UNLV Basketball Gets Kansas, Stanford, San Diego State Before New Mountain West Begins

LAS VEGAS — UNLV has not played in the NCAA Tournament since 2013, and Josh Pastner’s second schedule gives the Runnin’ Rebels more chances to build the type of résumé that could eventually change that.

UNLV announced its full 2026-27 schedule Tuesday, with three exhibitions against Utah, BYU and Missouri followed by 15 nonconference games and an 18-game Mountain West schedule. The Runnin’ Rebels could face as many as eight teams that played in the postseason last season a combined 12 times during the regular season, including four NCAA Tournament teams.

For a program that has spent more than a decade outside the NCAA Tournament, those games give UNLV more opportunities to pick up wins that could carry weight if the Rebels are part of the at-large conversation in March.

“We have put together a very challenging schedule with a lot of quality teams, and that’s exactly what we want for our program,” Pastner said. “Our non-conference slate will test us in a number of different ways and prepare us for the new-look Mountain West that we know will be extremely competitive.”

UNLV will get three games against high-major opponents before any result counts. Utah visits the Thomas & Mack Center for an exhibition Oct. 7, BYU follows Oct. 24 and Missouri closes the exhibition schedule Oct. 29. Northern Arizona comes to Las Vegas for the regular-season opener Nov. 3, followed by Samford on Nov. 7.

The first significant résumé opportunity comes Nov. 13 when Stanford visits the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV beat the Cardinal 75-74 in Palo Alto last December, while Stanford finished 20-13 and played in the College Basketball Crown.

Four days later, UNLV opens Players Era against Kansas at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The Jayhawks went 24-11 last season, tied for third in the Big 12 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The rest of UNLV’s Players Era schedule will depend on what happens against Kansas. The winner will face the winner of Auburn-West Virginia in the semifinals Nov. 18, while the two first-round losers will meet in a consolation game. West Virginia finished 21-14 and won the College Basketball Crown last season, while Auburn went 22-16 and won the NIT.

UNLV’s third game comes Nov. 19 against Houston, Rutgers, Florida or Notre Dame. Houston finished 30-7 and reached the Sweet 16, while Florida won the SEC regular-season championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers also played in the College Basketball Crown.

That gives UNLV three games in three days with Kansas guaranteed and several other possible opponents coming off postseason runs. All three games will air on ESPN networks.

Pastner will be asking a mostly rebuilt roster to handle it. Tyrin Jones and Issac Williamson are the two returning players listed by UNLV after both played significant roles as freshmen last season. Jones averaged 11.9 points and 5.0 rebounds, led the Mountain West with 2.2 blocks per game and earned All-Defensive Team and honorable mention All-Mountain West recognition. Williamson averaged 8.6 points.

Terrance Ford Jr., Jeremy Foumena, Tyler Harris, Jackson Kiss, Moustapha Loum, Sebastian Mack, Cam Miles, Kota Suttle, MJ Thomas and Dontrez Williams make up the 10 newcomers.

UNLV finished 18-17 in Pastner’s first season and reached the second round of the NIT. The Rebels return to the Thomas & Mack Center after Players Era to play Eastern Washington on Nov. 23 and UTRGV on Nov. 28 before December takes them away from home.

The only two true nonconference road games come four days apart. UNLV plays at San Francisco on Dec. 2 before going to Viejas Arena to face San Diego State on Dec. 5.

San Diego State is no longer a Mountain West opponent after leaving for the Pac-12, but the game remains on UNLV’s schedule. The Aztecs finished 22-11 overall and 14-6 in the Mountain West last season and swept the Rebels, winning 82-71 at the Thomas & Mack Center before holding off UNLV 89-86 in San Diego.

The move to the Pac-12 changes the context of the matchup. UNLV still gets another game at Viejas Arena, but now it becomes part of the nonconference résumé instead of affecting the Mountain West standings.

Washington State follows Dec. 12 in the Jack Jones Classic at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson. The Cougars spent last season in the West Coast Conference before returning to the Pac-12.

UNLV then heads to Phoenix to face SMU in the Hall of Fame Phoenix at Mortgage Matchup Center on Dec. 19. SMU finished 20-14 and earned an NCAA Tournament First Four berth out of the ACC. Arizona and Arkansas will play the other game in the event.

Cal Poly, Westminster University and North Dakota close the nonconference schedule at the Thomas & Mack Center before Mountain West play begins Jan. 5 at Grand Canyon.

The new-look Mountain West has 10 basketball teams after Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State left for the Pac-12. Hawai‘i, UC Davis and UTEP have joined, while Grand Canyon begins its second season in the league. UNLV will play each of the other nine teams once at home and once on the road.

There are still postseason teams on the conference schedule. New Mexico finished 26-11 and reached the NIT semifinals last season. Hawai‘i won the Big West Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament before joining the Mountain West. Wyoming and UNR also played in the NIT, with the Wolf Pack reaching the third round.

UNLV opens Mountain West play Jan. 5 at Grand Canyon after splitting two games with the Lopes last season. Realignment also moves San Diego State outside the conference schedule, while UNR remains a twice-a-year Mountain West rivalry.

The Wolf Pack won 89-76 in Reno last season before UNLV answered with an 85-83 overtime win at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNR comes to Las Vegas on Jan. 30 before the Rebels make the return trip to Reno on Feb. 27. UNLV closes the regular season March 6 at Hawai‘i.

Pastner also wanted to keep UNLV in front of its own fans as much as possible. The Rebels will have 20 opportunities to play at home when the three exhibitions are included, with additional Las Vegas-area games at Michelob ULTRA Arena and Lee’s Family Forum.

“Having 20 opportunities to play at home, including our exhibition games, is also extremely important for our program,” Pastner said. “We want the Thomas & Mack Center to be a place where our fans create a tremendous home-court advantage, and we’re excited to play so many games in front of them this season.”