COLLEGE BASKETBALL : NCAA TOURNAMENT UPDATE : Walking Utes Take Their Shot at Runnin’ Rebels

It will be Runnin’ Utes against Runnin’ Rebels, but Nevada Las Vegas’ game personifies its nickname. Utah, which plays UNLV in the West Regional semifinal Thursday in Seattle, plays a ball-control, half-court possession game.

The question remains: can anybody beat the Rebels (32-0)?

That was in contrast to remarks Sunday by Rick Majerus, whose 10th-ranked, fourth-seeded Utes advanced with an 85-84 double-overtime victory over Michigan State at Tucson.

“Maybe you only get one shot at them,” Utah Coach Rick Majerus said after Georgetown lost to UNLV, 62-54, Sunday. “Maybe this was that shot, like Ball State a year ago.”

In last year’s West Regional semifinals, Ball State lost to the Rebels, 69-67.

It’s not the wrath of Coach Bob Knight that the Indiana players feared when they entered this year’s NCAA tournament. It was the fear of getting knocked out early, just like last year when the Hoosiers were shocked by California in the first round.

“Last year was a nightmare,” sophomore Pat Graham said. “We struggled, we got pounded in the Big Ten, we were 0-1 in the tournament. But we knew we deserved better than that.

“And we just kept reminding each other of that during this tournament.”

The Hoosiers meet Kansas on Thursday in a Southeast Regional semifinal.

Mark Randall does it better than Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning and Jo Jo White--shoot field goals, that is.

The Kansas senior has a .620 career shooting percentage as the Jayhawks prepare to meet Indiana. Even if the 6-foot-9 Randall has a poor outing, it’s unlikely he will lose the school shooting mark. Manning was the leader with .563 field-goal shooting percentage.

Coach John Chaney is having a hard time figuring out which team will show up when his Temple Owls take the court. During the season, the Owls shot 43% from the field. In the NCAA tournament, they are sizzling at 65%.

“I can’t find any reason why they’re playing the way they’re playing--especially on offense,” Chaney said after victories over Purdue and Richmond. “All I know is that I’ve been preaching the things I’ve been preaching all year. . . . Maybe it’s taken this long for the whole thing to take effect.”