RUNNIN’ REBELS AT DAYTON WEDNESDAY NIGHT
UNLV men’s basketball will face Flyers at 6 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network
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The UNLV men’s basketball team (3-3) will be back in action for the first time in eight days and for just the second time in a 15-day span as it plays at Dayton on Wednesday, Dec. 6. The 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
ABOUT THE ROSTER: This season’s UNLV squad features seven returners from last year’s team along with seven newcomers. The newcomers are made up of three Division I transfers, a junior college transfer and three freshmen. UNLV has 10 upperclassmen, including five fifth-year seniors. A total of four players on the roster are playing in their hometown of Las Vegas. The Runnin’ Rebels return two starters in Luis Rodriguez and Justin Webster, who averaged 10.7 and 8.2 points per game last season, respectively. Rodriguez led last season’s team in rebounding (5.7 rpg).
EARLY SEASON RUNNIN’ REBEL LEADERS: After six games, four UNLV players are averaging double figures in scoring in Kalib Boone (13.8 ppg), Luis Rodriguez (12.2 ppg), Jalen Hill (11.5 ppg) and Dedan Thomas Jr. (10.8 ppg). Hill leads the team in rebounds (6.8 rpg), while Dedan Thomas Jr. is the assists leader (5.8 apg, 23rd in nation). Boone also leads the team in field-goal percentage (69.6, seventh in nation) and blocks (2.0 bpg), while Rodriguez is the team’s steals leader (1.7 spg). Hill will miss time because of a recent wrist injury.
LAST TIME OUT: UNLV is coming off a 72-70 win in its last game, which was on Nov. 28 at home against Akron. Four Runnin’ Rebels scored in double figures as they snapped a two-game losing streak with the victory. UNLV led by as many as 18 points in the contest as Luis Rodriguez scored a team-high 13 with six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. Kalib Boone and Dedan Thomas Jr. each added 12 points, while Jackie Johnson III contributed 11. UNLV led 70-60 with just over two minutes to play, but Akron finished the game on a 10-2 run to cut it to 72-70 with 47 seconds left. The Zips had a chance at the end but Mikal Dawson missed a long 3-pointer with just a couple of seconds remaining.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT: Dayton has started the 2023-24 season with a 6-2 record and has won three in a row and five of its last six with its only loss during that span occurring against Houston on Nov. 19. The three-game win streak consists of victories against Youngstown State (77-69), at SMU (65-63) and against Grambling State (76-46). Three Flyer players are averaging double figures in scoring: DaRon Holmes III (15.5 ppg), Nate Santos (13.5 ppg) and Koby Brea (12.3 ppg). Santos leads in rebounding (7.5 rpg), while Kobe Elvis is the team’s assist leader (4.4 apg), Holmes II leads in blocks (2.0 bpg) and Enoch Cheeks in steals (1.5 spg). As a team, Dayton ranks 21st in the country in 3-point percentage (39.2) and 41st in scoring defense (64.1 ppg). Brea leads the team and is 13th in the country in 3-point shooting at 48.1%. Dayton finished last season with an overall record of 22-12, placing second in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 12-6 league mark. The Flyers, who return four starters from last year’s team, were picked to win their league this season, receiving 20 of 25 first-place votes in the preseason poll, while Holmes II was named First Team Preseason All-Conference and to the Preseason All-Defensive Team. Malachi Smith earned second-team honors. Led by head coach Anthony Grant, Dayton has nine upperclassmen on its 18-man roster.
BROADCAST INFO: Wednesday night’s game will be televised on CBS Sports Network with John Sadak and Pete Gillen calling the action. Jon Sandler, former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry and Steve Cofield will handle the UNLV radio call, which may be heard live on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.
LAST SEASON: The Runnin’ Rebels finished the 2022-23 season with 19 wins. UNLV won two games over ranked teams, which marked the first time the program had won multiple games against top 25 teams in the same season since 2015-16. UNLV raced out to a hot start, going 11-1 in non-conference play after winning its first 10 games. The non-conference record was its best in 32 years and the 10-0 start was its best in 34 seasons. When the team was 10-0 it was receiving votes in both top 25 polls. EJ Harkless was named Second Team All-Mountain West when conference play concluded.