The UNLV Runnin' Rebels "Have Been Inconsistent"

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball season is now in full swing, and we are less than 10 days away from them kicking off their Mountain West Conference schedule. The Rebels are just 4 - 5 this season, but they have played a brutal non-conference schedule. While they have had some bad losses to UT Martin and to a lesser degree Montana, they have also had big wins over Memphis and Stanford. Their other three losses came to Maryland, Alabama, and Rutgers at the Players Era Festival.

Because of their record, they are a bit low in most Mountain West power rankings. Chris Murray of Nevada Sports Net currently has them at No. 8 in their power rankings. This is what they had to say about both UNLV and their first Mountain West opponents, the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Nevada Sports Net On Their No. 8 Ranked UNLV Runnin' Rebels

"UNLV has been inconsistent with wins over Memphis and Stanford and loses to Tennessee Martin and Montana. The ceiling is decently high with the floor pretty low. Sunday’s 75-74 win at Stanford came via a Kimani Hamilton free throw with 2 seconds left. The Rebels should get back to .500 this week with a game against Tennessee State, although Tennessee Martin nipped UNLV already."

Nevada Sports Net On Their No. 9 Ranked Fresno State Bulldogs

"Fresno State has something that Wyoming and Grand Canyon don’t possess, which is a Quad 1 or 2 win. The Bulldogs picked that up in mid-November with a one-point win against Utah Valley. Fresno State’s offense is still a problem (227th in KenPom), but its defense has been more respectable than last season. The Bulldogs wrap up non-league play this week against Cal State Northridge."

You can only play who is on your schedule, but you also have to win the games. Their current ranking is fair. They have also been wildly inconsistent. If they play like they did against Stanford, they will shoot up the rankings after Mountain West play begins. However, if they play like they did against UT Martin, they will plummet. We will just have to see how this team develops. Based on what we have seen so far throughout this young season, we have faith that head coach Josh Pastner will continue to build this program and move the team in a positive direction.

More UNLV Rebels On SI News