, Lobo basketball teams played at Johnson Gymnasium , a 7,800-seat multi-purpose gym on
279-523: A 131–101 thrashing in the regional final. The win set up a semi-final match with Georgia Tech at McNichols Arena in Denver . Trailing by seven at the half, UNLV rallied for an 89–80 triumph and a date in the championship. The 1990 NCAA Championship was all UNLV as an 18–0 run midway through the second half sent Duke reeling as the Rebels ran up the most lopsided victory in championship history, 103–73. Hunt
372-557: A 3–pointer with under 3 seconds to go by the Panthers. With all 5 starters back from the 2009–10 season, UNLV entered the 2010–11 season with high expectations. Initially, the Rebels lived up to the hype, starting the year 10–0 and was ranked No. 19 in the polls. However, the team lost their next two games, including one at home and dropped out of the rankings. Although they later went on to upset No. 11 Kansas State in Kansas City,
465-475: A 509–105 record in his 19 seasons, including leading UNLV to 11 conference championships, 12 NCAA tournament berths, and a national title in 1990. Banners hang in the arena rafters all around the arena that honor former Runnin' Rebel greats (including Greg Anthony , Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson ), regular season and conference tournament championships, appearances in NCAA and NIT tournaments, advancements to
558-672: A 7–3 record in games at The Pit in 1999–2001 and 2010. In 2001 they reached the WNIT championship game, played at The Pit, losing to Ohio State. The Lobos women have been in the top 10 nationally in average attendance since 1998–99. They have sold out The Pit nine times in that period, filling the arena five times to its former regular season capacity of 18,018. Four times they sold out NCAA tournament games with capacity over 16,000. In 2002–03, UNM ranked fourth nationally, averaging 11,896 per game, their best season total, and they averaged over 8,000 fans per game during Flanagan's tenure. The Pit hosted
651-501: A Rebel was picked No. 1 overall since 1991. Despite losing Bennett, as well as two other starters, including one who left the program, the Runnin' Rebels were picked to finish in third in 2013–14 in a highly competitive conference. However, the team did not get onto a good start and lost to UC Santa Barbara , which finished 11–20 in one of the worst conferences in the country the previous season, by 21. After losing back to back home games,
744-595: A big scare in the regional final when they were forced to overcome an 18-point deficit against a scrappy Iowa squad. The 84–81 triumph earned UNLV a spot in the Final Four at the Superdome in New Orleans . Banks shined in the semi-final matchup with Indiana , connecting on a tournament–record 10 3–pointers, but it was not enough as the Rebels fell to the eventual champions, 97–93. The loss ended UNLV's season with
837-785: A buzzer beater. They are 3–1 all time at the arena. They played no games at the Arena during the 2019–20 season. Before moving to the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena , UNLV previously used the Orleans Arena as a "home" court when the Thomas and Mack wasn't available due to the National Finals Rodeo. UNLV pulled off a notable upset win here against the No. 1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in front of
930-601: A head coach. Beard was Sun Belt Coach of the Year in 2015–16, and led the Trojans to a victory in the 2016 NCAA tournament over Purdue . Nineteen days later, Beard left UNLV to accept the head coaching position at Texas Tech. After Chris Beard's sudden departure, UNLV agreed to hire 2015 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and former New Mexico State head basketball coach, Marvin Menzies . In Menzies first season
1023-507: A larger arena began to take shape. University administrators wanted a much larger facility while providing fans an unobstructed view from any seat. A suitably large building would normally require support columns, however, leading chief architect Joe Boehning to incorporate a roof designed by the Behlen company, a "stress skin system" made of light gauge metal supported by a series of trusses. The 338-by-300-foot (103 m × 91 m) roof
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#17327946225351116-544: A little–known assistant at rival BYU. Rice played for the Rebels when they won the 1990 national title, and promised to bring back the up–tempo offense that was a trademark of the team prior to Kruger's hiring. On November 26, 2011, the Rebels upset No. 1 North Carolina at the Orleans Arena in the Las Vegas Invitational , 90–80 to start their season 7–0. It was their third consecutive 7–0 start to
1209-528: A multitude of spectators. The word derives from Latin harena , a particularly fine-grained sand that covered the floor of ancient arenas such as the Colosseum in Rome , Italy, to absorb blood. The term arena is sometimes used as a synonym for a very large venue such as Pasadena's Rose Bowl , but such a facility is typically called a stadium . The use of one term over the other has mostly to do with
