Mountain West Tournament College Basketball Preview: Utah State at UNLV

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels won their Mountain West Tournament opener on Wednesday night against the Air Force Falcons. Now the Rebels will take on the No. 3 seed Utah State Aggies.

San Diego State Aztecs guard Micah Parrish (3) is fouled while going to the basket against UNLV Rebels forward Jalen Hill (1) during the first half at Viejas Arena. | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels won their Mountain West Tournament opener on Wednesday night against the Air Force Falcons. It was a hard-fought game, but the No. 6 seed Rebels moved on to the next round, where they'll take on the No. 3 seed Utah State Aggies, who earned themselves a first-round bye in the tournament.

On to the next pic.twitter.com/L25Tzzniyj

— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) March 13, 2025

UNLV won their first-round matchup against the Aggies by nine points with a final score of 68 - 59. They got plenty of contributions from the entire team to help get the job done. However, Thursday's game will be a much tougher matchup. Air Force's record was just 4-28 this season and 1-19 in the Mountain West, while Utah State finished with a record of 25-6 with a 15-5 conference record. The Rebels will need to step up their game to win this one.  

How to Watch Utah State at UNLV Men's Basketball

What: Utah State Aggies @ UNLV Runnin' Rebels

When: Thursday, March 13

Time: 11:30 PM EST

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

TV: CBS Sports Network

Live Stream: CBSN App

UNLV Player to Watch 

Jalen Hill, UNLV Runnin' Rebels - The senior forward put forth an incredible performance on Wednesday in which he led the Rebs in scoring, rebounds, and assists, posting a double-double with a line of 18,10, and seven. If he can continue stepping up like that in tournament play, the Rebels could find themselves making a deep run. 

J HILL ☝️

📺: MWN pic.twitter.com/1wkKdAHS1d

— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) March 13, 2025

Utah State Player to Watch 

Ian Martinez, Utah State Aggies - It's been an impressive year for the senior guard, who would want nothing more than to finish his college career winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament and earning an automatic bid in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. He leads the Aggies with 16.9 points per game and will be looking to have a monster game in this one to help his team move on to the next round. 

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