UNLV Rebels Men's And Women's Basketball Set To Tip Off Next Week

The college basketball season will be tipping off next weekend, and both the UNLV Runnin' Rebels and Lady Rebels will be playing their first games of the season. Head coaches Josh Pastner and Lindy La Rocque are getting their teams prepared for their season opener. The men's basketball team tips off on Tuesday, November 4, and the women's team plays on Wednesday, November 5. Here is a quick preview of each game.

UNLV Runnin' Rebels Season Opener

UT-Martin Skyhawks @ UNLV Runnin' Rebels
Tuesday, November 4, 10:00 PM EST at Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

The Rebels will host the Skyhawks in their first game of the season. While UT-Martin is not a team to overlook, this is a game that UNLV should be able to win. If they have hopes of competing at a high level in the Mountain West Conference this season, this is a team they should be able to beat. However, coach Pastner understands that his team still needs to work to get better. He spoke about his team needing to improve their defense after their final exhibition game of the preseason against Lincoln University earlier this week.

"I was proud of our young men," Pastner said. "We should have won the game and by a good margin, which we did. I thought the ball really moved well and we found the open man. Our goal is to get 60% of our field goals assisted and we did a nice job there. We got great paint touches and rebounded well on the offensive glass. Defensively, we need to be better with our transition defense. However, there were a lot of positives tonight and always good to get a win."

UNLV Lady Rebels Season Opener

Washington State Cougars @ UNLV Lady Rebels
Wednesday, November 5, 9:30 PM EST at Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada

The Lady Rebs are also tipping off on their home court for the first game of the season. They are a much more established team than the men's team, so we, for the most part, know what to expect from them. Lindy La Rocque has built them into not only the best, but also the most consistent women's basketball team in the Mountain West. They should be able to knock off the Cougars in this one. Coach La Rocque recently spoke about here new-look roster for this season, and she's excited to see how they look when they get out on the court.

"Honestly, it’s been amazing," La Rocque said. "I don’t think change is always a bad thing. We have people who are excited, that want to be here and have great energy and want to be a part of what we have built here already, which is just a winning culture. Sometimes it’s a good thing to bring some fresh new perspective and personality into the mix. That part has been a joy, to get to know more new young people and mentor new staff members."

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