1302-539: A poor start to the 2005–06 season that ultimately finished a respectable 17–13 and a loss in the conference tournament semifinals. Despite being picked to come in sixth in the Mountain West, UNLV started the 2006–07 season 3–0 led by future NBA player Joel Anthony and Lon Kruger's son, Kevin Kruger . Despite losing their next game, UNLV responded by winning a significant road game at Nevada 58–49, ranked No. 20 in
1395-535: A record of 37–2. The squad was inducted into the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. The season it all came together for the Runnin’ Rebels was 1989–90. Future NBA star Larry Johnson transferred from Odessa College, joining Greg Anthony , Stacey Augmon , David Butler and Anderson Hunt . The Rebels began the season ranked No. 1 in almost every poll and rolled through the competition. UNLV suffered
1488-527: A result, UNLV was ranked in the Top 20 to start the season for the first time in 22 years, but suffered an early season loss to Oregon over Thanksgiving weekend. However, UNLV rebounded from the loss, though the Rebels did lose a match to UNC. Road struggles from last year continued to follow them, even though the Rebels did beat the Aztecs on the road, Rice's squad was embarrassed by second–to–last place Fresno State on
1581-498: A season and was also regarded as Rice's first marquee win as coach. This win placed the UNLV Runnin' Rebels well within the Top 25. Despite losing to Wichita State on the road a little over a week later, UNLV then avenged last years lost to Illinois, which was also ranked in the top 25, in convincing fashion. This victory once again placed UNLV in the rankings. Shortly before Christmas, UNLV faced California, which had been ranked in
1674-414: A seating capacity of 14,831 and cost a mere $ 1.4 million to build, about a fifth the cost of comparable facilities built at the time. The design allowed the foundation to rest directly on earth, eliminating the need for a steel structure to support the concrete, resulting in tremendous cost savings. The Pit opened on December 1, 1966, with New Mexico defeating Abilene Christian College , 62–53. The building
1767-726: A sold-out crowd in November 2011, which resulted in Rebel fans storming the court. In 1966, UNLV moved to the Las Vegas Convention Center near on Paradise Road in Winchester . The Runnin' Rebels would play 16 seasons at the 6,300-seat Convention Center, before moving back on campus to the newly opened Thomas & Mack Center for the 1983–84 season. The Runnin' Rebels moved to the NSU Gymnasium located on
1860-811: A steel superstructure. The shape of the roof was curved into a half-figure-8 to be more visually interesting than its former box-like appearance. Extensive glasswork encases the street level, adding light and providing views of the Sandia Mountains to the east and picturesque Southwest sunsets to the west. "We're building a little jewel box around the building," said Pate. "We want the Pit to be seen as an urban destination ... an attractive, up-to-date building with better access for everyone." The building also achieves high environmental standards, with water efficiencies and heating and cooling processes designed to minimize energy loss, while 95 percent of all waste materials from
1953-640: A surprising loss at New Mexico State and finished the season as co–champions of the Big West Conference. However, Johnson and Co. flexed their muscles in the Big West tournament, running away with the title and the No. 1 seed in the West Region. In NCAA Tournament play, the Rebels toughest game came in the third round at Oakland, Calif., when Ball State hung tough before falling 69–67. UNLV also ended Loyola Marymount's Cinderella season with
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#17327946225352046-552: A team video room along with other amenities. The facility also includes a Hall of Fame at the entrance and a mezzanine that overlooks the practice floors and can be used for receptions. The Runnin' Rebels have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament 20 times, with a combined record of 33–19. They were National Champions in 1990. The Runnin' Rebels appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament four times, with
2139-421: Is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre , musical performances , and/or sporting events . It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may be covered by a roof. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the lowest point, allowing maximum visibility. Arenas are usually designed to accommodate
2232-489: Is an 18,000 seat multipurpose arena on the southwest corner of the UNLV campus. The arena, which opened in 1983, is named after prominent Nevada bankers E. Parry Thomas and Jerome Mack, who donated the original fund for the feasibility and land studies. During a game against in–state rival, Nevada , in November 2005, the court at the Thomas & Mack Center was renamed in honor of former head coach Jerry Tarkanian , who posted
2325-608: Is still intact and acts as the floor for the museum. The first season for the Rebels was 1958–59. Since there were only two buildings on the "campus", the team practiced at a nearby junior high and home games were played at the Dula Memorial Gymnasium (off Bonanza Road) for the first two seasons. Announced in March 2010, the Mendenhall Center is a state–of–the–art basketball practice facility attached to
