Men's Basketball 1/26/2026 11:45:00 AM

Runnin' Rebels Host New Mexico Tuesday Night

UNLV will play its second straight home game on Jan. 27 at 8 p.m.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV men's basketball team will play its second straight home game on Tuesday, Jan. 27, hosting New Mexico at the Thomas & Mack Center at 8 p.m.

The Runnin' Rebels (10-9, 5-3) saw their three-game win streak come to an end Saturday afternoon with their 82-71 loss to Mountain West-leading San Diego State. It also ended UNLV's five-game home win streak. Before Saturday, UNLV had won six of its previous eight contests.

The Runnin' Rebels are averaging 78.9 points per game and have five players averaging 9.6 points per game or more: Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (17.6 ppg, 3rd in MW), Kimani Hamilton (12.4 ppg), Tyrin Jones (11.2 ppg), Issac Williamson (9.9 ppg), and Howie Fleming Jr. (9.6 ppg). Jacob Bannarbie leads the team in rebounds at 5.9 rpg (7th in MW), while Fleming Jr. leads the team in assists at 3.2 apg. Gibbs-Lawhorn is the team's steals leader at 1.5 spg (7th in MW), while Jones leads in blocks at 2.0 bpg (2nd in MW, 27th nationally).

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 286-196 (.593).

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, which has had to deal with a rash of injuries, 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 NEW MEXICO: The Lobos (16-4, 7-2) are one game out of first place in the Mountain West standings and are coming off an 80-73 home win against UNR on Saturday. They come to Las Vegas having won two straight games and six of their last seven. The Lobos are led in scoring by Jake Hall (15.0 ppg, 9th in MW), Tomislav Buljian (11.8 ppg), Deyton Albury (11.3 ppg), and Uriah Tenette (10.8 ppg). Buljian is the team's leading rebounder (10.1 rpg, 1st in MW), while Albury leads in assists (3.4 apg, 8th in MW). Tenette is the team's steals leader (1.6 spg, 5th in MW), and JT Rock leads in blocks (1.1 bpg, 4th in MW). The Lobos rank 12th in the country in 3-point percentage defense (28.9) and 28th in turnover margin (3.6). New Mexico is 3-3 in true road games this season. The Lobos were picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West's preseason poll, with Albury selected to the Preseason All-MW Team. New Mexico's 14-man roster consists of seven upperclassmen. The Lobos went 27-8 overall last season, finishing first in the Mountain West at 17-3. They lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Michigan State. Head coach Eric Olen is in his first year at the school and his 13th overall as a collegiate head coach with a career record of 256-123 (.676).

PROMOTIONS: 1,500 Rebel beanies will be given away to fans at Tuesday night's game vs. New Mexico, courtesy of Intermountain Health.

TICKETS: Tickets to UNLV men's basketball home games may be purchased at UNLVtickets.com, by calling 702-739-FANS (3267), or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office.

BROADCAST INFO: Tuesday night's game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz and Darren Collison calling the action. The radio broadcast may be heard on ESPN Radio 1100 AM/SiriusXM 387 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.

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