Rebel fans turn out despite early start

The 2:30 tipoff for today’s Mountain West Conference Tournament quarterfinal game with San Diego State won’t hurt UNLV’s home court advantage too much.

Of the 9,000 or so fans on hand, only about 500 are from San Diego State. Another 1,000 or so are wearing BYU blue and no doubt will be rooting for the Aztecs, a team the Cougars swept this season. UNLV, meanwhile, swept BYU during the regular season.

The rest of the crowd — about 7,500 or so — cheered loudly when the Rebels took the floor.

One lineup change for today’s game. Green Valley High product Billy White returns to the starting lineup for the Aztecs for the first time in four games after suffering hyper extending his knee in a game at New Mexico. White came off the bench against UNLV last Saturday at Cox Arena.