12-07-2025, 10:31 AM
In the long road that is the Stanford men's basketball season, the latest winding turn brings the Runnin' Rebels to Maples for the final game before a break for final exams. Stanford is favored by 9.5 and the over/under is 165.5. Implied score is 87.5-78. UNLV is 3-5. Their best win was a road victory over Memphis, so they can be a dangerous team (although they also lost at home to Tennessee Martin and Montana). They are 0-3 vs. Power 4 teams, with all of those losses coming during Thanksgiving week at the Players Era Men's Championship at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. They have dealt with injuries all season, which particularly affected the size and depth of their frontcourt in those three games. The 10-day break since their last game has likely improved their health, but the status for three players for today's game remains unknown (at least, to me).
Josh Pastner is UNLV's first-year coach. He was on Arizona's 1997 national championship team. He served as an assistant coach under Lute Olsen at UofA, and then under John Calipari at Memphis. He has 14 seasons of head coaching experience at Memphis and Georgia Tech. Eric Reveno was on his staff at Georgia Tech for five seasons. The Rebels have only one returning player on their roster, which also includes eight D1 transfers, three freshmen, a JC transfer, and a player from the National Basketball League of New Zealand.
Probable starters are:
#0 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (6'1/185 Jr G) Transfer from Illinois, leads with 16.6ppg and 1.75 3s/game. Also 3.0 assists/game;
#12 Isaac Williamson (6'0/165 Fr G) 14.0 ppg;
#3 Howie Fleming Jr. (6'5/210 RSr G) Leads with 3.1 assists/game and 4.1 fouls/game. Also 6.0 rebounds/game;
#6 Tyrin Jones (6'9/190 Fr F) Leads with 6.1 rebounds/game and 2.25 blocks/game;
#2 Kimani Hamilton (6'8/225 Sr F) 13.4 ppg; Transfer from High Point, where he was a two-time All Big South honoree;
The three players (all forwards) who have missed recent games with injuries are: #1 Ladji Dembele (6'8/255 Jr); #24 Naas Cunningham (6'7/175 RFr); and #10 Jacob Bannarbie (6'9/235 RSo). Three other players (including Emmanuel Stephen - a 7'0" transfer from Arizona) have yet to see action this year and are not expected to be available before December 20.
The opposition is better today, but features of the Portland game that I would like to see repeated include: six players in double figure scoring (including three off the bench); prolific 3-point shooting in terms of both volume and accuracy (would be nice to get Cameron Grant back on track); double digit steals and turnover margin; the continuing emergence of Oskar Giltay.
Josh Pastner is UNLV's first-year coach. He was on Arizona's 1997 national championship team. He served as an assistant coach under Lute Olsen at UofA, and then under John Calipari at Memphis. He has 14 seasons of head coaching experience at Memphis and Georgia Tech. Eric Reveno was on his staff at Georgia Tech for five seasons. The Rebels have only one returning player on their roster, which also includes eight D1 transfers, three freshmen, a JC transfer, and a player from the National Basketball League of New Zealand.
Probable starters are:
#0 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (6'1/185 Jr G) Transfer from Illinois, leads with 16.6ppg and 1.75 3s/game. Also 3.0 assists/game;
#12 Isaac Williamson (6'0/165 Fr G) 14.0 ppg;
#3 Howie Fleming Jr. (6'5/210 RSr G) Leads with 3.1 assists/game and 4.1 fouls/game. Also 6.0 rebounds/game;
#6 Tyrin Jones (6'9/190 Fr F) Leads with 6.1 rebounds/game and 2.25 blocks/game;
#2 Kimani Hamilton (6'8/225 Sr F) 13.4 ppg; Transfer from High Point, where he was a two-time All Big South honoree;
The three players (all forwards) who have missed recent games with injuries are: #1 Ladji Dembele (6'8/255 Jr); #24 Naas Cunningham (6'7/175 RFr); and #10 Jacob Bannarbie (6'9/235 RSo). Three other players (including Emmanuel Stephen - a 7'0" transfer from Arizona) have yet to see action this year and are not expected to be available before December 20.
The opposition is better today, but features of the Portland game that I would like to see repeated include: six players in double figure scoring (including three off the bench); prolific 3-point shooting in terms of both volume and accuracy (would be nice to get Cameron Grant back on track); double digit steals and turnover margin; the continuing emergence of Oskar Giltay.