UNLV and Nevada played in post-season basketball tournament games Tuesday.

The Rebels traveled to Lexington, Ky., to play Kentucky in a National Invitational Tournament first-round game. Kentucky missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years. UNLV was going after a third consecutive NCA tournament bid.

In Reno, the Wolf Pack hosted Texas El-Paso in a College Basketball Invitational game in the Lawlor Center. Nevada played its former Western Athletic Conference foe Tuesday. UTEP was in the WAC from 2000 to 2005, when it left to join Conference USA. In those five years, Nevada had a 7-4 record against the Miners.

Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie wasn't surprised when the Wildcats weren't selected for the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years.

Gillispie said late Sunday night that his struggling team didn't play well enough to deserve consideration into college basketball's premier event. Kentucky (20-13) dropped nine of its final 13 games, including a loss to LSU in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament last week.

The Wildcats battled UNLV (21-10) in the NIT; Kentucky hadn't played in that tournament since 1979.