Runnin' Rebels To Play In National Invitation Tournament

Courtesy of UNLV Athletics

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV men’s basketball team has accepted a bid to the National Invitation Tournament and will play a first-round game at UC Irvine on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

The matchup, which will be held at the Bren Events Center on UCI’s campus, will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
The Runnin’ Rebels’ trip to Southern California will mark their second time in the NIT in the past three seasons.

“We’re excited to receive an invitation to the NIT and grateful for the opportunity to continue our season,” head coach Josh Pastner said. “Any time you get the chance to keep competing with your group, it’s something you appreciate. For us, especially in our first year building this program, it’s a great chance to continue our positive trajectory toward our larger goals.”

UNLV’s 2024 NIT appearance, which resulted in a quarterfinal loss, was its first postseason event since competing in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

The Runnin’ Rebels (17-16), who are unseeded in the 32-team event, have won seven of their last 11 games. UNLV went 1-1 in this past week’s Mountain West Tournament, defeating Wyoming in the first round and then falling to No. 1 seed and eventual champion Utah State.

UC Irvine (23-11) is a No. 4 seed in the NIT after losing in the Big West Tournament’s championship game on Saturday to Hawaii. The Anteaters won their league’s regular-season title with a 15-5 mark.

This will mark the 12th all-time appearance in the NIT for UNLV, which has a 10-12 record in the long-running postseason event. UNLV’s best showing in the event came during its first appearance in 1980, when it advanced to the semifinals in New York.

UNLV leads the all-time series with UC Irvine in men’s basketball 32-9. The last meeting was on Nov. 28, 2012, in Las Vegas. UNLV went 23-7 against UCI as a member of the Big West Conference from 1982-96.

The winner of the UNLV at UC Irvine game on Tuesday will face the winner of No. 1 seed Tulsa vs. Stephen F. Austin in the second round, which will be held at a location to be determined on either March 21 or 22.

The NIT Quarterfinals will be held March 24 and 25, with four teams advancing to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the semifinals. The NIT semifinals will kick off the Final Four weekend on April 2. The NIT championship will be played on April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse following the conclusion of the Division II and Division III Men’s Basketball National Championships.