COLLEGE BASKETBALL : Rebels Might Be Awesome, but Beating NBA Teams Is a Stretch

And now, some comforting news for those college coaches who thought top-ranked UNLV was invincible.

According to Jerry Reynolds, the Sacramento Kings’ former coach and now director of player personnel, UNLV absolutely, positively couldn’t beat the worst NBA team (which, by the way, is probably the Kings) and would be hard pressed to defeat a decent CBA team (which, by the way, sounds a bit like the Kings).

As for all other forms of competition, colleges included, the news isn’t so encouraging.

“From what I’ve seen, they’re clearly the class of the country,” Reynolds said. “They kind of remind me of some of the great teams in the past, like an Indiana in 1976 or some of the great UCLA teams. This year, (UNLV) is No. 1 and whoever is No. 2 is clearly a notch below. I mean, they’ve got pro caliber-type players. Very few college teams have possibly four first-round (NBA draft) picks.”

Reynolds is speaking of power forward Larry Johnson, a lottery pick waiting to happen, forward Stacey Augmon and guards Greg Anthony and Anderson Hunt.

“I don’t think they can beat an NBA team,” Reynolds said. “But from a talent perspective, they could compete with some CBA teams. A lot of people would say that lightly, but I have a lot of respect for CBA teams. I do think Vegas is so special that it would be interesting.”

Another player personnel director, requesting anonymity, said that the Rebels could never beat an NBA team, but did say “they would definitely beat some CBA teams.

“And I don’t think any college team could beat Las Vegas in a playoff series,” that personnel director said. “But in one game, anything can happen.”

Said a sarcastic New Mexico State Coach Neil McCarthy: “Oh, sure, (UNLV) can get the measles and lose four, five starters and lose a game. A lot of things can happen.”

If it’s possible, the Rebels may actually be better than they were last year when they won the national championship. Here’s why:

--Of their five victories, four have come against top-grade competition--Alabama Birmingham, Michigan State, Princeton and Florida State. Average margin of victory? An impressive 35.4 points, which is more than 20 points higher than UNLV’s 1989-90 average.

“That’s what is scary about Vegas,” McCarthy said. “This year, they’re doubling (the score) on people. How do you double the score on Princeton (69-35)? I’ve never seen anyone work Princeton over like that before.

“What I try to do early in the year is not to think of (UNLV),” McCarthy said. “It’ll just make you tense. They beat Princeton, Florida State and Alabama Birmingham--and those are pretty good teams. How the hell do you double people that are that good? It’s kind of awesome.”

--The Us vs. Them Mentality.

As the possibility of NCAA sanctions becomes more real, UNLV players continue to consider themselves victims of sorts. It shows on the court.

“Hell, they think they can beat anybody,” McCarthy said.

Yes, it’s true: Nebraska--can you believe it?--is actually ranked 22nd in the AP poll.

It also marks the first time since Feb. 7, 1978, that Nebraska’s basketball team has made an AP appearance. This comes as a bit of a surprise to those Big Eight pollsters who predicted, in a landslide vote, that the Cornhuskers would finish last in the conference, the nation’s toughest.

Yes, well, Nebraska surprised Michigan State in late November and, except for a single loss to underrated Murray State, has cruised through December. In fact, those 10 victories match last season’s Cornhusker total.

Nebraska’s only glaring weakness is a lack of a true point guard. On Sunday, it gets one when Jose Ramos, a highly recruited junior college transfer, becomes eligible to play. If Coach Danny Nee, who was a high school teammate of a gangly center named Lew Alcindor, can keep Ramos under control on the court, the Cornhuskers may make a run at an appearance in the NCAA tournament.

We asked another NBA player personnel guy to choose centers: LSU’s sophomore Shaquille O’Neal or Georgetown’s Alonzo Mourning. Right now. No ifs, ands or buts. His choice? O’Neal. . . . The ever-popular Denny Crum of Louisville is finding things a little dicey these days. A much ballyhooed “60 Minutes” segment was shown recently and outlined the many academic deficiencies of the Louisville basketball program. Angry local leaders have vowed action if steps aren’t taken to correct the situation. Low graduation rates are the main issue. . . . North Carolina Coach Dean Smith continues to raid his bench at every opportunity. It isn’t unusual for Smith to go 12-deep during a game. So far, the Tar Heels have gotten away with the tactic. Look for Smith to settle on a more practical nine-man rotation once January arrives.

USC Coach George Raveling has a wish list for next month’s NCAA convention in Nashville, Tenn. His initial wish?

“The first thing we need to do is throw out the rule book and start all over again,” he said. “We need to make rules that are applicable to contemporary times.”

Raveling may have a point. So complicated are the existing regulations that the NCAA recently began distributing computer software that explains some of the rules regarding athletic financial aid. Programs dealing with recruiting and eligibility are expected soon.

“That says something about the system,” Raveling said.

Two of his suggestions: Allow student-athletes to earn as much as $1,500 a semester in part-time jobs. Streamline the NCAA bureaucracy.

New Mexico isn’t ranked in the top 25, but the Lobos will be by season’s end. The carefree but talented Luc Longley, a 265-pound, 7-foot-2 center from Australia, is the reason.

“He’s a monster, a huge person,” New Mexico State’s McCarthy said. “And he’s very good. But everyone always expects more than he gives. You look at Longley and you wonder why he isn’t getting 25 points and 15 rebounds a game. But he’s not that type of player. I don’t think he wants the pressure of having those numbers on him every night.”

OK, slowly we’re becoming believers. Maybe Ohio State isn’t so bad, after all. The Buckeyes, who recently beat Georgetown, suffer from a wimpy November-December schedule, but have a solid lineup, plenty of bench power and a very good coach in Randy Ayers. . . . Teams to watch: East Tennessee State, Bowling Green and, despite their unexpected 5-3 record, Michigan State. . . . Anyone notice that Lou Carnesecca’s St. John’s team is 9-0? The Redmen play Syracuse Jan. 2.

Our top 10: 1. UNLV, 2. Arkansas, 3. Indiana, 4. Arizona, 5. Syracuse, 6. Duke, 7. North Carolina, 8. St. John’s, 9. Ohio State, 10. LSU.

Our waiting list: East Tennessee State, Nebraska, UCLA, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Iowa.