UNLV men’s basketball team announces nonconference schedule

UNLV’s men’s basketball team announced its nonconference schedule for next season Monday.

The Rebels will play 11 games between Nov. 4 and Dec. 21, including four against opponents that reached the postseason last year. The team is playing one fewer nonconference game than it did last season, likely because the Mountain West schedule increased from 18 games to 20.

Start times and TV information were not immediately available. UNLV’s conference schedule will be released at a later date.

The Rebels will play six of their nonconference games at Thomas & Mack Center, starting with a meeting against Alabama State on Nov. 4. Three of their other five contests won’t require much travel. UNLV will participate in the Arizona Tip-Off tournament Nov. 28-29 at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona. It will also play Pacific at Lee’s Family Forum on Dec. 14.

“We have put together an extremely challenging non-conference schedule that we believe will match the competitiveness of this year’s team,” coach Kevin Kruger said in a statement. “It will give us the opportunity for some big wins and prepare us extremely well for an always-tough Mountain West season.”

The Rebels finished 21-13 last season, Kruger’s third leading the program. UNLV made it to the quarterfinals of the NIT in its first postseason berth since 2013.

Returning sophomore guard Dedan Thomas Jr. is the star of the team’s roster after earning co-Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors last year.

The Rebels took a comedic approach to revealing each matchup on social media. They presented Kruger and his players with objects in cardboard boxes that represented their nonconference opponents.