After losing to both No.17 Tennessee and Notre Dame in the first two games of the Players Era Tournament, it has been announced that Rutgers will play UNLV in its last game of the tournament. The Runnin’Rebels
also lost their first two games of the tournament, falling to Maryland 74-67 and No.8 Alabama, 115-76.
UNLV entered the Players Era Tournament sitting at 3-2, with wins over Chattanooga, Memphis, and Saint Joseph’s. Their losses came against Montana and UT Austin.
The most dangerous things about the Rebels are that they can score and score in bunches. They have three players averaging over 13 points per game, with one player, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, averaging 17.6 points per game. They have only been helped under 70 points once this season and scored over 90 points four times this season. The major issue with UNLV seems to be its defense, as it has only held opponents under 70 points once so far this season.
The top performers on the Rebels are Gibbs-Lawhorn, Issac Williamson, Kimani Hamilton, and Tyrin Jones. Williamson averages 15.6 points per game, while Hamilton averages 13.4 points per game. Jones excels in other areas on the court, as he leads the team in average rebounds per game with 6.4 and blocks with 2.1.
For Rutgers to have a chance to beat UNLV, it has to find a way to slow their offense down, which is much easier said than done, as the Rebels put up 76 points in a losing effort to No.8 Alabama.
The Knights’ game against UNLV is set to tip off at 4:30 on Thanksgiving, with live coverage being available on TruTV.
