Coach Jim Boylen called them "one of the better ... teams in the country, with the way they're playing," which might come as a surprise to those who figured the UNLV Rebels might dip a bit after losing four starters from last year's Sweet 16 team.

"But they have gelled so well," Boylen said, "And defensively, I don't think they have lost a step. You have to give coach Kruger credit on that, what they've done. They have had guys buy in and they're playing as a team."

The Utes figure to get all they can handle, then, when the Rebels visit the Huntsman Center on Wednesday night riding a five-game winning streak overall, a five-game winning streak against the Utes, and a stretch of 13 wins in their last 15 games.

"Definitely a top 20 team, to me," Boylen said.

Junior guard Wink Adams and junior forward Joe Darger make the Rebels go offensively -- Adams leads the team by scoring 15.9 pints per game, while Darger right behind at 12.4 -- but Boylen believes it's the defense that has made the most difference.

"Defensively, the way they play, the effort they give is part of it," he said. "They seem very comfortable in their roles." Swingman Curtis Terry "is a creator," Boylen said. Adams "knows he has to score, and does." Guard Rene Rougeau "takes what the defense gives him and will make plays." Forward Corey Bailey "is an older guy who takes pride in his defense and plays off the other two guards and makes enough plays to help them win." And center Joe Darger "is a spacing guy who has improved his toughness and his defense."

"So I think they have all kind of made a personal commitment to doing the roles and also putting the team first and I think that shows on the films," he said. "It's impressive."