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LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The UNLV men’s basketball team (5-4) will head back out on the road and travel to Dayton, Ohio for a game at No. 22 Dayton (9-2) on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST.
It will be the Runnin’ Rebels’ second game in a three-day span after playing just twice in 14 days. UNLV is coming off a 72-65 win over Pacific at its home away from home at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. That game was part of the Jack Jones Classic.
Prior to the game against the Tigers, UNLV lost at Creighton on Dec. 7 and before that it competed at the Arizona Tip-Off in Tempe over Thanksgiving. After entering that event on a three-game win streak, UNLV lost to then-No. 25 Mississippi State and Northwestern on back-to-back days at the event.
The Runnin’ Rebels opened their season with a five-game homestand spanning from Nov. 4-23 with wins over Alabama State, a loss to Memphis, and victories over Omaha, Pepperdine and New Mexico State at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Dedan Thomas Jr. leads UNLV in scoring this season with 16.7 points per game, while Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry is second at 11.0 ppg, Jailen Bedford is third with 10.4 ppg and Julian Rishwain is fourth with 10.2 ppg. Cherry leads in rebounding with 6.4 rpg, field-goal percentage with 66.7% and blocks with 1.7 bpg, while Thomas Jr. is the team’s assist leader with 3.8 apg and Hill leads in steals with 1.8 spg. Rishwain’s 3-point shooting percentage of 44.4 ranks 45th in the country.
UNLV is in its fourth season under head coach Kevin Kruger. He has a career record of 63-44.
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 in 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’s win over Pacific, Julian Rishwain scored a season-high 21 points and made a career-high-tying five 3-pointers for the Runnin’ Rebels. Dedan Thomas Jr. added 16 points with five assists and two steals. Jaden Henley scored 11 points and Pape N’Diaye collected a career-high 10 rebounds. UNLV led in bench scoring 26-3 and in points off turnovers 18-9.
ABOUT DAYTON: The Flyers, who are ranked No. 22 in the country, have won four straight games including Saturday against then-No. 6/4 Marquette (71-63). Dayton also defeated UConn in the Maui Invitational and lost by just two points to North Carolina. The Flyers have four players in double figures in scoring, led by Enoch Cheeks’ 15.8 ppg. He also leads the team in rebounding with 7.3 rpg and steals with 2.0 spg. Malachi Smith averages 12.1 ppg and leads the team in assists with 6.0 apg. The team ranks in the top 25 in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (6th, 1.97), turnovers per game (6th, 9.0), assists per game (23rd, 17.7) and effective field-goal percentage (25th, .574). Posh Alexander ranks 12th in the country in assist/turnover ratio at 4.0, while Smith is 19th in assists per game and 25th in assist/turnover ratio (3.47). Dayton was predicted to finish second in the Atlantic 10 this season in the preseason coaches’ poll, earning six first-place votes (out of 25). The team had an overall record of 25-8 overall last season, finishing third in the A-10 with a league mark of 14-4. The Flyers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Dayton, who has 10 upperclassmen on its 17-man roster, is coached by Anthony Grant, who is 158-74 at Dayton and 351-183 overall as a collegiate head coach.
BROADCAST INFO: Tuesday’s game will be televised on Peacock with Mike Corey and John Giannini calling the action. Matt Neverett and former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry will handle the radio call on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas, which is also available on SiriusXM 385. 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, 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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