UNLV ANNOUNCES 2016-17 NON-CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Runnin’ Rebels to face three teams that advanced deep into last season’s NCAA Tournament: Duke, Kansas and Oregon
UNLV Athletics announced its opponents and dates for the non-conference portion of its 2016-17 men’s basketball schedule on Wednesday.
For the fourth straight season, with 11 teams as Mountain West members, UNLV will play 18 conference games, therefore playing 13 during the non-conference season. The 2016-17 MW schedule has not yet been announced.
This year’s Runnin’ Rebel non-conference slate features games against three teams that advanced deep into last season’s NCAA Tournament in Duke, Kansas and Oregon, with two of the games scheduled for Las Vegas: Kansas at the Thomas & Mack Center on Thursday, Dec. 22, and Duke at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, Dec. 10.
A formal announcement of the Duke game is expected in July, which will include full details on ticket information. UNLV season ticket holders will have priority access to purchase tickets.
“We have an exciting and challenging non-conference schedule,” said UNLV head coach Marvin Menzies, who is in his first year leading the program. “We will be facing some of the top teams in the country and there is no question it will prepare us well for a tough, competitive Mountain West slate.”
UNLV will play eight times at home at the Thomas & Mack Center before its first road game, starting with two exhibition contests: vs. Dakota Wesleyan on Tuesday, Nov. 1, and vs. New Mexico Highlands on Saturday, Nov. 5.
The Runnin’ Rebels will open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 11 vs. South Alabama, then host UC Riverside on Wednesday, Nov. 16. Next will be Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Nov. 19, and Northern Arizona on Tuesday, Nov 22 – both preliminary round games of the Global Sports Classic.
The Global Sports Classic’s final rounds will be held at the Thomas & Mack Center on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 25 and 26 with four games each day. UNLV will face TCU on Nov. 25 and then either Western Kentucky or Washington on Nov. 26. The Huskies played in the postseason NIT last year, falling in the second round at San Diego State.
UNLV’s first road contest of the season will be at Southern Utah on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The Thunderbirds are led by Todd Simon, who spent three seasons on staff at UNLV as an assistant coach, associate head coach and interim head coach.
The Runnin’ Rebels will play their second straight game on the road on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Arizona State, then return to Las Vegas to play Duke in the first college basketball game to be played at the new T-Mobile Arena on the World-Famous Las Vegas Strip. The Blue Devils, who won the 2015 NCAA Championship, are coming off a 25-11 season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. This will be UNLV’s first meeting with Duke since the 1991 NCAA Final Four.
The Runnin’ Rebels will be back at the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday, Dec. 14 vs. Incarnate Word, before heading back out on the road to face Oregon in Portland. The Ducks won the Pac-12’s regular-season and tournament titles last year and finished the season in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight with a 31-7 record.
UNLV will return to the Thomas & Mack Center vs. Southern Illinois on Monday, Dec. 19, then will conclude its non-conference schedule by hosting Kansas. The Jayhawks also advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight last year after winning their 12th straight Big 12 regular-season title. KU also won last season’s Big 12 Tournament and finished the year 33-5 overall.
All game times and television appearances will be announced at a later date.
For information on purchasing season tickets in the lower plaza level, contact the Rebel Athletic Fund at 702-895-1533. For all other ticket information, please call 702-739-FANS or visit UNLVtickets.com.