2418-517: The 1983 NCAA Final Four , the scene of a memorable NCAA Final upset by North Carolina State over heavily favored Houston , as Lorenzo Charles dunked the ball off a Dereck Whittenburg miss to win it. This was also the last men's Final Four event held on a college campus, and one of the last not held in an indoor stadium . The Pit has frequently been a venue for NCAA men's basketball tournaments, hosting games in 1968 , 1978 , 1985 , 1992 , 1996 , 2000 , 2002 , 2005 , and 2012 . It also hosted
2511-589: The 1991 tournament only months after winning the title, but a settlement with the NCAA allowed them to play in that tournament and miss the next one. NCAA executive director Walter Byers famously disliked Tarkanian, and said "Tark’s black players play a fast city-lot basketball without much style. Grab ball and run like hell, not lots of passing to set up the shots.” Byers described U.N.L.V.’s style as “ghetto run-and-shoot basketball” with little concern for defense. On November 26, 2005, for his achievements as coach of
2604-605: The 2016–17 Runnin' Rebels reached a new low finishing the season 11–21 and in last place of Mountain West Conference. The following year Menzies landed a top 25 Recruiting class. Landing 5 star prospect Brandon McCoy and the Top Junior college player in the nation, Shakur Juiston. The Rebels started the 2017–18 season 6–0 featuring a win over Utah in the MGM invitational championship game. UNLV had started receiving votes for
2697-1123: The Western Athletic Conference men's tournaments in 1987, 1995, and 1996. The Pit has hosted NCAA women's tournament games in 2003 , 2004 , 2006 , 2008 , 2009 , and 2011 . The Lobos have compiled a 15–6 record in the NIT at The Pit, winning their last ten games since 1990. Santa Clara 86 New Mexico 73 New Mexico State 62 New Mexico 58 UCLA 87 Santa Clara 66 15,010 Arkansas 74 UCLA 70 Cal State Fullerton 75 San Francisco 72 Elite Eight Arkansas 61 Cal State Fullerton 58 18,144 North Carolina State 67 Georgia 60 Houston 94 Louisville 81 Championship North Carolina State 54 Houston 52 17,327 UTEP 79 Tulsa 75 North Carolina State 65 Nevada 56 Alabama 50 Arizona 41 Virginia Commonwealth 81 Marshall 65 Second Round Alabama 63 Virginia Commonwealth 59 North Carolina State 86 UTEP 73 12,256 13,833 Indiana 85 Florida State 74 UCLA 85 New Mexico State 78 Elite Eight Indiana 106 UCLA 79 Arena An arena
2790-638: The 16 coaches have winning records at UNLV. Jerry Tarkanian led UNLV to the NCAA Division I tournament Championship in 1990 and the NCAA Regional – NCAA Division I Men's Final Four in 1977, 1987, 1990 and 1991. Jerry Tarkanian was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame . Rollie Massimino and Lon Kruger are members of the College Basketball Hall of Fame . The Thomas & Mack Center
2883-409: The 1995–96 season. With a still-depleted roster, Bayno's first year ended with a 10–16 record, the worst in school history. However, Bayno engineered a very quick return to respectability. He was an excellent recruiter, bringing in future NBA talent including Shawn Marion , Tyrone Nesby , and Keon Clark . The Rebels returned to the NCAA tournament in 1997, their first appearance in six years. Bayno
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2976-543: The 1st round. They took on NO.22 Nevada in the quarterfinal game and lost 79–74. Ending UNLV's season at 20–13. On March 15, 2019, after finishing the season with a 17–13 record, the UNLV athletic department parted ways with Marvin Menzies after 3 years. UNLV announced on March 27, 2019 that its new coach would be T. J. Otzelberger , former South Dakota State Jackrabbits head coach who posted an overall record of 70–33 in three season as head coach, including two NCAA Tournament appearances and earning Summit League 2018 Coach of
3069-495: The 2001–02 season, compiling a 54–31 record before resigning in the middle of the 2004 season. The anchor turned out to be Lon Kruger , who came to Las Vegas after an unsuccessful stint as the coach of the Atlanta Hawks , with successful college stints at Kansas State , Florida and Illinois . Kruger's stint at UNLV began with a mediocre 17–15 record in the 2004–05 season that including seven losses in conference play and
3162-511: The 2008–09 season 5–0, their best start since 1999. A 73–55 loss to the California Golden Bears and 67–65 loss to Cincinnati the next day marked the first time in over 3 years that the Rebels had lost consecutive games. On December 31, 2008, they beat No. 18 Louisville 56–55, on the road, which was the highest ranked opponent the Rebels have beaten on the road since they beat No. 12 New Mexico in 1991. They also started off
3255-538: The AP Top 25 with losses to Kansas State and USC . In early February, however, UNLV upset a No. 14 and Jimmer Fredette –lead BYU team. As a result, UNLV returned to the national rankings, but after losing their next three, they soon dropped out, though they recovered at the end of the season, and finished 11–5 in MWC play. On March 6, 2010, they ended their 2009–10 campaign with 74–56 win over Wyoming at home. They finished
3348-617: The Davalos Center with The Pit, allowing players to move seamlessly between the two facilities for practice, games, and training. On December 1, 2014, the University of New Mexico announced that naming rights to the arena had been purchased by Albuquerque-based pizza chain WisePies for $ 5 million over 10 years. The formal name of the building became "WisePies Arena (aka The Pit)." On April 27, 2017, UNM asked WisePies to relinquish
