Rough Week For Runnin’ Rebels At Hoops Tourney In Las Vegas; Stadium Authority Meets Dec. 4
ADVERTISEMENT
Shop at Jay’s Market at 190 East Flamingo Road at the Koval Lane intersection east of the Strip.
ADVERTISEMENT
By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Josh Pastner is normally a very peppy guy.
But after Rutgers manhandled his UNLV Runnin’ Rebels basketball team in the second half on Thanksgiving afternoon, Pastner walked into his postgame presser looking subdued after UNLV lost its third game in four days at the high-profile Players Era college basketball tournament at Grand Garden Arena and Michelob Ultra Arena this week.
After UNLV led Rutgers, 39-33, at the half, Rutgers flipped the script bigtime and blasted the undersized and outmanned Rebels in the second half, 47-26. Final: Rutgers 80 UNLV 65.
The Runnin’ Rebels have now lost five of their eight games this season.
Pastner lamented his team’s injuries to the big men and also cold shooting, especially from three-ball land. UNLV was five of 22 from distance, 23 percent, in its loss to Rutgers of the Big Ten.
Pastner opened his presser: “Credit to Rutgers. We were up 39-33 at halftime, but they came out with more energy to start the second half. It was pretty much a tale of two halves.
“I felt all three games that we played in this tournament, we looked small, which is because of our three five-men were out with injuries. Tough week for sure, but we’ll get better. We need to get healthy first and foremost,” he said. “All of our focus and energy will be towards making sure that we are as ready as we can be when we enter conference play in later December.”
UNLV lost to Maryland, 74-67, Monday night in its first game of the tourney after leading at the half and then lost to No. 8 Alabama, 115-76, Tuesday night.
The Runnin’ Rebels defeated Memphis, 92-78, on the road Nov. 16, and then nearly piled up 100 points in a 99-85 win over Saint Joseph’s at Thomas & Mack Center Nov. 20. Up until Monday’s Maryland game, UNLV had scored 92 points or more in each of its previous four games, winning three of them.
Michigan defeated Gonzaga to claim the $1 million in NIL funds in the 18-team college basketball event, now in its second year.
*
William S. Boyd and Judy Boyd gave $10 million to UNLV Athletics to establish an endowment for student-athlete nutrition. This is the largest endowment in UNLV Athletics history. The William S. Boyd and Judy Boyd Endowment for Athlete Nutrition will be used to support nutrition initiatives for UNLV student-athletes.
*
The Las Vegas Stadium Authority meets Thursday at 1:30 PM.
The much-documented drop in tourism in Las Vegas in 2025 compared to 2024 has also meant the hotel room tax revenues are down compared to last year. Take a look:
Here’s a look at the stadium use:
PSA
