Kruger not feeling the heat as UNLV makes final push for NCAA Tournament

UNLV Rebels head coach Kevin Kruger calls out to players during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against the San Diego State Aztecs at the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Photo by Steve Marcus

Kevin Kruger isn’t worried about his job status.

Though UNLV is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the 12^th straight year (and fourth under the current head coach), Kruger said he is unfazed by swirling talk about his job being in jeopardy.

He simply doesn’t think about it.

“I really don’t, unless you ask me,” Kruger said. “I don’t worry about anything past today and getting the guys as ready as they can be for tomorrow.”

It has been another trying season for a program that is desperate for March relevance. The Scarlet and Gray went 6-5 in non-conference play while failing to log a single quality win, and they head into the conference tournament at 17-14 overall. Their 11-9 league record was good for the No. 6 seed; they’ll open with a matchup against Air Force on Wednesday in the play-in round.

Injuries have taken a toll, with starters D.J. Thomas, Julian Rishwain and Rob Whaley all expected to miss the Mountain West tournament. Thomas, the team’s leading scorer, missed the last five contests with a shoulder injury while Rishwain went down in the season finale with a knee injury.

Kruger believes the team is playing hard down the stretch despite dimming NCAA Tournament hopes.

“As you’ve seen, we’ve continued to work, we’ve continued to guard,” Kruger said. “Rebounding of course has been much better over the last eight, nine, 10 games.”

Kruger served two years as an assistant at UNLV under head coach T.J. Otzelberger from 2019 to 2021. When Otzelberger left for Iowa, then-athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois elevated Kruger to the top job.

In his four years in charge, Kruger has steered UNLV to four winning seasons and an overall record of 75-54. But the team has not been in contention for the NCAA Tournament despite fielding some talented rosters, and unless the Scarlet and Gray win the Mountain West tourney, they’ll be staying home in March again this year.

Kruger expects his players to ignore the hot-seat talk and stay focused on their goal of winning the MWC tournament.

“The guys have done a great job of that,” Kruger said. “I don’t think they look ahead. They certainly haven’t talked about any of that or anything that hints toward that to us. They’re just worried about the next opponent, looking forward to it.”

Kruger has two years remaining on his contract after this season. His initial five-year deal was set to run out after the 2025-26 season, but the university quietly inked him to a one-year extension back in 2022 following his first season at the helm.

Under the terms of that extension, Kruger is set to make a base salary of $800,000 each of the next two years.

The contract also includes a termination clause: UNLV will owe Kruger $2.35 million if he is fired before June 30, 2025. That hefty figure drops to $1.575 million next year.

Kruger reiterated that he isn’t thinking about that clause or any other contract scenarios.

“I just go to work every day,” he said. “I feel like we work hard every day. We’ve gotten better. We’re going to continue to do what we can for the guys to have great experiences and we’re going to work every single day.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.