UNLV Basketball Launches Season With 10-Point Win Monday Amid Beefed Up Sports Competition In Las Vegas Market

November 7, 2022November 7, 2022 Alan Snel David Muoka, EJ Harkless, Gilbert Keshon, Jackie Johnson III, Jordan McCabe, Justin Webster, Kevin Kruger

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Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell

In Las Vegas’ growing sports market, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels took the floor at Thomas & Mack Center Monday night.

And this year, things in the market are quite different with more consumer options on the Vegas sports buffet compared to one year ago.

A year ago, the NBA G League Ignite were not playing their minor league basketball games in Henderson. And there were no Las Vegas Desert Dogs of the National Lacrosse League poised to start play at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena next month.

Both new sports teams will have tickets selling for similar prices to those promoted by UNLV for university basketball games. It looks like the cheapest tickets under UNLV basketball season ticket plan range from $11-$19 a game. Take a look:

After the Super Bowl, the Vegas Vipers of the XFL’s latest version start play in the third week of February. It’s an eight-team XFL in the latest 2.0 reboot and the Vipers will kick off their season when the UNLV hoopsters will be playing their Mountain West schedule in three months. Where will be the Vipers play? Maybe UNLV will re-open old Sam Boyd Stadium where the university’s football team used to play.

About 8,000 tickets were distributed and 6,500 were in the arena for UNLV’s 66-56 win over Southern from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

It’s hard to keep up with college basketball team rosters these days as players come and go so frequently. UNLV has holdovers from last season like Justin Webster, David Muoka and Jordan McCabe.

A new crop of players led by EJ Harkless (11 points), Gilbert Kashon (13 points), Luis Rodriguez (9 points) and Jackie Johnson III (10 points) has been mixed into the roster blender. UNLV made only 15 of 48 FG shots (31 percent), including 4 of 26 from 3-point land (15 percent). Southern managed to make only 19 of 53 field goal attempts (36 percent) and were led by Bryson Etienne, who scored 25 of the team’s 56 points.

Rebs coach Kevin Kruger played a lot of guys tonight. It’s clear this team does not have many sharpshooters, but their hustle was scrappy and defense was aggressive for the 40 minutes. Shot selection was shaky and UNLV played raggedly down the stretch as the Rebs eventually won by 10.

Kruger said the offense will be a work in progress.

“Defense saved us,” Kruger told media after the game.