3441-658: The NCAA's Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and Final Fours, and a prominent banner representing the 1990 National Championship team . T-Mobile Arena is a multipurpose arena on the Las Vegas Strip that opened in 2016. While the Thomas & Mack Center remains the Runnin' Rebels' primary home arena, they occasionally play at the 18,000-seat T-Mobile Arena. One game against Duke was played in December 2016 and two games were played in November 2017, against Rice and Utah . In December 2018, UNLV defeated BYU 92–90 in overtime on
3534-413: The Rebels dropped to 2–3, the first time they had a losing record since 2005. They ended up missing the postseason for the first time since 2006. Despite this, Dave Rice received a contract extension through the 2018–19 season. After going 18–15 in 2014–15 , the first time the Rebels failed to win 20 games in a season since 2005–06, the team recruited highly touted prospect Stephen Zimmerman , who helped
3627-535: The Rebels shocked 2nd seeded Wisconsin , sending them to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in over 15 seasons. However, their magical season came to an end as the Runnin' Rebels ultimately lost to Oregon in the Sweet 16 , 76–72. The team finished 14th in the polls with a 30–6 record. The next season, 2007–08, despite being picked to finish in fifth Mountain West Conference, UNLV surprised critics by starting
3720-432: The Rebels start the 2015–16 season 3–0, their best start since going 8–0 in 2010–11 . However, the Rebels failed to capitalize on that start; a 1–5 stretch that included an 0–3 start in Mountain West play led the school to fire Rice on January 10, 2016. His top assistant Todd Simon was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Fresh off a 30-win season at Arkansas–Little Rock , UNLV hired Chris Beard as
3813-663: The Rebels the No. 1 seed in the West Region. UNLV also flexed its muscles in a 112–105 victory over then–No. 2 Arkansas in Fayetteville . The Rebels rolled through regional play with wins over Montana , Georgetown , Utah and Seton Hall before a showdown with Duke in the Final Four at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis . Grant Hill , Bobby Hurley , and Christian Laettner kept the Rebels in check all evening and ended UNLV's dreams of back–to–back championships and
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3906-409: The Runnin' Rebels (he was 509–105 in 19 years as head coach), the basketball court at the Thomas & Mack Center was renamed Jerry Tarkanian Court, despite the recruiting sanctions and controversies. The years after Tarkanian's departure were tumultuous. UNLV hired away Villanova coach Rollie Massimino to replace Tarkanian, but after two seasons and a 15–13 record in 1993–94, he was let go. There
3999-472: The Runnin' Rebels earned their 18th overall NCAA tournament bid and fourth in five seasons, being picked as an 8 seed in the Southwest Regional. After falling to the 9th seeded Illinois Fighting Illini 62–73, their season ended with a record 24–9. On April 1, 2011, Lon Kruger announced that he would be leaving UNLV for the University of Oklahoma . UNLV soon replaced Kruger with Dave Rice ,
4092-476: The Runnin' Rebels were upset in the opening round to Colorado despite trimming a 21–second point deficit to 2 in a 68–64 loss. Despite the loss in the tournament and losing three starters, as well as two key reserves from the 2011–12 team, Dave Rice brought a highly touted recruiting class for the 2012–13 season. A total of four ESPN Top 100 players were signed as well as two transfers from key players on Big East schools , highlighted by forward Anthony Bennett . As
4185-541: The Top 20 Sporting Venues of the 20th Century, ahead of such locations as Daytona Speedway , Notre Dame Stadium , and the Rose Bowl . Sports writers from USA Today, Fox Sports, and Rivals.com have also recognized The Pit among top venues in college basketball. Jim Boeheim has stated that the game he coached in The Pit was one of the most exciting of his career, and Lute Olson has observed that The Pit crowd can dictate
4278-589: The Top 25 for much of the beginning of the season, winning 85–68. Thereafter, UNLV dropped 124 points in a lopsided win against an inferior Central Arkansas team. Despite falling to the SDSU Aztecs in their conference opener in a very close game, the Runnin' Rebels responded with soundly defeating New Mexico, the preseason Mountain West favorite, at home in front of a sold out crowd as well as blowing out an up–and–coming Colorado State club that easily beat that at UNLV
4371-486: The UNLV campus (then known as Nevada Southern University) for their third season, 1960–61. The Runnin' Rebels would play six seasons at NSU Gymnasium before moving to the Las Vegas Convention Center. The NSU Gymnasium was developed into a natural history museum at UNLV and was renamed in 1989 to honor Marjorie Barrick, a longstanding benefactor of the university. The hardwood basketball court floor
