TODAY’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAMES : Odds Against Irvine in Las Vegas

Already this basketball season, they have conquered NIT I at Madison Square Garden, Memphis State at Memphis State, Navy by 25 points and both news service polls. Now, a new challenge awaits the Rebels of Nevada Las Vegas as the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. opens play tonight.

Are they worried on the Strip?

Does Jerry Tarkanian use a towel only after he showers?

Las Vegas, winner of four PCAA titles, will open its fifth season in the conference at Thomas and Mack Center at 8 p.m. against UC Irvine. And the Rebels (11-0) will open it on an entirely different plane--as No. 1 in the nation. From sea to shining sea.

And once you’ve risen to the point where you can look down on Louisville, North Carolina and Indiana, what can the names UC Santa Barbara and New Mexico State possibly mean to you?

Well, Irvine (5-4) still means something to Las Vegas. As in 0-2. In one of the more stunning developments in West Coast basketball last season, Bill Mulligan’s Anteaters upset the Rebels twice, home and away. That memory has not died in Las Vegas.

“Vegas might beat the (bleep) out of us,” Mulligan said. “They’re very capable of that. But we’ve got enough people who have been through it before.”

Of course, Mulligan added, “Two guys who won’t be there are (Tod) Murphy and (Johnny) Rogers . . . and those two guys killed ‘em last year.”

Rogers, now playing for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, and Murphy graduated after leading Irvine in scoring and rebounding last season.

That has put most of the responsibility in the hands of Scott Brooks and Wayne Engelstad.

Brooks, a 5-11 leaper, is averaging 25.4 points a game and shooting 53% from three-point range. He scored 30 points Monday night in the Anteaters’ 105-103 near-miss against No. 3-ranked Iowa.

Engelstad, a 6-8 center, has been assigned the task of guarding Las Vegas’ Armon Gilliam, the 6-9 forward who is averaging 24.5 points and 9.8 rebounds and is shooting 61.5%.

The Rebels, coming off a 25-point victory over Navy and David Robinson, also have as starters 6-7 forward Gerald Paddio, who is averaging 16.9 points; 6-8 center Jarvis Basnight, 8.6 points; 6-2 1/2 guard Freddie Banks, 19.7 points, and 6-0 guard Mark Wade, 12.4 assists.

Assistant coach Mark Warkentien, who scouted the Irvine-Iowa game for Las Vegas, has suggested to Tarkanian that the Rebels slow it down tonight, but Mulligan believes--hopes?--Tarkanian won’t switch.

“I can’t see a team that’s 11-0 and averaging 94 points changing for us,” Mulligan said. “I think Tark has too much pride to not run.”