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(Press Release)SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah men's basketball team (19-7, 10-2 MWC) hosts UNLV (20-7, 8-5 MWC) Wednesday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center as the Utes attempt to maintain their two-game lead in the league standings. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. MT and the game will be televised live on CBS College Sports.
The Utes enter the game riding a seven-game winning streak, having not lost since the last meeting between these two squads. Utah has also won nine straight home games and is undefeated in league games at home with a 6-0 mark.
The Rebels have gone 5-3 since last facing the Utes, including a 1-2 mark in road contests. UNLV won handily at Air Force, 59-38, but lost in overtime at New Mexico (73-69) and then dropped a 77-68 decision at Wyoming. On the year, the Rebels are 6-4 in true road games, with a 2-4 mark in league play.
In the first meeting of the season between Utah and UNLV, the Rebels won 75-65 in Las Vegas. The Utes led by as many as 11 with under 17 minutes to play but could not keep the advantage and were outscored 45-27 in the second half. Senior center Luke Nevill (Perth, Australia) was Utah's top performer in the game with 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. The Rebels were led by sophomore guard Tre'Von Willis' 22 points and got a seven-rebound effort from Mareceo Rutledge.
Nevill, the reigning MWC Co-Player of the Week and a strong candidate for All-American and MWC Player of the Year honors, leads the Utes with 17.3 points per game, the second-highest total in the league. He also tops the conference in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and blocked shots (2.73 bpg).
Nevill will share the floor with fellow Preseason All-MWC selection Wink Adams, UNLV's leading scorer at 14.6 points per game. Adams was also selected as Preseason Co-MWC Player of the Year. Senior guard Rene Rougeau is the Rebels' top rebounder at 6.8 boards per contest.
The Utes trail the all-time series with the Rebels, 21-19. Utah has lost three straight to UNLV, including regular-season games this year and in 2008, as well as last year's MWC Tournament semifinal on the Rebels' home floor.
The home team has dominated this series, with Utah owning an 11-4 advantage in Salt Lake City. UNLV is 14-6 against the Utes in Vegas, and holds a 3-2 edge in neutral-site contests.
Utah defeated the Rebels in last year's meeting in Salt Lake City, 72-66. The win snapped a two-game home losing skid to UNLV, prior to which the Utes had won seven straight at home against the Rebels, going back to 1998.
(Courtesy UofU Athletic Department)
