by By Bill Knight / El Paso Times , El Paso Times

Updated: November 22, 2008, 9:33 AM EST

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On paper, Monday night's date with UNLV in the Don Haskins Center should be UTEP's biggest test thus far. UTEP is 2-0 after a 69-63 win over Texas Southern and a 96-79 win over Georgia Southern . UNLV is 3-0 with a 65-60 win over San Diego, a 73-48 win over UT-Pan American and an 87-71 win over Northern Arizona. The Runnin' Rebels will play host to North Carolina A&T on Saturday night.

UTEP looks to get into transition as often as possible, and it is no SECret UNLV has the same passion. When asked what his team has been working on, Miner coach Tony Barbee said, "Transition defense, transition defense, transition defense."

Barbee then added, "Georgia Southern got 38 points in transition. A team that wants to run like that, you want to hold them under 10 points in transition. I want our 4 and 5 men to attack the boards but our 1-2-3 men have to do a better job not getting caught in no-man's land."

Barbee coaches his Miners to take one game at a time during the marathon that is a basketball season, to not put more emphasis on one game than another.

When told that fans probably have Monday night's date circled, Barbee said, "I would like them to circle every game on the schedule as a big game. We have a unique team with special talent. We have Stefon Jackson, who is one of only 50 players in the nation nominated for the Wooden Award. Stefon is a senior and he is one of the best players ever to play in this program, and this year is the last chance for our fans to see him play. That alone is worth it."

Junior Kareem Cooper said, "Our fans are important to us. They give us that bounce, get us excited."

Sophomore Gabriel McCulley, who was with the Miners a year ago when they lost 84-71 at UNLV, said, "We're looking forward to coming in and getting a victory. They got us last year. Some people look at it as a big game. We look at it as the next game on our schedule. They are all big games."

Certainly, UNLV has been a top program for many years, and the Runnin' Rebels have been very good the past two seasons. They have won a combined 57 games over the past two years and they have won back-to-back Mountain West Tournament titles. They reached the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 in 2007 and the SECond round in 2008.

Bill Knight may be reached at bknight@elpasotimes.com; 546-6171.

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