2017–18 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team

2017–18 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record20–13 (8–10 MW)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThomas & Mack Center
Seasons
2017–18 Mountain West Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 24 Nevada 15 – 3   .833 29 – 8   .784
Boise State 13 – 5   .722 23 – 9   .719
New Mexico 12 – 6   .667 19 – 15   .559
Fresno State 11 – 7   .611 21 – 11   .656
San Diego State † 11 – 7   .611 22 – 11   .667
Wyoming 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
UNLV 8 – 10   .444 20 – 13   .606
Utah State 8 – 10   .444 17 – 17   .500
Air Force 6 – 12   .333 12 – 19   .387
Colorado State 4 – 14   .222 11 – 21   .344
San Jose State 1 – 17   .056 4 – 26   .133
† Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Runnin' Rebels were led by second-year head coach Marvin Menzies and played their home games at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 20–13, 8–10 in Mountain West play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They defeated Air Force in the first round of the Mountain West tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Nevada. Despite having 20 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament after declining an invite to the CBI Tournament.

Previous season

The Runnin' Rebels finished the 2016–17 season 11–21, 4–14 in Mountain West play to finish in a tie for tenth place. They lost in the first round of the Mountain West tournament to San Diego State.[1]

Offseason

Departures

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Christian Jones F 6'7" 225 RS Sr. Arlington, TX Graduated
Uche Ofoegbu F 6'4" 220 RS Sr. Chicago, IL Graduated
Tyrell Green F 6'7" 215 Sr. Toronto, ON Graduated
Dwayne Morgan F 6'8" 215 Jr. Baltimore, MD Transferred to Southern Utah
Larry Bush G 6'2" 165 Jr. Calabasas, CA Walk-on; didn't return
Jaylen Poyser G 6'4" 180 So. Malton, ON Transferred to St. Bonaventure
Jaylan Ballou F 6'0" 175 Fr. Santa Fe Springs, CA Walk-on; didn't return
Troy Baxter Jr. F 6'8" 190 Fr. Tallahassee, FL Transferred to Florida Gulf Coast
Zion Morgan G 6'5" 180 Fr. Chicago, IL Transferred to Wabash Valley College

Incoming transfers

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Shakur Juiston PF 6'7" 215 Jr. Paterson, NJ NJCAA Player of the Year from Hutchinson Community College. Juiston has 2 years of remaining eligibility.[2]
Anthony Smith SF 6'7" 190 Jr. Sacramento, CA Junior college transfer from Feather River College.[3]
Noah Robotham PG 6'1" 165 Sr. Las Vegas, NV Transferred from Akron. Under NCAA transfer rules, Robotham will not play for the 2017–18 season. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.
Nick Blair SF 6'5" 205 Jr. Las Vegas, NV Transferred from Idaho. Under NCAA transfer rules, Blair will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. Joined the team as a preferred walk-on.

2017 recruiting class

UNLV recruit Brandon McCoy at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jay Green
SG 		Glendale, AZ Hillcrest Prep Academy (AZ) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Nov 16, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:2/5 stars   ESPN grade: 68
Cheikh Mbacke Diong
C 		Melbourne, FL Florida Prep Academy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Mar 3, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Brandon McCoy
C 		San Diego, CA Cathedral Catholic HS 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Apr 25, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 93
Amauri Hardy
PG 		Farmington Hills, MI North Farmington HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Apr 26, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Tervell Beck
SF 		Cleveland, OH Cleveland Central Catholic HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) May 11, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 73
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 UNLV Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  • "2017 UNLV Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Trey Woodbury
SG 		Las Vegas, NV Ed W. Clark High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Aug 1, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 78
Bryce Hamilton
SG 		Pasadena, CA Pasadena High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Oct 23, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 75
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Preseason

In a vote by conference media at the Mountain West media day, the Rebels were picked to finish in sixth place in the Mountain West.[4] Freshman forward Brandon McCoy was named to the preseason Mountain West Freshman of the Year.[5]

