San Diego State Aztecs vs. UNLV Rebels: How to watch and what to watch for

San Diego State Aztecs (22-7, 12-4 Mountain West) at UNLV Runnin' Rebels (16-13, 7-9 Mountain West)

When: 8 p.m. Pacific Time, 11 p.m. Eastern Time

Where: Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

Why: Because college basketball is awesome.

TV: CBS Sports Network

Radio: SDSU broadcast is on The Mighty 1090 AM. UNLV broadcast is on 1100 AM/100.9 FM ESPN Las Vegas.

Odds: SDSU is favored by 4.5 points.

Game preview: SDSU faces suddenly motivated rival (U-T San Diego)

What to watch for: UNLV's level of intensity

UNLV is without arguably its best pure scorer in Rashad Vaughn, but this roster is still loaded with talent that can do some serious damage when it's firing on all cylinders. The Rebels won't be playing any postseason basketball unless they win the MW Tournament, which is unlikely. But they can prevent the Aztecs from sharing the regular season MW crown.

That would feel pretty good.

Let's see if they come out playing like they're actually playing for something.