For the first time this season, the Kansas Jayhawks will play in a true road game, traveling to Las Vegas to face UNLV at 8 p.m. Thursday (CBS Sports Network).
The Runnin’ Rebels, which went through plenty of turmoil during the offseason, will play their third ranked opponent in 13 days. They lost by 49 points against Duke and 20 points versus Oregon. But those were both neutral site games and the Rebels own a 6-2 record inside of Thomas & Mack Center.
UNLV only returned three players from last season when Dave Rice was fired midseason. Then Chris Beard was hired to be his replacement, but left for Texas Tech less than 20 days later. So the Rebels turned to Marvin Menzies, who coached for nine years at New Mexico State.
With 12 newcomers, the Rebels rank 187th in the KenPom rankings, which includes a four-point loss to TCU.
UNLV (7-5), a 20-point underdog against No. 3 Kansas (10-1), ranks last among Mountain West teams with a negative-2.7 turnover differential and that’s before the Runnin’ Rebels face strong defenders such as Frank Mason III, Devonte’ Graham, Lagerald Vick and Josh Jackson.
Menzies was impressed with Jackson ahead of Thursday’s matchup.
“After watching film on him, he’s obviously a very, very talented player, who’s versatile, which makes him even more dangerous,” Menzies said. “I feel like we’re going to have our hands full with all of their guards and their ability because they can all shoot it in and penetrate, and they’re good decision-makers as well.
**Interesting note:** UNLV is tied with Kentucky for an NCAA-record most consecutive games making at least one 3-pointer. Since the 3-point field goal was adopted by the NCAA in 1986-87, UNLV has converted at least one 3-pointer in all 986 games played.
**Series history:** Kansas leads 5-0. This will be the first time the Jayhawks have played a road game in Vegas. The Jayhawks won two years ago in Lawrence, 76-61. Frank Mason led with 18 points, seven assists and four steals while Wayne Selden Jr. and Perry Ellis added 16 points apiece.
**UNLV STARTERS**
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*No. 5 — G Jalen Poyser | 6-4, 180, soph.*
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– One of three players that returned from last year’s roster.
– UNLV’s leading scorer with 14.6 points per game. He’s shooting 43 percent from the floor and 39.4 percent from deep. Along with his scoring, Poyser has dished 45 assists in 12 games to 35 turnovers.
– A strong defender, Poyser has snagged 12 steals this season, which ranks second on the team.
– The Malton, Ontario native was the top-ranked Canadian recruit in his class, per Rivals.
– *QUOTE:* “I don’t really look at it as a big workload, to be honest,” he said. “It’s just something I have to do. I’m willing to step up to the plate and take on any role that coach wants me to take.”
*No. 1 — G Kris Clyburn | 6-6, 180, soph.*
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– He played one season at Ranger Junior College, coached by Billy Gillispie, the former Texas Tech and Texas A&M coach. Gillispie recently retired because of health concerns related to blood pressure and his team had to vacate all of last year’s accomplishments due to an ineligible player.
– Through 12 games, Clyburn is averaging 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds on 46 percent shooting. According to hoop-math.com, he takes more than half of his shots at the rim.
– Clyburn was the first player to sign with UNLV under first-year coach Menzies.
– His older brother, Will, played at Iowa State.
– *QUOTE:* “He helped me out a lot,” Clyburn said of his older brother. “He told me all the ropes he went through, what to look for in all these coaches. You’ve got a lot of people in one ear, a lot people in the other ear. He made the decision that was right for him, so I took that path and made the decision that was right for me.”
*No. 2 — G Uche Ofoegbu | 6-4, 220, sr.*
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– A graduate transfer from San Francisco, Ofoegbu ranked eighth in the WCC with a .508 field goal percentage last year. Before San Francisco, he played his freshman season at SMU.
– Ofoegbu has averaged 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds through 11 games. He’s shooting .277 from the floor and .217 from behind the 3-point arc. But he leads the Rebels with 15 steals.
– According to hoop-math.com, Ofoegbu is only making 37 percent of the shots that he takes at the rim, the lowest mark on the team.
– He has four siblings and all of them played in college.
– *QUOTE:* “I didn’t see myself coming to UNLV at first, but when I talked to Coach Menzies, I had to,” Ofoegbu said. “I had to be part of what he was trying to build here. We connected on and off the court. Even though I’m only going to have him for one year, it’s a lifetime relationship to me.”
