RUNNIN’ REBELS TO OPEN MOUNTAIN WEST TOURNAMENT AGAINST AIR FORCE
First Round matchup set for Wednesday at 4 p.m.; UNLV has won six of last eight games
The UNLV men’s basketball team, which has won six of its last eight games, will open play in the 2025 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship against Air Force in the first round on Wednesday, March 12 at 4 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Runnin’ Rebels (17-14, 11-9 MW) are the No. 6 seed, while the Falcons (4-27, 1-19 MW) are No. 11. The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network, ESPN Radio Las Vegas and SiriusXM.
UNLV had a three-game win streak snapped in its regular-season finale at New Mexico on Friday night (81-67). The three prior games consisted of a 77-71 road win at San Jose State on Feb. 25, a 68-55 home win over intrastate rival UNR on Feb. 28 and a 74-67 home victory against San Diego State on March 4, which completed the Runnin’ Rebels’ first regular-season sweep of the Aztecs in 12 years. Over their previous seven games (before playing at New Mexico), the Runnin’ Rebels had held their opponents to just 59.1 points per game on average and 37.5% shooting.
UNLV had also won three straight – a 68-57 road win at Wyoming on Feb. 8, which snapped a five-game losing streak, a 77-52 home win over Air Force on Feb. 11 and a 52-51 road win at Fresno State on Feb. 15 – before falling on Feb. 22 at home to Colorado State, 61-53. That game was UNLV’s first without point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who missed because of injury. He has missed five games in total.
Air Force enters the MW Tournament having lost four straight games. The Falcons’ lone win in conference play was a 72-69 overtime victory at home against Fresno State on Feb. 22. Their last contest was an 87-47 road loss to Utah State on Saturday.
UNLV has four players averaging double figures in scoring: Dedan Thomas Jr. with 15.6 points per game (9th in MW), Jaden Henley with 12.2 ppg, Jailen Bedford with 10.1 ppg and Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry with 10.0 ppg. Julian Rishwain, who suffered an injury in the first half at New Mexico, and Jalen Hill are averaging 9.2 ppg and 8.5 ppg, respectively. Cherry leads in rebounding with 5.3 rpg and blocks with 1.5 bpg (3rd in MW), while Thomas Jr. is the team’s assist leader with 4.7 apg (3rd in MW) and Henley leads in steals with 1.5 spg (7th in MW).
UNLV is in its fourth season under head coach Kevin Kruger. He has a career record of 75-54 (.581).
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 from last year’s team 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 (has missed the last five games because of injury), 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 of 2024 (in the MW opener at San Diego State). 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 Friday’s loss at New Mexico, UNLV was already down multiple players because of injury and it suffered another big loss as Julian Rishwain left the game about seven minutes in because of an injury and did not return.
The Runnin’ Rebels had four players score in double figures, led by Jalen Hill’s 16 points. Bear Cherry and Jaden Henley each had 14, while Jailen Bedford contributed 10. Rishwain scored eight points. The game was a close one for most of the contest as there were 17 lead changes and seven ties throughout. New Mexico held a 40-38 lead at the half. New Mexico held a one-point lead with 6:28 to go at 65-64 before it went on a 12-0 run over a three-plus minute stretch to take a 77-64 lead with 2:09 to go. The Lobos ended up closing the game outscoring UNLV 16-3. New Mexico shot 53.4% from the field (31 of 58) and outscored UNLV in points in the paint, 56-36.
ABOUT AIR FORCE: The Falcons enter Wednesday’s game on a four-game losing streak. They won one Mountain West game this season: vs. Fresno State on Feb. 22 (72-69 in OT). Ethan Taylor leads Air Force in scoring with 13.6 ppg and rebounding with 5.4 rpg. He is also tops in assists (3.5 apg), steals (1.6 spg) and 3-pointers made per game (2.9, 1st in MW). Taylor is 41st in the country in 3-pointers per game. Air Force was predicted to finish 11th in the Mountain West this season in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Falcons had an overall record of 9-22 last season, finishing 11th in the MW with a league mark of 2-16. Air Force has just five upperclassmen on its 22-man roster. Head coach Joe Scott is in his ninth season at the school with a record of 94-168 (.359) and is in his 21st overall as a Division I head coach with a career mark of 278-345 (.446).
THIS SEASON VS. AIR FORCE:
UNLV led by as many as 28 points in its 77-58 win at Air Force on New Year’s Eve day (Dec. 31). It was the Runnin’ Rebels’ third straight win and fourth victory in their previous five games as they improved their Mountain West record to 2-0. Four UNLV players scored in double figures, led by Julian Rishwain’s 16 points as he made 4 of 7 3-pointers. After a slow start UNLV found itself down 10-6 almost six minutes into the game, but a 20-3 run over a five-plus minute stretch gave the Runnin’ Rebels a 26-13 lead with 8:30 to go in the first half. Air Force cut it to five with 5:30 until halftime, but UNLV increased its advantage from there and led 38-26 at the break. UNLV outshot Air Force 57.1% (28 of 49) to 33.3% (19 of 57).
On Feb. 11, UNLV’s 77-52 win over Air Force gave the Runnin’ Rebels the regular-season sweep over the Falcons. Five UNLV players scored in double figures, led by Bear Cherry’s 15 points on a perfect 6 of 6 from the field. Julian Rishwain scored 13 points, while Jailen Bedford, Brooklyn Hicks and Jaden Henley all had 11. After the game was tied 10-10 with 12:34 to play in the first half, UNLV pushed its lead to 14 (29-15) with 6:27 until halftime and led by 22 (44-22) at the break. UNLV shot 60.7% (17 of 28) from the field in the first half and held Air Force to just 32.1% (18 of 56) for the game.
BROADCAST INFO: Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network with Nate Kreckman and Terrence Ogelsby calling the action. The radio call will be handled by Matt Neverett, former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry and Steve Cofield, which may be heard on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas and worldwide on SiriusXM 162 or 202. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.
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Runnin' Rebels To Open Mountain West Tournament Against Air Force Wednesday At 4 PM
Description Runnin' Rebels To Open Mountain West Tournament Against Air Force Wednesday At 4 PM