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(Press Release)SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah men's basketball team (12-6, 3-1 MWC) gets back into action Saturday in Las Vegas as the Utes take on UNLV (14-4, 2-2 MWC). The game is slated for a 2 p.m. MT start and will be televised live on VERSUS.
Utah enters Saturday's contest on a two-game winning streak following victories at Air Force (57-36) and at home against Colorado State (82-66). At 3-1 in conference play, the Utes are off to their best league start since the 2004-05 season, when Utah began 4-0.
UNLV is fresh off of an 83-66 win against Wyoming last Saturday. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak that saw the Rebels fall at TCU, 71-69, and at Colorado State, 80-73. UNLV has one more game before meeting the Utes, taking on BYU in Provo on Wednesday.
Saturday's game will see a matchup of two of the top players in the conference as MWC Preseason All-Conference selections Luke Nevill (Perth, Australia) of Utah and Wink Adams of UNLV take to the court. Nevill is averaging 17.4 points per game, third-best in the MWC, while Adams is pouring in 13.3, 12th-best in the league. Nevill is the conference's leading shot-blocker, while Adams ranks among the top 10 in assists.
Utah and UNLV met three times last season with the Rebels winning twice, both home at the Thomas & Mack center in Las Vegas. Utah won the first meeting, an 81-73 decision in Salt Lake City on Feb. 6. UNLV won the next two games just six days apart, taking the regular-season meeting 70-63, then capturing a 61-55 victory in the second round of the MWC Tournament.
Utah holds a 19-20 all-time record against the Rebels, including a 6-13 record in Las Vegas. The Utes have not beaten UNLV at home since 2004-05, dropping five straight meetings, including regular-season and MWC Tournament play.
NOTE - game notes will be updated upon release of the latest NCAA statistics.
(Courtesy University of Utah Athletic Department)
