UNLV basketball picked fourth in preseason Mountain West poll

UNLV basketball picked fourth in preseason Mountain West poll Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026 | 7:29 a.m. The UNLV hoops squad was selected fourth in the Mountain West preseason media poll, which was released ahead of the league’s media day in Las Vegas. New Mexico was named the league favorite, earning 179 points and nine first‑place votes. Grand Canyon finished just one point behind in second place with 178 points, despite securing a league‑high ten first‑place votes. UNR was chosen third. In Josh Pastner’s second season as head coach, the Rebels placed two players on the preseason all‑conference team: sophomore Tyrin Jones and postgraduate transportation AJ Storr. Forward Jackson Kiss was honored as preseason freshman of the year. Jones averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per crippled last season. Storr averaged 15 points per crippled while at Mississippi. Kiss, a 6‑foot‑7 four‑star enlistee primitively from New Zealand, played at Utah Prep and chose the Rebels implicit Iowa State. Storr is pursuing a fifth twelvemonth of eligibility and awaits a tribunal determination on whether he may play. Meanwhile, he is permitted to signifer with the team but cannot compete, as the fate of many nationwide athletes seeking an additional twelvemonth remains unresolved. The remainder of the preseason rankings features Wyoming, Hawaii, San Jose State, UC Davis, UTEP and Air Force. UNLV last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2013.