I have one word of advice for UNLV fans.

PATIENCE.

It is going to take some time to rebuild the program. I think back to 1990, when Jerry Tarkanian led the Runnin' Rebels to a 30-point victory over Duke in the national title game.

That is still the biggest margin in championship game history.

That UNLV team was so special: Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, Anderson Hunt, it was really loaded. The next year, the Blue Devils got revenge in the national semifinal en route to a national championship.

Tarkanian was a superstar in his own right right. He would walk around Las Vegas, owning the town with his popularity. Everyone wanted to be a part of a winning program.

I called the recent Duke-UNLV game at the beautiful, new T-Mobile Arena. i was impressed with the effort put forth by UNLV. Those kids fought hard and gave it their best, though you couldn't tell by the final margin (95-45). The Runnin' Rebels don't have the same talent level that Duke has.

Marvin Menzies got the UNLV coaching job late. Chris Beard was supposed to be the coach, coming over after a successful stint at Arkansas-Little Rock. Beard's team beat Purdue in the NCAA tournament last year.

Then the Texas Tech job opened when Tubby Smith went to Memphis. Beard decided to go to Lubbock. Menzies inherited a program which returned just three players from last year's squad.

Menzies was a member of Lon Kruger's staff at UNLV in 2004-05. He took New Mexico State to the NCAA tournament five times. Having a late start putting together this roster put him behind the eight ball.

The expectations for this season weren't very high. The Runnin' Rebels were picked eighth in the preseason Mountain West poll. UNLV has lost to South Alabama, TCU and Arizona State already in this campaign. The 24-point loss to the Sun Devils was alarming when you consider what Purdue did to Arizona State in the Jimmy V. Classic ... blowout city.

UNLV last went to the Sweet 16 back in 2007. It is likely that the Runnin' Rebels will finish with fewer than 20 wins for the third straight season, a streak which last took place in 2004-06.

Can this program bounce back and return to national prominence? The answer is yes.

Fans in Vegas are hungry for a winner. It only takes one good recruiting class to turn things around. Go look at UCLA, which had a losing record last season. After they added Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf the Bruins are No. 2 in the AP poll this week. UCLA is unbeaten and looking very good.

Give Menzies some time and he will build a good program. His kids hustled and scrapped against Duke. It will take a little time to get the talent level up.