4464-583: The University of New Mexico main campus. Lobo basketball was unsuccessful at the time that Johnson Gym opened, and it was rarely more than half-full for games. In 1962, UNM hired Bob King as head basketball coach, and he immediately transformed the Lobos into a winning program, reaching the finals of the National Invitation Tournament in his second season. Attendance at Lobo home games doubled, tickets were soon selling out, and plans for
4557-724: The Year honors. Known as the "Hardway Eight," this was the team that put UNLV on the map as a nationally prominent program. With players such as Lewis Brown, Glen Gondrezick , Larry Moffett, Eddie Owens , Robert Smith, Sam Smith , Tony Smith and Reggie Theus , the Rebels ran themselves to a record of 29–3 and a spot in the 1977 Final Four at the Omni in Atlanta . UNLV's record–setting team established NCAA marks for most points in one season (3,426), most 100-point games (23) and most consecutive 100-point games (12). The Runnin’ Rebels won their first–ever West Regional Championship and advanced to
4650-618: The conference) 19–16 as of the end of the 2010–11 season with back to back wins over BYU in the MWC tournament championship games (07 and 08) and a victory on February 21, 2009 marked the only regular season sweep of the Cougars in the Lon Kruger era. The intensity of the rivalry between SDSU and UNLV grew exponentially during the Lon Kruger and Dave Rice years but has cooled down since Marvin Menzies took over in 2016. The Runnin' Rebels program has had 16 head coaches in their history. 14 of
4743-645: The facilities up to state-of-the-art standards. The renovation added 60,000 square feet (5,600 m) of new space, with new amenities such as forty luxury suites and 365 club seats, digital signage and video boards, expanded concourses, additional restrooms and concession stands, a new ticket office and Lobo store, interactive kiosks, and a UNM Lettermen's Lounge. New locker rooms for both men's and women's squads were added, as well as an upgraded strength and conditioning center and training facilities. Project architect John Pate of Molzen-Corbin in Albuquerque recognized
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#17327946225354836-464: The facility is called Cameron Indoor Stadium . Domed stadiums, which, like arenas, are enclosed but have the larger playing surfaces and seating capacities found in stadiums, are generally not referred to as arenas in North America. There is also the sport of indoor American football (one variant of which is explicitly known as arena football), a variant of the outdoor game that is designed for
4929-546: The facility was unveiled to the team in January 2012. The facility was built entirely through the private sector and, upon completion of construction, was gifted to the university. Several million of the $ 11.7 million to fund the facility came from Las Vegas Paving CEO Bob Mendenhall. Aside from the two regulation–sized practice courts, the building features locker rooms for both players and coaches, state–of–the–art strength and conditioning equipment, an academics area, and
5022-425: The final seconds allowed UNLV to come atop 65–63. However, the Rebels blew an 18-point lead in the following game against lowly TCU, and despite scoring 97 points, they lost in overtime. This set up numerous road losses down the stretch, but still finished a respectable 9–5 in conference play and 3rd seed in the tournament, where they lost in the semifinals to New Mexico. Granted a six seed in the 2012 NCAA tournament ,
5115-413: The first half of their season 13–2, their best 15 game start since they went 15–0 1991. They fell out in the second half of the season, going 8–7 and finished the regular season with a 21–9 record and 5th in their conference, though they did manage to sweep the season series with BYU and upset Utah at home. They were denied a third consecutive Mountain West Conference tournament Championship when they lost to
5208-629: The first perfect season since Indiana in 1976. The 79–77 loss ended UNLV's season with a record of 34–1. The team was inducted into the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. The Rebels have three major rivalries, including the Nevada Wolf Pack , the SDSU Aztecs and an inactive rivalry with the BYU Cougars . UNLV leads the series with Nevada . The Runnin' Rebels lead their all–time conference series with BYU (before their departure from
5301-598: The first team and only team to score over 100 points in the championship game. Before becoming a basketball powerhouse in the late 1970s, UNLV was often referred to as "Tumbleweed Tech" due to its relative obscurity. Led by famed coach Jerry Tarkanian , the Runnin' Rebels were among the most exciting teams in the nation. They consistently led the nation in points scored, turnovers forced, and most importantly – wins. The Runnin' Rebels were well known for going on long runs that turned close games into blowouts. They were also known for up-tempo offense and stifling defense. Tarkanian
5394-487: The locker room providing information on the warning signs of altitude sickness and urging victims to seek immediate medical attention. In addition, the tunnel leading from the locker rooms down to the playing floor has a message painted on the wall stating, "Welcome to the legendary Pit, a mile high and louder than..." The Pit has garnered high praise from sports publications, announcers, and opposing coaches. In 1999, Sports Illustrated listed The Pit as 13th in its feature on
