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LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The UNLV men’s basketball team (9-5, 3-0), winner of four straight games and five of its last six, will travel to Boise, Idaho, to play at Boise State (11-4, 3-1) on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The 8:30 p.m. MST/7:30 p.m. PST game will be televised live on FS1.
The Runnin’ Rebels have opened league action with an 87-77 home win over Fresno State, a 77-58 road victory at Air Force and a 79-73 home win over San Jose State. UNLV’s only loss over its last six games was a one-point heart-breaker at then-No. 22 Dayton on Dec. 17. UNLV has shot better than 50% from the field in each of its last three games.
UNLV has four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Dedan Thomas Jr.’s 16.3 points per game. Jaden Henley, Jailen Bedford and Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry are all averaging between 10.0 and 11.4 ppg, while Julian Rishwain is right behind at 9.5 ppg. Cherry leads in rebounding with 5.7 rpg, field-goal percentage with 67.8% and blocks with 1.6 bpg, while Thomas Jr. is the team’s assist leader with 4.3 apg and Rishwain leads in steals with 1.6 spg. Rishwain is the team’s top 3-point shooter at 39.8%.
UNLV is in its fourth season under head coach Kevin Kruger. He has a career record of 67-45 (.598).
ABOUT THE ROSTER: This season’s UNLV squad features six returners from last year’s team along with 10 newcomers. The newcomers are made up of four Division I transfers, a junior college transfer and five freshmen. UNLV has eight upperclassmen, including two sixth-year players. A total of six players on the roster are playing in their hometown of Las Vegas. The Runnin’ Rebels returned two starters in sophomore guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who was the Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year last season and was named to this season’s preseason all-conference team, and senior forward Rob Whaley Jr. (currently injured) Forward Jalen Hill is also back for a sixth year of college after suffering a season-ending knee injury last January. Thomas Jr. led UNLV in scoring and assists last year with 13.6 and 5.1 per game, respectively, Whaley Jr. had averages of 7.6 ppg and 3.6 rpg, while Hill averaged 10.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg in seven contests.
LAST TIME OUT: In Saturday afternoon’s win over San Jose State, four UNLV players scored in double figures, led by Dedan Thomas Jr.’s 17 points and Jailen Bedford’s 16. Jaden Henley contributed 13, while Jalen Hill added 10. UNLV out-shot the Spartans 51.5% (17 of 33) to 25.8% (8 of 31) in the first half and led 44-26 at the break. After UNLV led by as many as 20 points with 11 minutes to play (64-44), San Jose State used a 14-0 run to cut its deficit to just three points with 3:25 to go. However, UNLV pushed its lead back to seven points with 1:26 to play and was never seriously threatened again.
ABOUT BOISE STATE: The Broncos are coming off their first home loss of the season, 76-68 to San Diego State on Saturday. Prior to that, Boise State had won five straight games: vs. Saint Mary’s (67-65), vs. Texas Southern (82-51), vs. Air Force (77-59), at San Jose State (73-71) and at Wyoming (67-58). Boise State is ranked 59th in KenPom and is 6-1 at home this season. The Broncos have four players averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Tyson Degenhart with 17.5 ppg (3rd in the MW). Degenhart also leads the team in field-goal percentage (50.9). O’Mar Stanley leads the team in rebounding with 6.4 rpg and blocks with 1.1 bpg, while San Jose State transfer Alvaro Cardenas is the team’s assist leader at 6.6 apg (2nd in MW) and steals leader with 1.5 spg. The Broncos are 16th in the country in rebound margin at 8.7 per game. Cardenas is 10th in the nation in assists. Boise State was predicted to finish win the Mountain West this season in the preseason coaches’ poll, earning 19 of 26 first-place votes. Degenhart was named the league’s Preseason Player of the Year and to the preseason All-MW team, while Stanley and Cardenas were also selected. The Broncos had an overall record of 22-11 last season, finishing tied for second in the MW with a league mark of 13-5. They lost in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four to Colorado to end their season. Boise State has seven upperclassmen on its 15-man roster. Head coach Leon Rice is in his 15th year at the school with a career record of 301-170 (.639).
BROADCAST INFO: Tuesday night’s game will be televised live on FS1 with Derek Clark and Dan Dickau calling the action. Matt Neverett, former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry and Steve Cofield will the call on radio, which may be heard on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas and worldwide on SiriusXM 390. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.
LAST SEASON: The Runnin’ Rebels had their best season in over a decade in 2023-24 as they were invited to the postseason for the first time since 2013, advancing to the NIT quarterfinals and securing their first postseason win in 16 years. In his third season at the helm, head coach Kevin Kruger led the squad to 21 wins for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign and guided the team to a 12-4 record over its final 16 games.
UNLV recorded its first win over a top-10 team in four years, its first in non-conference play in nine seasons and beat a total of four ranked teams in a single season for the first time in 11 years. 2023-24 Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year Dedan Thomas Jr. set the Mountain West’s assists record with 174, also leading the nation in assists among freshmen.
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