Game day: UNLV basketball looks for rare season sweep of San Diego State

1 week ago 8

UNLV Rebels Take On UNR Wolf Pack

UNLV Rebels head coach Kevin Kruger talks with players during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the UNR Wolf Pack at the Thomas & Mack Center Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. Players from left: forward Jeremiah Cherry, guard Jaden Henley and guard Brooklyn Hicks. Photo by Steve Marcus

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, March 4, 2025 | 5 p.m.

What: UNLV vs. San Diego State
When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Where: Thomas and Mack Center
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 1100 AM, 100.9 FM

The last time UNLV swept San Diego State was the 2012-13 season, which was 12 years and four head coaches ago, so tonight's home matchup (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network) presents a significant opportunity for Kevin Kruger and his Scarlet and Gray squad.

Three keys to watch:

Injury updates

D.J. Thomas is still out, so that’s the bad news. The good news is UNLV appears to have avoided another backcourt injury, as Jailen Bedford practiced in full on Monday and will play against San Diego State.

Bedford has been up and down since Thomas went out (the senior shooting guard went 2-of-15 from the field in Saturday’s win over UNR), but he brings energy and serves as a 3-point threat, so losing him would have been a huge blow. Sophomore guard Brooklyn Hicks also practiced on Monday, so he appears to be over the leg issue that made him a game-time decision vs. UNR.

For Kruger, who is running a tight seven-man rotation without Thomas, that’s the best news he's heard all week.

Henley hitting high notes

Junior wing Jaden Henley scored a career-high 22 points to lead UNLV to a win at San Jose State, then immediately topped it the next game with 23 against UNR. Can he go for 24 and another personal best against a tough San Diego State defense?

“Hopefully so,” Henley said before getting more serious. “I’m not really worried about the points and stuff, I’m just happy winning games. We’ve got to make a strong run going into the tournament.”

San Diego State may not be a juggernaut this season, but the Aztecs are still stifling, ranking No. 13 in KenPom’s defensive rating. Consider this Henley’s toughest test since assuming the lead scoring role for UNLV.

Standings watch

With two games remaining, UNLV is pretty much locked into the No. 6 seed in the Mountain West tournament. That means playing on Day 1 next week and having to win four games in four days in order to get into the NCAA Tournament.

That doesn’t mean these final two contests are meaningless, however. Every rep without Thomas is valuable as the team continues to learn how to play without its top creative force, and Kruger continues to preach that UNLV can win with defense.

At Monday’s practice, Kruger credited his squad for maintaining focus even with the finish line in sight and not much at stake.

“It’s just kind of, next game,” Kruger said. “The message is always focusing on the next game. When you start to look ahead is when you start to get in trouble, and this group has done of good job just focusing on what’s next.”