UNLV Can’t Be Caught Looking Ahead, 115-73 : Basketball: Rebels, thinking about showdown against Arkansas, make it 29 in a row.

Add yet another notch to Nevada Las Vegas’ blowout belt as the No. 1 Rebels stormed toward next Sunday’s showdown against second-ranked Arkansas.

The defending national champions remained undefeated Sunday with a 115-73 rout of Rutgers, easily casting aside another team while setting their sights on the once-beaten Razorbacks.

“I’ve been thinking about Arkansas,” UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian acknowledged afterward. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.”

The Rebels certainly looked as if they were able to concentrate on the game at hand, however, opening the second half against Rutgers (13-7) with a near-flawless 20-2 run to win for the 18th time in as many games and 29th in a row over two years.

A Big West Conference game remains Thursday with Fresno State before the matchup in Fayetteville, but Arkansas is clearly uppermost on Tarkanian’s mind.

“It’s going to be a big game, a very emotional game,” Tarkanian said. “You don’t mind playing in tough arenas if you don’t have to play a good team, but we’ll be playing a very good team.”

Stacey Augmon had 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists before taking a seat alongside the other starters with 11 minutes to play and the Rebels ahead by 41. Augmon had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the first half.

Anderson Hunt also scored a season-high 29 points and Larry Johnson had 15.

“Stacey Augmon the first half played as good as a forward can play,” Tarkanian said.

UNLV shot 64% for the game and held the Scarlet Knights to 35%. The 115 points was the most ever scored against a Rutgers team.

“They’re in a different league than us,” Rutgers Coach Bob Wenzel said. “They were awesome. I thought we’d play better, but it was all their doing, not our undoing.”

Rutgers took the nationally televised game just before the beginning of the season, after several other teams that UNLV approached refused to play on the road against the defending national champions.

The decision proved a bad one for the Scarlet Knights.

Daryl Smith led Rutgers with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Keith Hughes scored 12 points.

“I don’t even think about it (going undefeated),” Tarkanian said. “I want to take the games one game at a time.”