Runnin’ Rebels Host San Jose State Saturday Afternoon

The Runnin’ Rebels opened league action with an 87-77 home win over Fresno State last Saturday night and are coming off a 77-58 road victory at Air Force on Tuesday afternoon.

UNLV has four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Dedan Thomas Jr.’s 16.2 points per game. Jaden Henley, Jailen Bedford and Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry are all averaging between 10.3 and 11.3 ppg, while Julian Rishwain is right behind at 9.8 ppg. Cherry leads in rebounding with 5.9 rpg, field-goal percentage with 66.7% and blocks with 1.5 bpg, while Thomas Jr. is the team’s assist leader with 4.3 apg and Rishwain leads in steals with 1.6 spg. Rishwain is the team’s top 3-point shooter at 41.0%.

UNLV is in its fourth season under head coach Kevin Kruger. He has a career record of 66-45.

PROMOTIONS: Lower bowl tickets are available for just $25 for Saturday’s game. These seats usually go for $55, so don’t miss your chance to save big and be part of the action at the Thomas & Mack Center. This online-only offer is available for a short time, and seats are limited. Deadline to purchase $25 lower bowl tickets is Friday, Jan. 3 at 11:59 p.m. Purchase at UNLVtickets.com.

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 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. 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: UNLV led by as many as 28 points in its 77-58 win at Air Force on New Year’s Eve day. It was the Runnin’ Rebels’ third straight win and fourth victory in their last 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).

ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE: The Spartans enter Saturday’s game having lost two straight: vs. Boise State (73-71) last Saturday and vs. Colorado State (72-50) on Tuesday. Prior to that SJSU had won three straight: vs. Lincoln (117-80) on Dec. 9, vs. Cal Poly (107-100) on Dec. 14 and vs. Kennesaw State (89-65) on Dec. 21. This will be the Spartan’s first road game in a month (since Dec. 4 at New Mexico). SJSU is 0-3 in true road games this season. Josh Uduje leads the team in scoring at 17.1 ppg, while Robert Vaihola is the rebounding leader at 6.9 rpg as well as blocked shots with 1.3 bpg. The Spartans are 27th in the country in turnovers per game with 9.9 and Uduje is 23rd in field goals made with 100. San Jose State was predicted to finish eighth in the Mountain West this season in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Spartans had an overall record of 9-23 last season, finishing tied for 10th in the MW with a league mark of 2-16. San Jose State has 10 upperclassmen on its 16-man roster. Head coach Tim Miles is in his fourth season at the school with a record of 45-68 and is in his 28th overall as a Division I head coach with a career mark of 444-406.

BROADCAST INFO: Saturday’s game will be broadcast on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network (digital channel 5.2 & 125 on Cox in Las Vegas, also available on YouTube TV) and the Mountain West Network with Matte 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 390. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.

LAST SEASON: The Runnin’ Rebels had their best season in over a decade in 2023-24 as they were invited to the postseason for the first time since 2013, advancing to the NIT quarterfinals and securing their first postseason win in 16 years. In his third season at the helm, Kruger led the squad to 21 wins for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign and guided the team to a 12-4 record over its final 16 games.

UNLV recorded its first win over a top-10 team in four years, its first in non-conference play in nine seasons and beat a total of four ranked teams in a single season for the first time in 11 years. 2023-24 Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year Dedan Thomas Jr. set the Mountain West’s assists record with 174, also leading the nation in assists among freshmen.