5487-705: The men's basketball team that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas , in the Mountain West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); it plays at the Thomas & Mack Center on campus. As of 2023, UNLV has the seventh-highest winning percentage (.687) in Division I history. UNLV is 33–19 all-time in the NCAA tournament with a 63.5 winning percentage. In July 2008, ESPNU named
5580-474: The naming deal had been discontinued and removed all exterior Dreamstyle signage from the arena and Dreamstyle Stadium "while the two sides are trying to resolve the [naming rights] issue." The New Mexico women's basketball team also enjoys the home court advantage of The Pit. The Lady Lobos reached national prominence under former head coach Don Flanagan (1995–2011), who compiled an overall record of 340–168 (.669), including 228–59 (.794) at The Pit, making him
5673-492: The naming rights, per the terms of the agreement, and WisePies agreed to do so. UNM hoped to get a more lucrative deal. On May 3, 2017, UNM announced a $ 10 million naming rights agreement with Dreamstyle Remodeling, a local Albuquerque construction business, covering both The Pit and the UNM football stadium. The official name of the facilities became Dreamstyle Arena and Dreamstyle Stadium . On September 18, 2020, UNM announced that
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#17327946225355766-500: The nation at the time, marking the first time since 1991 that UNLV beat a ranked team on the road. After defeating Texas Tech in late December and upsetting a nationally ranked Air Force squad, UNLV received their first national ranking in 14 years. Winning the Mountain West Conference tournament over BYU sealed their bid to the NCAA tournament and UNLV received a No. 7 seed. After narrowly beating Georgia Tech ,
5859-557: The nation's top–ranked team. Led by Freddie Banks, Jarvis Basnight, Armon Gilliam , Gerald Paddio and Mark Wade, the Rebels ran through the Pacific Coast Athletic Association with a perfect record of 18–0. The team's only regular–season loss came at Oklahoma , 89–88. UNLV entered the NCAA Tournament as the top seed in the West Region, breezing through the first three rounds. The Rebels received
5952-410: The national semifinals. An 84–83 loss to North Carolina in the semifinals ended the championship dreams, but a 106–94 triumph over North Carolina–Charlotte gave UNLV third place and a positive end to the season. The squad was inducted into the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. The 1986–87 edition of Runnin’ Rebels basketball was a special one as it became the first team to end the regular season as
6045-428: The need to tread gently in designing changes to preserve the historic character of the building. "Players like the noise," he noted. "They want to keep it loud in there." The upgrade reduced seating capacity to 15,411, trading some seating for greater comfort and amenities. The building facade was transformed from simple red brick to a high-rise look with a 56-foot (17 m) glass tower, lit from within and supported by
6138-408: The opening of the arena. The Pit has hosted NCAA tournament regionals numerous times and hosted the 1983 Final Four championship. It also serves as the primary venue for New Mexico state high school basketball championship tournaments. In 1992, the University of New Mexico recognized the coach who made construction of The Pit possible, naming the playing surface Bob King Court in his honor. The court
6231-420: The pain threshold for the human ear. Basketball writer John Feinstein once likened the experience of a visiting team in The Pit to "watching Roman gladiators emerging into a wall of sound." Further contributing to the intimidating environment for visitors is its near-mile-high elevation , where the court is around 5,100 feet (1,555 m) above sea level . This is impressed upon visiting teams with posters in
6324-409: The previous year. Despite narrowly winning road games against Air Force and Boise State, UNLV was ranked No. 11 in the country, which set up for an early February Top 15 showdown against San Diego State, which won 9 of the last 10 meetings. In front of a rejuvenated UNLV student section and a capacity crowd, UNLV played a near–perfect game, only to let up in the closing minutes, but key defensive stops in
6417-483: The program the eighth most prestigious collegiate basketball program in the nation since the 1984–85 season. In 1977, just seven years after joining Division I, The Rebels made the Final Four with a squad today known as the "Hardway Eight". Ten years later, the team made the Final Four with one loss. In 1990 , UNLV won the NCAA Championship by beating Duke by a record-setting margin of 103–73, becoming
6510-441: The renovation were recycled. In 2006, prior to the renovation, UNM dedicated the Rudy Davalos Basketball Center, named after the then-departing athletics director, located adjacent to the south end of The Pit. The 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m) facility includes practice courts, offices for coaches, a video control room and theater, and a multi-purpose room for press conferences and special events. The recent renovations integrated
