University of Nevada Las Vegas
BYU (exhibition)
10/22/2026 10:50:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UNLV men's basketball continues its preseason against nationally ranked Cougars at 1 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Saturday's contest is the second of three home exhibitions for UNLV, which played Utah on Oct. 7. The Runnin' Rebels will also host Missouri on Thursday, Oct. 29, before opening the regular season against Northern Arizona on Nov. 3.
WATCH ON MW+: Saturday's game will stream live on MW+, with Matt Neverett handling play-by-play and Steve Cofield serving as analyst. Fans can watch the game and subscribe to MW+ through UNLV's dedicated page by clicking here. A majority of each subscription purchased through UNLV's link directly supports UNLV Athletics.
ABOUT THE RUNNIN' REBELS:Â UNLV is in its second season under head coach Josh Pastner after finishing 18-17 overall and 11-9 in Mountain West play last season and advancing to the second round of the NIT.
UNLV returns three letterwinners from last season, including starters Tyrin Jones and Issac Williamson, both sophomores, along with redshirt junior guard Jalen Cunningham. Jones earned Mountain West All-Defensive Team and honorable mention All-MW recognition after averaging 11.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Williamson averaged 8.6 points per game. Cunningham appeared in limited action last season.
The Runnin' Rebels also welcome 11 newcomers. Nine are Division I transfers: Terrance Ford Jr. (Tulsa), Jeremy Foumena (UCF), Tyler Harris (Vanderbilt), Moustapha Loum (Northwestern State), Sebastian Mack (Missouri), Cam Miles (Florida State), AJ Storr (Ole Miss), MJ Thomas (New Orleans) and Dontrez Williams (Lindenwood). Also new this season are freshmen Jackson Kiss (Utah Prep Academy) and Kota Suttle Jr. (Southern California Academy).
LAST TIME OUT:Â The Runnin' Rebels dropped their exhibition opener to Utah, 79-69, on Oct. 7 at the Thomas & Mack Center. Sebastian Mack led UNLV with a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds, while Cam Miles added 16 points, including three 3-pointers. MJ Thomas recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds and seven points, while Jackson Kiss contributed four points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
UNLV played without five players in the contest: Tyrin Jones, Issac Williamson, Tyler Harris, Dontrez Williams and AJ Storr.
Utah built a 17-point first-half advantage before the Runnin' Rebels cut the deficit to 10 points at halftime, trailing 45-35. The Runnin' Rebels held a 45-37 rebounding advantage, including 16 offensive boards. Utah connected on 10 3-pointers. Trey Campbell led the Utes with 17 points and TJ Burch added 16.
PRESEASON HONORS:Â Three Runnin' Rebels earned recognition from the Mountain West's media in the league's preseason awards announced earlier this month. Freshman forward Jackson Kiss was named the Mountain West Preseason Freshman of the Year, while sophomore forward Tyrin Jones and fifth-year guard AJ Storr were selected to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team.
ABOUT NO. 25 BYU:Â The Cougars enter Saturday's matchup following a 72-61 exhibition victory over Nebraska on Oct. 16 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. BYU, a member of the Big 12 Conference, is entering its third season under head coach Kevin Young.
In its exhibition opener, BYU overcame a 32-28 halftime deficit by opening the second half with a 19-10 run. The Cougars connected on five 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the second half to take control of the game.
Collin Chandler led four Cougars in double figures with 19 points, while Robert Wright III added 17 points and seven assists. Freshman Bruce Branch III contributed 15 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Jaxson Kohler recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
BYU shot 41.3% from the field in the victory and forced 18 Nebraska turnovers, converting them into 21 points.
The Cougars are coming off a 2025-26 campaign that ended with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Wright III returns after averaging 18.1 points and 4.6 assists per game last season, while BYU added several newcomers to its roster, including Chandler, a transfer from Kentucky, and Branch III, a highly regarded freshman from Prolific Prep.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's exhibition matchup will mark the 37th all-time meeting between the former Mountain West rivals. UNLV leads the all-time series 19-17. The two teams last met on Dec. 7, 2019, in Salt Lake City, with BYU recording an 83-50 victory. Prior to that, UNLV defeated BYU, 92-90, in overtime on Dec. 15, 2018, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Noah Robotham's fallaway 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Runnin' Rebels the dramatic win.
Saturday's contest will mark BYU's first visit to the Thomas & Mack Center since the two programs were Mountain West opponents.
TICKETS: Tickets for Saturday's exhibition start as low as $10 and may be purchased by clicking here. Season tickets for the 2026-27 season are also on sale now, starting at $115. Visit UNLVtickets.com to purchase.
LADY REBELS FALL FESTIVAL:Â Before the game, all are invited to the Lady Rebels Fall Festival at The Pavilion. Enjoy music, food, games, and trunk or treating before seeing a Lady Rebels open practice. The outdoor activities will run from 10:45 a.m to 11:30 a.m., with the open practice from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
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