2009 – 10 UNLV Runnin ' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada , Las Vegas . The team was coached by Lon Kruger , returning for his sixth year with the Runnin ' Rebels . They played their home games at the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV 's main campus in Paradise , Nevada and are a member of the Mountain West Conference . The Runnin ' Rebels finished the season 25 – 9 , 11 – 5 in MWC play . They advanced to the championship game of the 2010 Mountain West Conference Men 's Basketball Tournament before losing to San Diego State . They received an at – large bid to the 2010 NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Tournament , earning an 8 seed in the Midwest Region , where they lost to 9 seed Northern Iowa in the first round
2010 Mountain West Conference Men 's Basketball Tournament
2010 Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2009–10 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team