The UNLV men’s basketball team has high hopes for the 2023-24 season, with a host of new, exciting players and a solid group of returners. Those hopes include returning to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2013.
But the Rebels won’t even sniff the Big Dance if they put on performances like they did in the season-opener against Southern University.
The Jaguars breezed to an 85-71 win over the Rebels in the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday night. With the score tied at 11-11 in the first half, the Jaguars went on an 16-0 run to pull ahead. The Rebels never threatened after that.
“That’s not the result we wanted obviously, we were just a little timid,” said coach Kevin Kruger. “We came out on our heels. They came out and played hard for 40 minutes. We still have a positive outlook for this group. We will go watch the film and get into practice tomorrow, and we’ll be a different team on Saturday that’s for sure.”
Four players on each team scored in double figures on the night with Tai’Reon Joseph from Southern (1-0) leading the way with a game-high 22 points. Isaiah Cottrell was the Runnin’ Rebels’ leader in points with 18. He also added seven rebounds and four blocks.
Freshman Dedan Thomas Jr. scored 14 points and added five assists for UNLV.
UNLV will next host Stetson on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The 4 p.m. game will also be Anderson Hunt Day as the Runnin’ Rebel legend will have his jersey retired during a ceremony at halftime.