*No. 3 — F Tyrell Green | 6-7, 215, sr.*
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– He played in the same AAU program as teammate Poyser and former No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Anthony Bennett.
– In his second year at UNLV, after transferring from Hill Junior College, Green is averaging 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds. He’s shooting 50 percent from deep (25 of 50) and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line. His 21 offensive rebounds lead the Rebels.
– The Toronto native only played in seven games last year after dealing with several injuries including back spasms, tendinitis in his right knee and an injured right hamstring.
– According to hoop-math.com, he’s only taken 27 percent of his shots at the rim, but he’s very efficient inside, converting on 72.7 percent of those attempts at the rim.
– *QUOTE:* “My body’s completely changed,” Green said, noting he dropped around 30 pounds. “So I feel like that’s going to help me to prevent all these injuries.”
*No. 11 — F Cheickna Dembele | 6-11, 235, fr.*
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– The Mali, Africa native is only averaging 12.5 minutes per game this year, but he’s played at least 20 in the last three games (all starts). He’s averaging 3.3 points and 3.4 rebounds on 46 percent shooting. On defense, he’s added seven blocks.
– He wasn’t cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse until October after waiting for approval on his transcripts. Dembele was out for a few weeks during fall camp with an injured right heel.
– According to hoop-math.com, Dembele is shooting 60 percent on shots at the rim.
– *QUOTE:* “When you have talented players thrust into roles like that, there are some growing pains,” Menzies said. “But you also see some flashes of what’s to come.”
**UNLV BENCH**
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*No. 20 — F Christian Jones | 6-7, 225, sr.*
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– After missing the last three games, the Las Vegas Review Journal is reporting that Jones practiced Wednesday and is cleared to play against KU. He previously was out with an ankle injury and he missed the first five games of the season with a foot injury.
– The St. John’s grad transfer is averaging 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds through four games (three starts). He’s shooting 18 of 32 from the floor (56 percent).
– During his junior season, at St. John’s, Jones averaged 8.4 points on 47.8 percent shooting and 5.2 rebounds per game.
– *QUOTE:* “I like the way Menzies coaches,” Jones said. “It’s like free play, but it’s structured free play. It’s not too structured to where you can’t get out of your comfort zone and show your abilities.”
*No. 30 — G Jovan Mooring | 6-2, 195, jr.*
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– A transfer from South Suburban CC, Mooring is averaging 9.0 points in 22.9 minutes per game off of the bench. He’s shooting 37 percent from deep (13 of 35) and he ranks second on the squad with 34 assists in 12 games.
– A shooter that’s not afraid to shoot from anywhere on the court, Mooring scored a career-high 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting in a loss against Oregon last week.
– *QUOTE:* “Scoring has always been a natural thing for me,” Mooring said. “I’m comfortable doing that. In high school, I just wanted to score and look good for everybody. Changing has been a challenge. … I definitely see a lot of times where I could take shots that I’m used to making, but those are shots I’m not shooting here. It’s trust that the coaches will put me in a position to be successful.”
*No. 31 — F Troy Baxter | 6-8, 190, fr.*
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– Originally committed to South Florida, he was released from his national letter of intent before joining UNLV in September.
– Averaging 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game. He’s shooting 44 percent from the floor but has made only three of his 15 attempts from deep. He ranks second on the Rebels with eight total blocks.
*No. 10 — G Zion Morgan | 6-5, 180, fr.*
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– In seven games off of the bench, Morgan has scored 19 points in 67 minutes, shooting 7-of-11 from the floor. He’s added four steals and six assists.
– He originally committed to Valparaiso. Afterward, he planned to play at a prep school before UNLV offered as scholarship.
– His uncle, Mardy Gilyard, was a receiver for Cincinnati and eventually drafted by the St. Louis Rams.
*No. 15 — F Dwayne Morgan | 6-8, 215, jr.*
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– Not expected to play against Kansas, Morgan has missed the last three games because of a shoulder injury. He also missed the team’s season opener while recovering from offseason hip surgery.
– He’s averaged 9.4 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds in eight games this season with a team-high 11 blocks.
– Unrelated to teammate Zion Morgan, his mother played college basketball at Clemson and his father was an offensive lineman for the Tigers.
