LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - After winning its first-round NIT game on Tuesday night at UC Irvine, 75-72, the UNLV men's basketball team will travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for its second-round contest against the Golden Hurricane on Sunday, March 22, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
The Runnin' Rebels (18-16) have won eight of their last 12 games and are competing in the National Invitation Tournament for the second time in the last three years. UNLV was the No. 8 seed in the Mountain West Tournament, which was played in UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center, and defeated Wyoming in the first round, 73-70, before losing to No. 1 seed and eventual champion Utah State, 80-60, in the quarterfinals.
The Runnin' Rebels are averaging 79.3 points per game and have five players averaging 8.6 points per game or more: Gibbs-Lawhorn (20.4 ppg, 1st in MW/24th in NCAA),
Kimani Hamilton (12.9 ppg),
Tyrin Jones (11.7 ppg),
Howie Fleming Jr. (9.0 ppg), and
Issac Williamson (8.6 ppg). Fleming Jr. leads the team in rebounds at 6.3 rpg (5th in MW) and assists at 3.7 apg (7th in MW). Gibbs-Lawhorn is the team's steals leader at 1.5 spg (6th in MW), while Jones leads in blocks at 2.2 bpg (1st in MW/17th in NCAA).
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 294-203 (.592).
UNLV's roster has only one returning player from the 2024-25 season,
Jacob Bannarbie, and welcomed 13 new faces for 2025-26. 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 TULSA: The Golden Hurricane (27-7) finished tied for second in the American Conference with a 13-5 league mark this season. They lost to Wichita State, 81-68, in the semifinals of the league tournament. Tulsa, who has won seven of its last eight games, is coming off an overtime win at home against Stephen F. Austin, 89-84, in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday. The Golden Hurricane have four players averaging in double figures in scoring, led by David Green's 16.1 ppg (8th in AC). Tyler Behrend is the team's leading rebounder at 5.1 rpg, while Tylen Riley is the assist leader at 4.3 apg (6th in AC). Ade Popoola leads in steals at 1.4 spg. Tulsa is 14-2 at home this season. The Golden Hurricane rank 13th nationally in 3-point percentage (38.4%), 14th nationally in free throws made per game at 19.1, 15th in scoring (85.7 ppg), 15th in scoring margin (12.4), 24th in 3-pointers per game (10.6), and 26th in effective field goal percentage at 56.2%. Their 14-man roster is made up of eight upperclassmen. Tulsa went 13-20 overall last season, finishing tied for ninth in the American at 6-12. Tulsa head coach Eric Konkol is in his fourth season at the school with a record of 61-67 (.477). He is in his 11th season overall as a collegiate head coach with a career mark of 214-142 (.601).
BROADCAST INFO: Sunday's game will be televised nationally on ESPNU with Pete Sousa and Perry Clark calling the action. The radio broadcast may be heard on ESPN Radio 1100 AM/SiriusXM 384 with Matt Neverett on the call. All streaming links and live stats are available at
UNLVRebels.com and through the UNLV Rebels App.
