UNLV is still playing.
The Runnin’ Rebels accepted a bid to the National Invitation Tournament and will open Tuesday at UC Irvine. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. PT at the Bren Events Center, with national coverage on ESPNU.
UNLV finished the season 17-16 overall and 11-9 in the Mountain West, then went 1-1 at the conference tournament in Las Vegas. The Rebels beat Wyoming 73-70 in the first round before running into top seed Utah State in the quarterfinals. Utah State went on to win the tournament.
The year in one sentence: chaos early, traction late
UNLV’s season never followed a straight line. The Rebels mixed big wins with head-scratching losses, but the finish showed growth.
They beat Utah State in Logan on Jan. 20, swept Boise State with two overtime wins, and closed February by edging Nevada 85-83 in overtime at the Thomas & Mack Center. They also handled Air Force twice, including a 91-66 road win that featured Howie Fleming Jr.’s triple-double.
The resume had dents too. UNLV dropped home games to UT Martin and Montana in November, took a beating from Alabama at the Players Era event in Las Vegas, and lost the regular-season finale 89-86 at San Diego State.
Still, the Rebels won seven of their last 11 and earned more basketball.
The guys who drove it
UNLV’s offense ran through Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who finished as the team’s leading scorer at 20.7 points per game while shooting .498 from the field and .419 from 3. He also led the team in assists with 107 and steals with 51.
Kimani Hamilton was the No. 2 scorer at 12.9 points per game and the team’s top rebounder at 4.9 per game. Tyrin Jones provided the interior punch, averaging 11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting .584, and he led UNLV in blocks with 64.
Howie Fleming Jr. filled gaps all season, averaging 8.9 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game. UNLV finished the year averaging 79.4 points and outscored opponents by 0.8 per game.
UC Irvine is not a warm-up
UC Irvine enters 23-11 as a No. 4 seed after winning the Big West regular-season title at 15-5 and falling to Hawaii in the conference tournament final.
UNLV leads the all-time series 32-9, with the last meeting coming Nov. 28, 2012, in Las Vegas.
What’s next if UNLV wins
The winner Tuesday advances to face the winner of Tulsa vs. Stephen F. Austin in the second round on March 21 or 22 at a site to be determined. The NIT semifinals are April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, with the championship set for April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
