On 2-game skid, Rebels get no break with No. 22 Aggies
UNLV GAME DAY
Who: No. 22 Utah State at UNLV men’s basketball
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
TV: CBSSN
Radio: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM)
Line: Utah State -4½; total 149
About the Rebels (9-7, 3-2 Mountain West): UNLV came home with back-to-back losses after a tough week on the road.
An 81-59 loss at Boise State on Tuesday was followed by an 84-62 blowout at Colorado State on Saturday.
Sophomore guard Dedan Thomas Jr. (16.1 points per game), junior guard Jaden Henley (12.0) and senior guard Jailen Bedford (10.8) lead the Rebels in scoring. Junior center Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry is averaging a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game, but UNLV’s rebounding margin ranks ninth of 11 teams in the conference.
At Tuesday’s practice, Henley said fourth-year coach Kevin Kruger’s latest message to the team is simple: “We’ve got to bounce back quick.”
About Utah State (16-1, 6-0): Kruger has been on a confidence kick, saying that UNLV doesn’t have enough of it. On Tuesday, he listed Utah State as a team that does.
“Last couple of games we played, we’ve played against teams with a lot of confidence,” Kruger said. “Utah State’s no different. They’re feeling really good. They share it incredibly well. Play incredibly hard, and they play with great security. They know that things are going to go well because they’ve been in a lot of close games and found ways to win them.”
The Aggies’ only loss was 75-73 at home to UC San Diego on Dec. 17. Utah State has won six straight since, with all of the victories by seven points or fewer. The latest close game was an 81-79 comeback home victory over Boise State on Saturday.
Senior guard Ian Martinez (16.8) and sophomore guard Mason Falslev (16.4) lead the Aggies in scoring. Falslev leads the team in rebounds (6.2) and steals (2.4) and shoots 53.7 percent from the field.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
