RUNNIN’ REBELS CONTINUE ROAD TRIP TO KANSAS STATE
UNLV will play its fourth straight contest away from home Saturday at 5 p.m. PT
- GameNotesat Kansas State (PDF)
- Season Stats (web) | Season Stats (pdf)
- Media Guide | Schedule
- @UNLVAthletics | @TheRunninRebels
The UNLV men’s basketball team will continue its road trip and play its fourth straight game away from home on Saturday, December 5 at Kansas State. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT in Bramlage Coliseum.
The Runnin’ Rebels are coming off three games in three days (Monday-Wednesday) at the Maui Invitational, which was played in Asheville, North Carolina, because of the pandemic.
UNLV, in its second year under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, is looking for its first win on the young season, having lost to Montana State, No.14 North Carolina, Alabama and Davidson to open the 2020-21 campaign.
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 include senior forward Mbacke Diong, and junior guards Marvin Coleman and Bryce Hamilton. 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 leads the MW at 21.5 ppg. Sophomore guard Caleb Grill, a transfer from Iowa State, is also averaging in double figures with 14.0 ppg, as is Jenkins Jr. with 10.3 ppg.
Kansas State is coming off an 11-21 overall record, including 3-15 in the Big 12 last season. The Wildcats are in the midst of a five-game season-opening homestand. K-State opened the season with an 80-70 loss to Drake, lost to Colorado, 76-58, and defeated Kansas City, 62-58, on Monday. The Wildcats have won 99 of their last 107 non-conference home games.
Saturday’s game will be shown live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Ben Boyle and Stan Weber calling the action. 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.
