LAS VEGAS - The speech barely lasted 30 seconds. The fans at Thomas & Mack Center didn't care.
Their beloved Tark was back.
Legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian, who took UNLV to four Final Fours and one national title in 1990, had the court named after him prior to the start of Saturday's game.
"I'm overwhelmed," Tarkanian said. "I'd like to thank all the great players who played for me. I'd like to thank the fans for their support."
There was a pre-game party for Tarkanian, and a number of his former players were on hand. The most recognizable names were Greg Anthony and Ricky Sobers.
The fans waved their towels furiously as Tarkanian was introduced. The towel was Tark's trademark. More often than not, you would see Tarkanian chewing on a towel during games.
Tarkanian finished with 509 wins at UNLV, and his teams enjoyed 13 Top 25 rankings. He took teams to 12 NCAA tournaments, including nine straight in one stretch.
Tarkanian was the second-fastest coach to reach 700 wins behind the legendary Adolph Rupp of Kentucky.
STREAK IS OVER
Nick Fazekas' streak of double-digit scoring games ended at 34, as the Rebels held him to six points Saturday night.
Fazekas, still slowed somewhat by his bout with food poisoning, was the target of UNLV's defense and managed to get up just nine shots from the field.
"I felt all right," Fazekas said. "I couldn't get anything to fall. I didn't feel like I was rushing shots or anything like that."
MO STARTS FAST
Mo Charlo hit his first three shots from the floor and had nine of the Pack's first 14 shots.
"Mo played well in the first half," Nevada coach Mark Fox said.
Charlo, who finished with 18 points, also pulled down three steals, dished out three assists, blocked a shot and had two steals.
"I'm more comfortable in the system," Charlo said. "Last year I rushed things. I'm trying to stay more patient."
DELAYED START
The start of the game was delayed several minutes. The arena lights are always turned off while UNLV is introduced. This time, arena officials had problems getting them to come back on.
BIG MEN TOGETHER
Because of early foul problems to several starters, Nevada's lineup included both David Ellis and Demarshay Johnson, both centers, in the first half.
Ellis had a blocked shot in his 12-minute stint and Johnson contributed four points, three rebounds and two blocked shots in 11 minutes.
FACTS & FIGURES
Ex-Boston great Bill Russell was in attendance ... Nevada shot 45.5 on its 3-point attempts, hitting 5 of 11. UNLV was 2 for 12 ... UNLV was 7 for 17 from the line, missing four straight in one second-half stretch ... The Pack had a season-high 24 turnovers, and some of that had to be attributed to the defensive pressure UNLV was able to pressure on the perimeter ... A total of 43 fouls were whistled in the contest, and only one player, UNLV's Curtis Terry fouled out ... UNLV outscored Nevada 44-24 in the paint and each team scored 15 points off turnovers ... UNLV had 18 second-chance points compared to 6 for the Pack.
