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To run or not to run isn't the question.

The Lobos will run as much as they possibly can.

But it's a gamble being thrown down in a city built around the premise that the odds are with the house.

The "house" tonight in the Thomas & Mack Center is the UNLV Rebels, often labeled the Runnin' Rebs for obvious reasons and because of a style made famous in the Jerry "Tark The Shark" Tarkanian days.

So, is it wise to come into the Rebels' house and try to outdo them at what they do best?

"It's dangerous," said Steve Alford, the University of New Mexico men's basketball coach. "Yet, that's probably where we're at our best.

"That's a dangerous balance that you have to have."

The problem with running with Vegas is that the Rebels might run you off the court.

The problem with not running with Vegas is that the Rebels will run anyway.

But a controlled tempo might limit, a bit, the Rebs' pedal-to-the-metal philosophy.

Alford's Lobos appear poised to walk a thin line tonight. UNM will run. The Lobos will hope the Rebels don't run that much and don't run that well.

"We have to do a good job of trying to take transition baskets away because they are terrific in transition," said Alford. "They get a lot of shots on goal."

The Rebels get a lot of shots for a lot of reasons. They don't turn the ball over much (11.2 per game) and they take the ball away from their opponents a lot. UNLV has 99 fewer turnovers than its opponents and 94 more steals.

The steals come because UNLV plays pressure defense, a defense that also has opponents shooting 39.9 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from behind the line.

The Rebels get in your face.

"UNLV is all about that disruption with their defense," said Alford.

UNLV attacks with quickness and athleticism at both ends of the court because size is not a Rebel advantage. UNM's 6-9 Daniel Faris will be the tallest starter on the court.

"They don't have the bigs that they had last year," said Alford. "Vegas is all about dribble drive, about creating chaos because of just how fast that they can play."

Probably the fastest and the best Rebel is 6-foot Wink Adams, who tops the Reb charts with a 15.5 scoring average. He tossed in 25 points Wednesday at TCU in a 70-58 UNLV win.

Wink's ability to penetrate also sets up 6-5 Curtis Terry on the wing, where he has banged in 42 percent of his 3s.

"(Wink) is playing at a very high level," said Alford. "Terry can shoot it from the parking lot, so he stretches defenses."

Still, Vegas prefers the open court, the quick basket, the advantage of numbers on the break, the creation of chaos.

The Rebels know how to take advantage of a mess.

UNLV has 11 players who average 11 or more minutes. The Rebel depth isn't outstanding in the scoring column, but it is good enough to rest the starters while still creating chaos.

The Lobos are coming off an 83-66 spanking at Brigham Young which left them 3-3 in the Mountain, tied for fourth place with Air Force and TCU.

"It was a bad afternoon," Alford said of the BYU game, in which he was not happy with the Lobos effort or energy.

"We got to be blue collar. We got to be the team that when the game is over, we say we outworked you."

True. But tonight in Vegas the Lobos will need to be able to say something else, too.

They'll need to be able to say they outran the house.