NCAA West Regional : Win or Lose, Tarkanian Says This Team Is Best

If Nevada Las Vegas is eliminated from the NCAA basketball tournament today by Kansas State, which isn’t likely, UNLV’s Jerry Tarkanian will still recall the season as one of the most satisfying in his coaching career.

“I don’t like to compare teams until the season is over, but I can definitely say I’ve never had a team accomplish what this team has,” Tarkanian said Friday. “We’ve never been ranked No. 1 this long, or at the end of the (regular) season.

“And I’ve never had a team that has played so well on the road. We’ve played hard in 33 of our 35 games.”

Even though the Rebels (34-1) are a substantial favorite over Kansas State (20-10) in their second-round West Regional game at the Special Events Center, Tarkanian is aware of the pitfalls of NCAA tournament play.

“The best teams don’t always win and there are so many intangibles in a one-game set,” he said. “It’s not like the NBA, where the best teams usually win in a seven-game series.

“If the tournament was played every month for the next four months, you’d have four different teams in the Final Four. Louisville and Villanova won it the last two years and I don’t think they were the best teams.

“As for the intangibles, there are 6 or 10 calls that can go either way in a game. If you get half the calls, that’s fine. But you may get only 2 of the 10 and you have no control over that.”

Tarkanian’s counterpart, Kansas State’s Lon Kruger, is faced with the cold reality of trying to beat a team that is quick, resourceful and talented through, at least, 10 players.

“They have outstanding athletes, a lot of depth and play as hard as any team I’ve seen,” Kruger said. “And, of course, their pressure defense is excellent.”

Kruger compared UNLV to Oklahoma, the only team to beat the Rebels. But he added that UNLV is better defensively than the Sooners.

Kansas State got to the second round by beating Georgia, 82-79, in overtime Thursday. UNLV defeated Idaho State, 95-70.

Tarkanian said of Kansas State: “Our coaching staff was divided on who we would rather play, Georgia or Kansas State. We match up better with Kansas State, but our strength is our ability to pressure the guards, and their guards are pretty quick.”

Tarkanian has a free-wheeling team that isn’t inhibited, and guard Freddie Banks will launch three-point shots without hesitation.

But Tarkanian said he was once an arch-conservative coach.

“When I was at (Cal State) Long Beach (1969-73), I was much more conservative, playing a 1-2-2 zone defense instead of man to man,” he said. “And, if someone would miss an outside shot, I would just stamp my feet.

“I changed my coaching philosophy my second year at Vegas, and I’m now letting my kids utilize their skills. Freddie Banks should thank God every night that he plays for me because I turn him loose.”

Whenever Tarkanian is at a press gathering, it’s inevitable that his long-running feud with the NCAA comes up.

Tarkanian put a lid on that Friday, although biting his lip.

“I vowed two weeks ago that I wouldn’t talk about the NCAA,” he said, smiling wryly. “I’ve been talking about them for 10 years. And if I started talking about them now, I could go on for six days.”

Notes The UNLV-Kansas State game will begin at 11:25 a.m. PST, followed by UCLA-Wyoming (both on Channel 2). . . . Kansas State finished fourth in the Big Eight during the regular season, but the Wildcats beat Oklahoma at Norman, Okla., something that UNLV couldn’t accomplish. Asked who he will assign to guard Freddie Banks, Kansas State Coach Lon Kruger said: “We’ll probably ask for volunteers.” . . . Kansas State lost to North Carolina last December, and Kruger said: “North Carolina doesn’t have the athletic ability that Vegas has. Vegas is as athletic as you can be.” . . . The Wildcats made 8 of 9 3-point shots in beating Georgia, with forward Mitch Richmond making all 5 of his. Banks made 4 of 9 from 3-point country against Idaho State. . . . The Rebels led the nation at the end of the regular season and PCAA tournament in scoring offense with an average of 93.2 points, as well as in margin of victory with a 17.9 figure, and averaged 7.8 three-point baskets a game for a No. 2 national ranking.