BYU vs UNLV Basketball Exhibition Preview: How to Watch, What to Expect

BYU plays in its final tune-up before the regular season when they head to Las Vegas to play at UNLV Saturday afternoon. The game coincides with the BYU-UCF football game, so you’ll need two screens if you want to watch both games. BYU beat Nebraska 72-61 last Friday.

How to Watch

When: Saturday, October 24 at 2:00 MT

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas

Stream: This game is exclusively on MW+. You can pay $10.99/month directly on the site, or get a 1-week free trial through Amazon Prime.

BYU and UNLV by the Numbers

BYU KenPom: 33

EvanMiya: 25

UNLV KenPom: 78

EvanMiya: 99

UNLV Overview

The Rebels were picked to finish fourth in the Preseason MWC Poll. This is a conference that lost San Diego State, Colorado State, Boise State and added Grand Canyon, UTEP, UC Davis. UNLV had two players in the 10-person Preseason All-Conference team — Tyrin Jones and AJ Storr — but both players will miss this game.

UNLV lost their opening exhibition 79-69 to Utah, where they were without Jones, Storr, and most of the above players. Issac Williamson is another returning starter along with Tyrin Jones who will also miss this game. Bottom line, UNLV is short handed for this game.

The backcourt of UCLA transfer Sebastian Mack and Florida State transfer Cam Miles will give BYU some good looks to go against. Mack had 25 points in their loss to Utah and Miles finished with 16 points. This UNLV team is expected to be better on the defensive end, but without Jones and other key pieces its hard to say what they will look like.

What I am Watching

BYU-UNLV is a fun renewal of a basketball rivalry, although I expect attendance to be sparse. UNLV didn’t have a great turnout for their first game, and the overlap with the BYU football game means BYU fan attendance will likely be significantly reduced as well. I won’t take too much from this game since the Rebels are short-handed, but it will be a nice final tune-up for BYU away from its home court.

• BYU Defensive Scheme — I want to see if BYU remains aggressive on defense. With no real shot blockers on the team, BYU was active in trying to force turnovers versus Nebraska. It worked, as the Cougs forced 18 turnovers and won the turnover battle 18-11. In the closed scrimmage versus Long Beach State, BYU forced 25 turnovers. I want to see if BYU continues to be aggressive on defense.
• Reserves — BYU’s starting five is set. Jake Wahlin and Khadim Mboup will for sure be part of the rotation. That’s seven guys. Outside of that, there is playing time available. I expect Nate Pickens to be in there. He’s a fifth-year senior and has lots of college experience. Brooks Bahr looked good against Nebraska, and he could push Pickens for minutes as the season goes along. Those are probably your guys most likely to get playing time depending how Dawson Baker feels when he is fully cleared for playing time. Other guys I want to see on the court (if they are healthy) are Dovydas Buika, Brody Kozlowski, and Petar Ostojic.
• Shooting — BYU is going to shoot a ton of threes this year. The lid came off the rim in the second half, and BYU shot 10-36 from three. Let’s see how they shoot away from the Marriott Center.