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basketball Edit

Time lapse

At a press conference last week here in Las Vegas, UNLV head coach Marvin Menzies and Duke's legendary head man, Mike Krzyewski, spoke about their upcoming match-up at the brand new T-Mobile Arena this season.

Though exciting that the Runnin' Rebels were able to secure one of the nation's elite programs for what is essentially a home game in 2016, that's really the end of the story as it pertains to this contest.

To be quite frank, this game is 25 years too late.

If you take off the UNLV blinders for a second, the real news about this game is Duke's amazing run at the top and the Rebels' complete fall from the mountain top.

This statistic pretty much sums up this game in a nutshell. Since the Blue Devils' upset victory over UNLV at the Final Four in 1991, Duke has won more National Championships (5) than UNLV has NCAA Tournament games (3).

Yes, I know that was tough to hear, but let that sink in for moment.

Imagine if these two behemoths would've met in 1992 at, say Madison Square Garden, it would've been the "Game of the Century". Twenty-five years later and it means very little, except to just rub it into UNLV supporters' faces how great Duke truly has been over the years.

Now, nadda, zilch, zip.

And let me say that I don't mean any slight to Menzies or anyone on the Rebel roster this year. It's just a fact.

In 1991, Duke was an afterthought as UNLV was unbeaten and heading toward its second consecutive crown as college basketball's most dominating team - maybe ever. The Rebels were supposed to carve up the soft Dookies just as they did the year before.

After more than two decades, perennial national power, Duke, will look at the Rebels as some mid-major fodder they have to dismantle before the meat of its schedule begins a couple weeks later.

Let this not be forgotten, the real last laugh will come straight from the NCAA. Only time can illustrate an actual picture of what will become. With UNLV vs. Duke on the marquee December 10th on the Las Vegas Strip, Rebel fans will be faced with the realization of what this once "Dream Game" actually means.

There's no other way to spin it. UNLV is no longer "Public Enemy No. 1" to Duke's "Good Guys". Twenty-five years later, the Runnin' Rebels will be just another team on the Blue Devils' schedule.

It's a very harsh reality.

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