6603-455: The rival San Diego State Aztecs 71–57, on March 12, 2009. The Rebels went on to become a No. 5 seed in the 2009 NIT , but suffered a loss against Kentucky in the first round. Despite losing three starters from the previous era's squad, the Rebels started off strong once again for their 2009–10 campaign with their second consecutive 5–0 start, the first time since 1989–90 and 1990–91 that they have done so. Their victory over No. 16 Louisville
6696-541: The road. Although they easily defeated a Top 15 New Mexico team, UNLV lost to a lowly Air Force team on the road 72–56, falling to 5–5 in MWC play. However, UNLV recovered the rest of the way, winning their next five, including a come from behind victory over rival SDSU. Yet, the UNLV Rebels were upset once again to Fresno State at home, but responded to avenge the Air Force loss in the Mountain West tourney and advance
6789-435: The season 23–7, their best win–loss season since 2007. Despite losing in the finals of the Mountain West tournament the following weekend, UNLV did manage to defeat BYU for the fifth time in six matchups. On March 14, 2010, the Runnin' Rebels returned to the NCAA tournament after missing out in 2009. They finished the season with a 25–9 record, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Northern Iowa 66–69, thanks to
6882-537: The seating capacity of The Pit, but the Lobos have continued to rank in the top 25 every season. The Pit is known as one of the loudest venues in college basketball. During the 1998–99 season, the St. Petersburg Times conducted a study of decibel levels at collegiate basketball arenas. The Lobo game in The Pit against Arizona registered the loudest at 118 decibels, comparable to a turbo-fan aircraft at takeoff power. Noise levels up to 125 decibels have been measured, close to
6975-486: The south side of the Cox Pavilion , near the Thomas & Mack Center. The Mendenhall Center has a total of 38,000 square feet (3,500 m ) of space on three levels. Included are two full–sized basketball courts, an academic area and film room, locker rooms, athletic training, strength and conditioning, and equipment areas. Groundbreaking occurred on October 21, 2010 with a tentative completion date of spring 2011,
7068-419: The team never really recovered and lost to BYU at home for the first time since 2005, Kruger's first year at the helm. Like the 2008–09 squad, the Rebels collapsed down the stretch, though the team rallied somewhat towards the very end of the season, losing to a top 10 San Diego State team in a very tight game and defeating two "bubble" teams on the road. After losing to the Aztecs in the conference tournament,
7161-416: The tempo and momentum of a game. Rick Majerus , whose 5–11 record against the Lobos at The Pit ties him with Don Haskins for most wins by a visiting coach, praised the intensity and dedication of Lobo fans and their knowledge of the game, and Steve Fisher has echoed those sentiments. The Pit has undergone two major renovations. In 1975 the arena was expanded at a cost of $ 2.2 million. A cantilevered deck
7254-403: The title game where they lost to New Mexico. Awarded a five seed, the Rebels faced California in the NCAA Tournament, which they previously defeated in mid–December. In an ugly game, the team fell behind early and went 11 minutes without a basket in the 2nd half en route to a 64–61 loss. In late June, Anthony Bennett was drafted as the top overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft , marking the first time
7347-409: The top 25. UNLV went on to only suffer 2 losses in non-conference play against northern Iowa and Arizona (both in overtime). UNLV started conference play 11–2 and in 1st place. The Rebels went 8–10 in conference play after losing it last five games. UNLV beat NO.23 Nevada on the road before going on a 5 games losing streak. UNLV was 19–12 going into the Mountain West tournament and beat Air Force 97–90 in
7440-432: The top ten all but one season through 2002. Attendance has averaged an astonishing 95 percent of seating capacity, partially due to standing room only tickets pushing attendance beyond stated capacity at times. The top average attendance for a season prior to the 2008 renovations was 17,625 in 1997–98, and the largest crowd to attend a single game was 19,452 on January 17, 1976, against UNLV . Recent renovations have decreased
7533-538: The type of event. Football (be it association , rugby , gridiron , Australian rules , or Gaelic ) is typically played in a stadium, while basketball , volleyball , handball , and ice hockey are typically played in an arena, although many of the larger arenas hold more spectators than do the stadiums of smaller colleges or high schools. There are exceptions. The home of the Duke University men's and women's basketball teams would qualify as an arena, but
7626-586: The usual smaller playing surface of most arenas; variants of other traditionally outdoor sports, including box lacrosse as well as futsal and indoor soccer , also exist. The term "arena" is also used loosely to refer to any event or type of event which either literally or metaphorically takes place in such a location, often with the specific intent of comparing an idea to a sporting event. Such examples of these would be terms such as "the arena of war", "the arena of love" or "the political arena". UNLV Runnin%27 Rebels basketball The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are
