UNLV men picked to finish in the middle of Mountain West pack

Justin Webster and Jalen Hill glanced at one another and smirked Thursday morning when fielding a question at Mountain West media day about where UNLV was picked to finish.

Released before the festivities began, the league’s annual preseason poll pegged the Rebels sixth, a standing that wouldn’t likely warrant selection to the NCAA Tournament in March.

“I mean, you know, we don’t really try to look too far into it,” Webster, a fifth-year senior guard, said from atop a podium inside a spacious conference room in Resorts World Las Vegas.

“We’ll continue to work,” he added. “Continue to believe and trust what the coaches have for us. Believe the blueprint they’ve laid out for us … At the end of the year, that’s all that matters.”

UNLV can prove this season the league’s coaches and media members wrong — or right — following a 19-13 finish last season that included a 7-11 mark in conference play.

A panel of 31 projected defending conference regular-season and tournament champion San Diego State to defend its title, assigning the Aztecs 25 first-place votes. Boise State is picked to finish second, earning four votes to top third-place New Mexico (one first-place vote) and fourth-place UNR (one).

Colorado State is sandwiched between the Wolf Pack and the Rebels, who added through the transfer portal Hill and Kalib Boone from Power Five programs — along with standout freshman guard Dedan Thomas Jr.

Boone’s twin brother, Keylan, is also on the roster, awaiting approval from the NCAA after transferring a second time before graduation. Kalib, arrested earlier this month on a charge of misdemeanor DUI, returned earlier this week to practice.

Other additions include junior college transfer Rob Whaley Jr., a junior forward, and freshman guard Brooklyn Hicks. Returning to the rotation in addition to Webster are sixth-year wing Luis Rodriguez, junior point guard Jackie Johnson and junior wing Shane Nowell, while fourth-year sophomore Isaiah Cottrell is healthy and ready to join it.

“We believe we’ve got the talent. We’ve got the guys. We’ve got the coaches to make a deep run,” said Hill, a fifth-year senior forward, Las Vegas native and Clark graduate formerly of Oklahoma.

The Rebels did not have a player selected to the preseason all-conference team, though Thomas was named the league’s preseason Freshman of the Year. A premier recruit while starring at Liberty, he’s expected to start and play significant minutes.

The preseason all-conference team consists of San Diego State’s Lamont Butler, Boise State’s Tyson Degenhart, New Mexico’s Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Colorado State’s Isaiah Stevens, pegged also as the Player of the Year.

Webster touted the depth of the conference: “We’ve been a four-bid league the last couple years and we’re going to continue to get better. It’s hard to win in this league. It just goes to show that this is not an easy league like everybody expects.”

If the league indeed earns four bids next season, the Rebels will have to outperform their preseason expectations. They begin the season Nov. 8 with a nonconference slate that includes Florida State, Creighton, Saint Mary’s and Dayton.

Conference play begins Jan. 6 against the Aztecs.

“I don’t care (about preseason polls),” said Kruger, 37-27 through his first two seasons. “I’ve never had much of an issue finding an edge. It’s always been pretty simple for me. We didn’t want to be picked sixth, of course, but you understand it. The conference is incredibly strong again with a bunch of great returners and great coaches. We just have to do what we have to do, take care of our business and go into every game prepared.

“If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win a lot of ballgames.”

Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.