UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Looking to Rebound After Loss to Memphis

The Runnin’ Rebels (1-1) are looking to rebound after an 80-74 loss against the Memphis Tigers on Saturday when they face the Omaha (Neb.) Mavericks (2-1) on Thursday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. This will be the first meeting of the two teams since 2021.

Although it is early in the season, UNLV has a chance to climb up in the Mountain West Conference ranks. Against Omaha, they may want to continue to rely on guard, Dedan Thomas, Jr. to lead the team on the court. In the loss against Memphis, he led the team in scoring with 22 points. He will need help in the paint by utilizing forward, Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry, who led the team in rebounds and blocks against Memphis totaling 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

On the Omaha side of things, they are ranked 5^th in the Summit League with a record of 2-1. The Mavericks are coached by Chris Crutchfield, in his second season as head coach. In their 68-64 loss against Minnesota, junior guard, Kamryn Thomas played 37 minutes, had 14 points, 3 assists, and shot 5-for-10 from the field. Marquel Sutton added 13 points, 2 steals, and 1 assist against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Omaha did not shoot well from the field against Minnesota, which contributed to their loss, but their defense kept it close in the end.

For UNLV, it’s important for them to regain the momentum that they had loss against Memphis by converting more of their shot attempts and limiting their turnovers. Coach Kevin Kruger said, “We can play better and that we can continue to work and get better as a group.”

This may seem like an easy win for the Rebels, but Omaha might give them a fight to the very end as they did the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The Runnin’ Rebels have dubbed Thursday night as “Throwback Thursday” by bringing back $5 balcony tickets, $20 lower bowl tickets, and $3 hot dogs until game time. You can catch the Runnin’ Rebels at 7 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.