Men's Basketball 11/14/2025 2:11:00 PM

Runnin' Rebels To Travel To Memphis For Sunday Game On ESPN

UNLV men's basketball's first road game of the season is set for 4 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. PT at FedExForum.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV men's basketball team will play its first road game of the 2025-26 regular season this weekend, facing Memphis in an ESPN nationally televised game on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. PT at FedExForum.

The Runnin' Rebels (1-2) completed their season-opening three-game homestand with a 102-93 setback to Montana on Tuesday. Prior to that, UNLV defeated Chattanooga last Saturday. The 101-69 victory over the Mocs was UNLV's first under new head coach Josh Pastner, and it marked the first time since 2017 that the Runnin' Rebels scored 100 or more points in a game against a DI opponent.

After three games played, UNLV has four players averaging in double figures in scoring, with Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn leading the way at 19.0 ppg. The other three are Kimani Hamilton (16.0 ppg), Naas Cunningham (15.0 ppg), and Issac Williamson (11.0 ppg). Tyrin Jones leads in rebounding with 6.3 rpg, while Howie Fleming Jr. is the assists leader (3.3 apg).

The Runnin' Rebels are in their first year under Pastner. Although new to UNLV, Pastner is in his 15th year as a collegiate head coach, having previously led Memphis and Georgia Tech for seven seasons each. He holds a career record of 277-189 (.594).

UNLV's roster has only one returning player, Jacob Bannarbie, and has welcomed 13 new faces. The newcomers include eight Division I transfers, a former international professional, a junior college transfer, and three freshmen.

MORE ABOUT THE ROSTER: This season's UNLV squad returned just one player from 2024-25: redshirt sophomore forward Jacob Bannarbie. The 2025-26 roster added 13 newcomers - eight Division I transfers, a former international professional, a junior college transfer, and three freshmen. The team features four seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, and three freshmen, with a position breakdown of seven guards, six forwards, and a center. Last season, Bannarbie appeared in 19 games (three starts), averaging 1.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6.6 minutes, and shooting 52.9% from the field on 17 attempts.

ABOUT MEMPHIS: The Tigers (1-1) opened the season with a home win over San Francisco (76-70) last Saturday and then lost at Ole Miss (83-77) on Tuesday. Memphis has five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Dug McDaniel's 13.0 ppg. Julius Thedford leads the team in rebounding at 5.5 rpg, while McDaniel is also the team's assist leader at 7.5 apg. The Tigers were picked as the American Conference favorite in the preseason coaches' poll. McDaniel and Aaron Bradshaw were each selected to the preseason all-conference first team. Memphis does not return a single player from last year's team that went 29-6 overall. That squad won the American Conference's regular season title with a 16-2 league mark and won its conference tournament, but lost as a No. 5 seed to Colorado State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Memphis is one of just two teams in the country with 14 transfers on its roster this season. The Tigers, who have 11 upperclassmen on their roster, are coached by Penny Hardaway, who is in his eighth season at the school with a record of 156-69 (.693). Memphis has won at least 20 games in all seven seasons under Hardaway, who played at the school and went on to star in the NBA.

BROADCAST INFO: Sunday's game will be nationally televised on ESPN with Mike Corey and Mark Adams calling the action. The radio broadcast may be heard on ESPN Radio Las Vegas 1100 AM with Matt Neverett and Curtis Terry on the call. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Jacob Bannarbie: F; 6' 9"; Redshirt Freshman

#0 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn: G; 6' 1"; Junior

#3 Howie Fleming Jr.: G; 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior

#12 Issac Williamson: G; 6' 0"; Freshman

#6 Tyrin Jones: F; 6' 9"; Freshman

#24 Naas Cunningham: F; 6' 7"; Redshirt Freshman

#2 Kimani Hamilton: F; 6' 8"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#12 Jacob Bannarbie
: 6' 9"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#0 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G

#3 Howie Fleming Jr.
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#12 Issac Williamson
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: G

#6 Tyrin Jones
: 6' 9"; Freshman
: F

#24 Naas Cunningham
: 6' 7"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#2 Kimani Hamilton
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F