Tuesday, March 17th, 9:30 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Memorial Coliseum (9,000) -- Lexington, Kentucky. Television: ESPN. NIT Record: UNLV 8-10, Kentucky 11-5. Series Record: Kentucky leads, 3-0.

GAME NOTES: Settling into their former haunt at Memorial Coliseum, the Kentucky Wildcats continue their 2008-09 campaign with a meeting against the UNLV Runnin' Rebels in the first round of the 72nd annual NIT. A scheduling conflict has Kentucky's own Rupp Arena out of commission for this contest, which means the Wildcats will be hitting the hardwood where they once called home between 1950-1976. This season, the team got off to a rocky start with a 111-103 loss to VMI in the opener, but the 'Cats battled back against non- conference opponents. However, the SEC slate proved to be difficult, to the point where Kentucky dropped four straight to close out the regular season. The team did dismiss Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC Tournament (71-58) but then bowed out the next day in a 67-58 loss to LSU in Tampa. As for the Runnin' Rebels, one of only a handful of teams to have defeated Louisville this season, they cruised through the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 12-3 mark, but when it came time to battle the rest of the Mountain West Conference they simply were not up to the task. UNLV lost the regular season finale versus San Diego State, 57-46, then five days later suffered a 71-57 setback to the same program in MWC Tournament action at the Thomas & Mack Center. Kentucky, which has a record of 11-5 in the NIT, has won this event twice over the years in both 1946 versus Rhode Island (46-45) and 1976 with a 71-67 triumph versus UNC Charlotte. The Rebels are taking part in their 10th NIT overall, sporting an 8-10 mark heading into this bout. In terms of the all-time series between these two programs, the Wildcats have a perfect 3-0 mark versus UNLV, with a 64-61 decision in the first round of the 1985 NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City being the most recent encounter. The winner of this matchup will play the survivor of the Bowling Green/Creighton battle in the second round.

Aside from beating Louisville this season, by just a single point mind you, the Rebels were rather average in their success rate, particularly when it came to the rest of the Mountain West Conference. The team ranked last in the league in field goal percentage at a mere 42.4 and was second-to-last in the conference behind the three-point line at only 34.7 percent, yet that didn't keep UNLV from leading the league with seven and a half treys per outing. Wink Adams stands out as the top scorer for the program with his 14.3 ppg, but in doing so he has left the rest of the offense watching and waiting for many of his shots to fall short of the mark. Adams made good on only 37.4 percent from the field and 26.6 percent behind the three-point line. Tre'Von Willis (11.7 ppg) and Rene Rougeau (11.1 ppg) are the other two double-digit scorer for the group, with the latter also leading the team with his 6.8 rpg and 64 blocked shots as he tried to carry the group when Adams was lacking in that area.

The Wildcats begin and end with the exploits of Jodie Meeks who ranks fifth in the nation in scoring with his 24.7 ppg. Meeks, who dropped a hefty 54 points in a win over Tennessee on the road back in early January, has done damage all over the floor for Kentucky, converting 46.2 percent from the field, an impressive 40.1 percent behind the three-point line, and 194-of-217 (.894) at the charity stripe which means he has accounted for more than a third of the unit's productivity at the free-throw line. Aiding Meeks in his offensive endeavors is Patrick Patterson who came close to averaging a double-double on the season with his 18.2 ppg and team-best 9.4 rpg. A 60.5 percent shooter from the floor, Patterson has also hurt opponents with his physical play, resulting in 119-of-153 at the stripe. Because of Meeks and Patterson the defense for the Wildcats often gets overlooked, even though the group ranked in the nation's top-10 in field goal defense, holding foes to just 38.8 percent accuracy.

Plenty of quality teams have tried to hold down Meeks this season, and some of them managed to make it happen to an extent, but it won't be easy for the Rebels because they'll have their hands full with Patterson in the paint as well.

Predicted Outcome

Kentucky 75, UNLV 66