Runnin’ Rebels Host Air Force Tuesday Night

 The UNLV men’s basketball team will be looking for its second straight win on Tuesday, February 11 as it hosts Air Force at 7 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Runnin’ Rebels (12-12, 6-7) are coming off a 68-57 road win at Wyoming on Saturday, which snapped a five-game losing streak. The Falcons (3-21, 0-13) are looking for their first win in Mountain West play this season and come to Las Vegas having lost 14 straight contests.

UNLV has two players averaging double figures in scoring: Dedan Thomas Jr. with 16.3 points per game (7th in MW) and Jaden Henley with 11.4 ppg. Jailen Bedford, Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry. Julian Rishwain and Jalen Hill are all averaging between 9.8 ppg and 7.8 ppg. 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 4.6 apg (3rd in MW) and Henley leads in steals with 1.5 spg.

UNLV is in its fourth season under head coach Kevin Kruger. He has a career record of 70-52 (.574).

PROMOTIONS: The Family 4 Pack is available for Tuesday night’s game (must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. on Monday) and includes four tickets and four chicken finger baskets starting at $52. Additional tickets start at $13 each. UNLV is also partnering with Vet Tix for this game to provide hundreds of veterans with tickets.

TICKETS: Tickets to UNLV men’s basketball home games are on sale at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-FANS (3267) or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office.

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, 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 Saturday’s win at Wyoming, Dedan Thomas Jr. led all scorers with 18 points, while Jaden Henley added 13 and Julian Rishwain contributed 11 for the Runnin’ Rebels. UNLV used a 7-1 run at the end of the first half to take a 30-23 lead at the break and held a double-digit advantage for most of the second half, leading by as many as 16 with just over three minutes to go at 64-48. UNLV held Wyoming to just 32.3% from the field in the first half (10 of 31) and 4 of 21 from 3-point range for the game (19.0%).

ABOUT AIR FORCE: The Falcons, who haven’t won a game since Dec. 7, are coming off an 88-53 home loss to New Mexico on Saturday. Ethan Taylor leads Air Force in scoring with 15.3 ppg and rebounding with 5.8 rpg. He is also tops in assists (3.6 apg), steals (1.8 spg) and 3-pointers made per game (3.3, 1st in MW). Taylor is ninth 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 93-162 (.365) and is in his 21st overall as a Division I head coach with a career mark of 277-339 (.450).

LAST TIME VS. AIR FORCE: In the season’s first meeting between the two teams on Dec. 31 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, UNLV led by as many as 28 points in its 77-58 win. Four Runnin’ Rebels 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).

BROADCAST INFO: Tuesday night’s game will be broadcast on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network (digital channel 52 & 125 on Cox in Las Vegas, also available on YouTube TV) and the Mountain West Network with Matt Neverett, former Runnin’ Rebel Curtis Terry and Steve Cofield calling the action. The trio will also provide the call on radio via simulcast, which may be heard on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas and worldwide on SiriusXM 388. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.