With Lon Kruger accepting the job at Oklahoma,two former UNLV players Dave Rice and Reggie Theus will make strong pushes for the job.

Rice, who played on UNLV’s national championship team in 1990, is the associate head coach at BYU. He also has local recruiting ties through his brother, Grant, who is the head coach at powerhouse Bishop Gorman.

Theus, who suited up for the Rebels in the late 1970s under Jerry Tarkanian, was the head coach at New Mexico State from 2005-07, leading the Aggies to a 41-23 record and an NCAA tourney appearance. He left there to take over the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, and is currently an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves.