Runnin’ Rebels Gear Up for a Showdown with No. 22 Utah State This Wednesday!

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV men’s basketball squad (9-7, 3-2) is set to return to the Thomas & Mack Center to face No. 22 Utah State on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. The match will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.

The Runnin’ Rebels commenced conference play with an 87-77 home victory against Fresno State, followed by a 77-58 win at Air Force and a 79-73 home triumph over San Jose State. However, they faced two consecutive losses on the road against Boise State, 81-59, and Colorado State, 84-62. UNLV has claimed five of its last eight matches, with their only other defeat during this stretch being a heartbreaking one-point loss to then-No. 22 Dayton on Dec. 17.

UNLV displayed over 50% shooting accuracy from the field in its initial three Mountain West games and holds a record of 7-1 at home this season.

UNLV features three players who are scoring in double digits, led by Dedan Thomas Jr.’s 16.1 points per contest. Jaden Henley, Jailen Bedford, Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry, and Julian Rishwain are averaging between 8.8 ppg and 12.0 ppg. Cherry leads in rebounds with 5.6 rpg and blocks with 1.4 bpg, while Thomas Jr. tops the team in assists with 4.4 apg and Rishwain leads in steals with 1.4 spg.

UNLV is currently in its fourth season under head coach Kevin Kruger, boasting a career record of 67-47 (.588).

PROMOTIONS: Until Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., fans can buy a Family 4-Pack for Wednesday night’s game. Each Family 4-Pack consists of four game tickets plus four chicken finger baskets starting at just $52 total. Purchase at UNLVtickets.com.

TICKETS: Tickets for UNLV men’s basketball home games are available at UNLVtickets.com, via phone at 702-739-FANS (3267), or in person at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office.

ABOUT THE ROSTER: This year’s UNLV team includes six returning players from last season along with 10 new faces. The newcomers consist of four Division I transfers, one junior college transfer, and five freshmen. UNLV boasts eight upperclassmen, which includes two players in their sixth year. Six roster members are playing in their hometown of Las Vegas. The Runnin’ Rebels have returned two starters: sophomore guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who was named Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year last season and selected for this year’s preseason all-conference team, along with senior forward Rob Whaley Jr. (currently sidelined due to injury). Forward Jalen Hill also returns for a sixth year after facing a season-ending knee injury last January. Thomas Jr. led UNLV in scoring and assisting last year with averages of 13.6 and 5.1 per game, respectively, while Whaley Jr. posted averages of 7.6 ppg and 3.6 rpg, and Hill averaged 10.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg over seven games.

LAST TIME OUT: In the loss at CSU on Saturday, Jaden Henley and Dedan Thomas Jr. each tallied 19 points for the Runnin’ Rebels. Colorado State shot 65.4% from the field in the first half (17 of 26), hitting 66.7% on 3-pointers (8 of 12), which enabled them to secure an 11-point lead by halftime (46-35). UNLV narrowed its gap to only six points at 58-52 with 10 minutes remaining, but CSU extended its advantage to 19 points with 5:38 left.

ABOUT UTAH STATE: The Aggies have prevailed in all six of their Mountain West games this season after finishing non-conference play with a record of 10-1. Their sole defeat this season came at home against UC San Diego, 75-73. USU recently achieved an 81-79 comeback victory at home over Boise State on Saturday. Utah State holds a 44th ranking in KenPom and is 4-0 in genuine road games this season. The Aggies have two players averaging double figures, Ian Martinez at 16.8 ppg and Mason Falslev at 16.4 ppg. Falslev leads in rebounding with 6.2 rpg, field-goal percentage at 53.7% (first in the MW), and steals with 2.4 (first in the MW). Drake Allen is the assist leader for the team with 3.9 apg. Utah State ranks ninth nationally in assists per game with 18.5 and 18th in field-goal percentage at 49.6. USU was predicted to finish sixth in the Mountain West this season according to the preseason coaches’ poll, acquiring one of 26 first-place votes. Martinez was included in the preseason All-MW team. The Aggies completed last season with an overall record of 28-7, topping the MW with a league record of 14-4. They progressed to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they were defeated by No. 1-seeded Purdue, ending their season. Utah State has six upperclassmen on its 14-member roster. Head coach Jerrod Calhoun is in his first season with Utah State, having previously held head coaching positions at Fairmont State (2012-17) and Youngstown State (2017-24) with a career record of 258-145 (.640).

BROADCAST INFO: Wednesday’s matchup will be aired nationally on CBS Sports Network with John Sadak and Avery Johnson providing commentary. Matt Neverett, former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry, and Steve Cofield will be on the radio call, available on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas and worldwide via SiriusXM 388. All streaming links and live stats can be found at UNLVRebels.com and via the UNLV Rebels App.