7719-572: The winningest coach in New Mexico basketball history. Flanagan's teams won six Mountain West Conference titles and made eight appearances in the NCAA Women's basketball tournament , reaching the Sweet Sixteen in 2003. The Pit hosted Lobos games in the NCAA tournament in 2003, 2004, and 2008, with the team posting a 2–3 record. The Lobos under Flanagan also made five appearances in the post-season Women's National Invitation Tournament , including
7812-586: The year 12–3. They finished in second place in the conference, with 12–4 record behind BYU. UNLV defeated BYU again to win the 2008 Mountain West tournament . Star guard Wink Adams scored 23 points and was given the MVP title. They received a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and beat Kent State in the First Round. UNLV lost in the Second Round to Kansas . They finished that season 27–8. The Rebels started
7905-524: Was constructed first, just above street level, and the ground beneath was then excavated to form the bowl of the arena. The playing surface lies 37 feet (11 m) below grade, giving rise to the now-famous name. There are no supporting pillars in the seating area of the arena, so there are no obstructed views. Its compact area, steep grade, and the proximity of the seats to the floor contribute to its legendary noise level. The subterranean design won international recognition for Boehning. The arena originally had
7998-429: Was extended above the original seating for meeting space, offices, and a mezzanine level with 2,300 additional seats. The concourse was enlarged to allow concession space to be quadrupled, along with dedicated standing-room only space, increasing seating capacity for basketball events to 18,018. The second renovation, begun in 2009, was completed in time for the 2010–11 basketball season, costing $ 60 million and bringing
8091-525: Was let go in 2000, after the NCAA found that UNLV had violated rules while recruiting Lamar Odom . Odom ultimately chose Rhode Island over UNLV. It was in the wake of Bayno that UNLV began looking for a well-respected coach to act as an anchor for the program. The school intensely pursued former University of Kentucky and Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino , who ultimately spurned the university before choosing to work at Louisville . Former Saint Louis University coach Charlie Spoonhour replaced Bayno for
8184-457: Was named Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four for his performance as the Rebels finished the season 35–5. The squad was inducted into the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. Billed as one of the greatest teams of all time, the 1990–91 squad became the first team in 12 seasons to go undefeated in the regular season (27–0). A perfect record of 18–0 captured the Big West crown and earned
8277-479: Was officially dedicated to King in a formal ceremony on December 1, 1992, the 26th anniversary of the opening of The Pit, a tribute to the contributions King made to Lobo basketball. The Lobos have been among the nation's attendance leaders since The Pit opened. They have averaged over 15,400 fans per game at The Pit since 1966. They finished in the top five nationally in attendance 16 times in their first 20 years at The Pit, finishing second five times, and they were in
8370-441: Was officially named University Arena, but students were already calling it "The Pit" by the time it opened, and the nickname stuck. The Lobos have enjoyed extraordinary success playing at The Pit, winning over 80 percent of their games there and mounting home winning streaks of over 20 games four times, with the longest streak of 41 straight wins in 1996–98. The Lobos have made 14 NCAA tournament appearances and 17 NIT appearances since
8463-508: Was outrage when it was revealed that Massimino had been awarded a secret contract — a deal that ultimately led to Maxson's departure from UNLV. Massimino was replaced by well–respected Tarkanian assistant Tim Grgurich , but he lasted just 7 games in 1994 before resigning. Howie Landa and Cleveland Edwards finished the 1994–95 season, which ended with a 12–16 record—the school's first losing season in 34 years, and first since moving up to Division I. The team hired UMass assistant Bill Bayno for
8556-476: Was suspected of violating numerous NCAA regulations and was forced out in 1992 by then–president Robert Maxson. In 1998 Tarkanian received a $ 2.5 million out of court settlement when he sued the NCAA for violations stemming from its investigation of UNLV. The last Rebel squad coached by Tarkanian won their tenth consecutive Big West Conference regular season title, but was barred from the NCAA Tournament due to probation. The Rebels had actually been barred from
8649-595: Was their first home victory against a ranked opponent since 2007 and the highest ranked opponent the Rebels have beaten since defeating the Wisconsin Badgers (ranked 6th in the final AP Poll) in 2007 . On November 30, 2009, the Rebels were ranked 24th in the AP Polls and 21st in the USA Today/ESPN Polls, making it the first time the team was ranked since 2007. However, UNLV soon dropped out of
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