UNLV’s men’s golf team is 18 holes away from a trip to the national championship.

The Rebels edged up into a tie for second at their NCAA regional in Urbana, Illinois, on Tuesday. But more importantly, they created a large cushion between themselves and the team in sixth place. The top five teams after Wednesday’s final round at Atkins Golf Club will head to Carlsbad, California, for the NCAA championship starting May 23.

No. 14 Illinois continues to set the pace at 10 under on its home course, while the No. 35 Rebels and No. 2 Oklahoma State sit three shots back at 7 under. No. 23 Texas Tech is fourth at 2 under, with Sun Belt champion Troy in fifth at 1 under. No. 47 Marquette is sixth at 4 over, giving the Rebels an 11-shot cushion between themselves and the Golden Eagles, the first team outside of the cutline.

Individually, UNLV senior Caden Fioroni moved to the top of the leaderboard with a 67 on Tuesday, vaulting him to 7 under. He has a one-shot lead over Illinois senior Jackson Buchanan and Michigan senior Hunter Thomson.

UNLV junior Wyatt Plattner is tied for 11th at 2 under, sophomore Zach Little is tied for 14th at 1 under and senior Trevor Lewis is tied for 36th at 3 over.

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. Reach him at [email protected].