RUNNIN’ REBELS BACK HOME FOR TWO SATURDAY & MONDAY
UNLV to host Air Force at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, both on CBS Sports Network
- GameNotes Air Force (PDF)
- Season Stats (web) | Season Stats (pdf)
- Media Guide | Schedule
- @UNLVAthletics | @TheRunninRebels
The UNLV men’s basketball team will return home to the Thomas & Mack Center for a two-game Mountain West series against Air Force on Saturday, February 6 and Monday, February 8. Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 1 p.m., while the series finale on Monday will tip at 6 p.m. Both games will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
After winning five of six games during its homestand from Jan. 12-27, UNLV was swept in its two-game set at UNR on Sunday and Tuesday. The homestand included a five-game win streak with home victories over Saint Katherine, New Mexico twice, Benedictine Mesa and Utah State before falling to the Aggies in the second game of that series.
Because of COVID-19 issues, the Runnin’ Rebels went 33 days without a game before playing at Colorado State on January 7 for its first MW series of the season. However, since resuming play, UNLV has played a total of 10 games in a 26-day span.
Coming off a tie for second place in the Mountain West standings last season, UNLV has an entirely new look this year as 10 of its 13 scholarship players had yet to play in a game for the Runnin’ Rebels as the 2020-21 season began.
UNLV’s returners included senior forward Mbacke Diong, and junior guards Marvin Coleman and Bryce Hamilton. It was announced on January 16 that Coleman would miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his right leg. Other returners from last year’s roster include junior transfer guard David Jenkins Jr., sophomore transfer forward Moses Wood, and walk-on junior guard Trey Hurlburt. Of the nine newcomers added to this year’s roster, seven are freshmen.
Hamilton was the team’s leading scorer last season. The Runnin’ Rebels’ first First-Team All-Mountain West recipient in seven seasons, he averaged 16.0 points per game as a sophomore. Diong led UNLV in rebounding at 7.9 per contest as a junior. Hamilton was also named a Preseason All-MW honoree in November, while Jenkins Jr. was selected as the league’s Preseason Newcomer of the Year and freshman guard Nick Blake was named the conference’s Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Hamilton is the team’s leading scorer this season and is third in the MW at 18.3 ppg, however he has been limited recently with an ankle injury. He also leads in assists with 3.7 apg (5th in MW), steals with 1.8 spg (1st in MW) and field-goal percentage at .422 (11th in MW). Diong is the team’s rebounding leader (8.7 rpg, 4th in MW). Jenkins Jr., is also averaging in double figures in scoring with 15.1 ppg, is second in the MW in 3-pointers made (2.8 per game) and is second in 3-point percentage (.420).
Air Force is 4-12 overall this season and 2-10 in MW play. The Falcons are coming off two losses at San Jose State last Thursday and Saturday and have lost five straight games overall. AJ Walker leads the team in scoring at 14.1 ppg (12th in MW) and assists with 2.6 apg, while Nikc Jackson is the team’s leading rebounder with 3.9 rpg.
Saturday’s television broadcast will be called by Rich Waltz and Dan Dickau, while Monday’s announcers will be Dave Ryan and Bob Wenzel. Jon Sandler and former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry 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.