Roster

2017–18 UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Jay Green 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Hillcrest Prep Glendale, AZ
G 1 Kris Clyburn 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Ranger College Romulus, MI
F 2 Anthony Smith 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Feather River College Sacramento, CA
G 3 Amauri Hardy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr North Farmington HS Farmington Hills, MI
G 5 Noah Robotham Current redshirt 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Akron Las Vegas, NV
F 10 Shakur Juiston 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Hutchinson C.C. Paterson, NJ
F 11 Cheickna Dembélé 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Scotland Performance Institute Mali, Africa
F 12 Djordjije Sljivancanin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So IMG Academy Belgrade, Serbia
G 13 Ben Coupet Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Simeon Career Academy Chicago, IL
F 14 Tervell Beck 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Cleveland Central Catholic HS Cleveland, OH
F 20 Nick Blair (W) Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Idaho Las Vegas, NV
G 24 Jordan Johnson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS Sr Wisconsin–Milwaukee Waukegan, IL
G 30 Jovan Mooring 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr South Suburban College Country Club Hills, IL
F 34 Cheikh Mbacke Diong 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Florida Preparatory Academy Senegal, Africa
F 44 Brandon McCoy 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Cathedral Catholic HS San Diego, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 3, 2017
7:00 pm 		Alaska Fairbanks W 97–73 
Thomas & Mack Center (7,974)
Paradise, NV
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2017*
7:00 pm, Stadium 		Florida A&M W 108–66  1–0
 Thomas & Mack Center (9,457)
Paradise, NV
Nov 15, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Prairie View A&M
MGM Resorts Main Event campus-site game 		W 98–63  2–0
 Thomas & Mack Center (8,078)
Paradise, NV
Nov 17, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Eastern Washington
MGM Resorts Main Event campus-site game 		W 91–76  3–0
 Thomas & Mack Center (8,900)
Paradise, NV
Nov 20, 2017*
7:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		vs. Rice
MGM Resorts Main Event Heavyweight semifinals 		W 95–68  4–0
 T-Mobile Arena (8,107)
Paradise, NV
Nov 22, 2017*
9:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Utah
MGM Resorts Main Event Heavyweight championship 		W 85–58  5–0
 T-Mobile Arena (8,424)
Paradise, NV
Nov 25, 2017*
7:00 pm, Stadium 		Southern Utah W 101–82  6–0
 Thomas & Mack Center (9,543)
Paradise, NV
Nov 29, 2017*
5:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Northern Iowa
MW–MVC Challenge 		L 68–77 OT 6–1
 McLeod Center (4,546)
Cedar Falls, IA
Dec 2, 2017*
7:00 pm, CBSSN 		Arizona L 88–91 OT 6–2
 Thomas & Mack Center (14,579)
Paradise, NV
Dec 5, 2017*
7:00 pm 		vs. Oral Roberts
UNLV on the Strip 		W 92–66  7–2
 MGM Grand Garden Arena (6,317)
Paradise, NV
Dec 9, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Illinois
UNLV on the Strip 		W 89–82  8–2
 MGM Grand Garden Arena (9,668)
Paradise, NV
Dec 16, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at Pacific W 81–76  9–2
 Alex G. Spanos Center (2,279)
Stockton, CA
Dec 20, 2017*
8:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		Mississippi Valley State W 95–63  10–2
 Thomas & Mack Center (9,128)
Paradise, NV
Dec 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, Stadium 		Northern Colorado W 94–91  11–2
 Thomas & Mack Center (9,192)
Paradise, NV
Mountain West regular season
Dec 30, 2017
8:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		Boise State L 74–83  11–3
(0–1) 		Thomas & Mack Center (11,892)
Paradise, NV
Jan 3, 2018
8:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		at San Jose State W 82–76  12–3
(1–1) 		Event Center Arena (1,376)
San Jose, CA
Jan 6, 2018
7:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		Utah State L 78–85  12–4
(1–2) 		Thomas & Mack Center (12,386)
Paradise, NV
Jan 10, 2018
7:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		at Air Force W 81–76  13–4
(2–2) 		Clune Arena (1,911)
Colorado Springs, CO
Jan 17, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		New Mexico L 81–85  13–5
(2–3) 		Thomas & Mack Center (10,546)
Paradise, NV
Jan 20, 2018
2:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Colorado State W 79–74  14–5
(3–3) 		Moby Arena (4,383)
Fort Collins, CO
Jan 23, 2018
8:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Fresno State L 63–69  14–6
(3–4) 		Save Mart Center (5,385)
Fresno, CA
Jan 27, 2018
7:00 pm, CBSSN 		San Diego State W 88–78  15–6
(4–4) 		Thomas & Mack Center (11,137)
Paradise, NV
Jan 31, 2018
8:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		San Jose State W 76–67  16–6
(5–4) 		Thomas & Mack Center (11,344)
Paradise, NV
Feb 3, 2018
5:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Boise State L 91–93 OT 16–7
(5–5) 		Taco Bell Arena (10,737)
Boise, ID
Feb 7, 2018
8:00 pm, CBSSN 		at No. 23 Nevada W 86–78  17–7
(6–5) 		Lawlor Events Center (11,285)
Reno, NV
Feb 10, 2018
5:00 pm, CBSSN 		Wyoming W 85–70  18–7
(7–5) 		Thomas & Mack Center (11,421)
Paradise, NV
Feb 14, 2018
7:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		Air Force W 81–73  19–7
(8–5) 		Thomas & Mack Center (9,027)
Paradise, NV
Feb 17, 2018
1:00 pm, CBSSN 		at San Diego State L 56–94  19–8
(8–6) 		Viejas Arena (11,180)
San Diego, CA
Feb 21, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Fresno State L 64–77  19–9
(8–7) 		Thomas & Mack Center (9,302)
Paradise, NV
Feb 25, 2018
11:00 am, CBSSN 		at New Mexico L 90–91  19–10
(8–8) 		The Pit (12,080)
Albuquerque, NM
Feb 28, 2018
8:00 pm, CBSSN 		No. 21 Nevada L 75–101  19–11
(8–9) 		Thomas & Mack Center (13,998)
Paradise, NV
Mar 3, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Utah State L 67–79  19–12
(8–10) 		Smith Spectrum (5,853)
Logan, UT
Mountain West tournament
Mar 7, 2018
11:00 am, Stadium 		(8) (9) Air Force
First round 		W 97–90 OT 20–12
 Thomas & Mack Center (4,994)
Paradise, NV
Mar 8, 2018
12:00 pm, CBSSN 		(8) (1) No. 22 Nevada
Quarterfinals 		L 74–79  20–13
 Thomas & Mack Center (6,753)
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.

References

  1. ^ "UNLV vs. San Diego State - Game Recap - March 8, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  2. ^ Stack, Dan. "UNLV rolling with commitment of No. 1 JUCO player Shakur Juiston". FanRagSports.com. Nafstrops Media. Retrieved June 22, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ Grimala, Mike. "UNLV gets commitment from juco forward Anthony Smith". LasVegasSun.com. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  4. ^ "Nevada Predicted to Win 2017-18 Mountain West Men's Basketball Regular-Season Title". Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  5. ^ "Mountain West Announces 2017-18 Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team". Retrieved October 26, 2017.