Men's Basketball 11/26/2025 3:03:00 PM

Runnin' Rebels To Close Out Players Era Thursday Against Rutgers

Game on Thanksgiving scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV men's basketball team, which has lost each of its first two games of the Players Era Men's Championship, will look to get back on track as it faces Rutgers on Thursday, Nov. 27, at 1:30 p.m. at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

UNLV (3-4) lost to Maryland (74-67) on Monday night in its first game of the event, then fell to No. 8 Alabama on Tuesday night. Both games were at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The Runnin' Rebels entered the week on a two-game win streak, consisting of a road victory at Memphis (92-78) on Nov. 16, and a home win at the Thomas & Mack Center over Saint Joseph's (99-85) on Nov. 20. Up until the Maryland game, UNLV had scored 92 points or more in each of its previous four games, winning three of them.

For the season, the Runnin' Rebels are averaging 87.0 points per game and have six players averaging nine or more ppg: Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (17.6), Issac Williamson (15.6 ppg), Kimani Hamilton (13.4 ppg), Howie Fleming Jr. (9.9), Naas Cunningham (9.3 ppg), and Tyrin Jones (9.1 ppg). Jones leads in rebounding with 6.4 rpg, with Fleming Jr. right behind at 6.3 rpg. Fleming Jr. is the assist leader at 3.3 apg.

The Runnin' Rebels are in their first year under head coach Josh Pastner. Although new to UNLV, he 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 279-191 (.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 RUTGERS: Rutgers (4-3) has wins over Rider (81-53), Maine (72-60), Lehigh (84-72) and American (80-71), while its losses have been to Central Connecticut State (67-54), No. 17/16 Tennessee (85-60) and Notre Dame (68-63). The Scarlet Knights have three players averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Dylan Grant's 15.4 ppg. Emmanuel Ogbole is the team's leading rebounder at 6.7 rpg, while Grant is right behind at 6.4 rpg. Tariq Francis leads the team in assists with 3.0 apg. Rutgers was picked to finish 17th in the Big Ten's preseason media poll. The Scarlet Knight's 15-man roster is made up of just five upperclassmen. Rutgers went 15-17 overall last season, finishing 11th in the Big Ten at 8-12. The Scarlet Knights ended their season in 2024-25 with a double-overtime loss to USC in the Big Ten Tournament. Head coach Steve Pikiell is in his 10th season leading Rutgers with a 151-143 (.514) record and is in his 21st year overall as a collegiate head coach with a career mark of 343-299 (.534).

TICKETS: Tickets to the Players Era Men's Championship may be purchased from the UNLV allotment at this link: UNLVtickets.evenue.net/events/MBP

BROADCAST INFO: Thursday's game will be televised on truTV and HBO Max with Brandon Guadin, Robbie Hummel, and Jared Greenberg calling the action. The radio broadcast may be heard on ESPN Radio Las Vegas 1100 AM and SiriusXM 380 with Matt Neverett, Curtis Terry, and Steve Cofield on the call. All streaming links and live stats are available at UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.

Print Friendly Version

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