UNLV is 3-0. Stanford is not undefeated anymore.
The Runnin' Rebels beat the Cardinal 76-68 Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center, at 4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89154. It is UNLV's first 3-0 start since the 2022-23 season.
That team opened with 10 straight wins. This team just finished a perfect three-game season-opening homestand.
An 18-Point Lead, Gone and Won Back
With the score tied at 14, UNLV ripped off a 13-0 run. Stanford went scoreless for 4:19 during that stretch.
A Cam Miles 3-pointer pushed the lead to 36-18 with 3:48 left in the first half. That was UNLV's largest lead of the game.
Stanford answered hard. A 15-3 run cut the lead to 39-33 at halftime, and the Cardinal kept coming in the second half.
The lead shrank to three again at 69-66 with 2:12 left. Issac Williamson answered with a 3-pointer at the 1:55 mark to push it back to six.
UNLV held Stanford scoreless from the field the rest of the way. Ballgame.
- Cam Miles: 17 points, including four 3-pointers for the second straight game
- Tyrin Jones: 16 points and six rebounds
- Sebastian Mack: 15 points, five rebounds and a game-high five assists
- Jackson Kiss: eight points and a career-high four blocked shots
Stanford got a game-high 20 points from Austin Maurer on 10-of-11 shooting, plus nine rebounds. Julius Price added 16 points and Nick Townsend scored 11.
The Press Is the Identity, and the Numbers Prove It
Second-year head coach Josh Pastner said it plain after the game. "I love the press. It's our identity. It's who we are."
The press took away Stanford's best weapon. The Cardinal shot 3 for 21 from 3-point range, just 14.3 percent, and missed all nine tries in the first half.
UNLV has now held consecutive opponents to 25.0 percent or worse from deep. Stanford also shot just 40.0 percent overall, 24 of 60 from the field.
Here is the fresh part most fans will miss. UNLV won while losing the turnover battle badly.
Stanford recorded 13 steals and outscored UNLV 16-4 in points from turnovers. The Cardinal also won second-chance points 13-6.
UNLV won anyway because its shooting was elite. The Rebels shot a season-high 57.8 percent, 26 of 45, and 58.3 percent from three, 7 of 12.
Add 15 assists on 26 made shots, a 30-29 rebounding edge, and a 20-15 edge in fast-break points. That is how a team survives its own mistakes.
What This Means Before Kansas on Tuesday
Miles and Mack have each scored at least 15 points in all three games this season. Mack leads UNLV at 21.0 points per game, and Miles is averaging 17.3.
The defense travels on paper too. UNLV has 18 blocked shots through three games, an average of 6.0 per contest, and has outrebounded all three opponents.
UNLV has also won its last two meetings with Stanford, evening the all-time series at 3-3. The Rebels won the last one on the road, 75-74, on Dec. 7 last season.
Next up is a real test, and it stays right here in Las Vegas. UNLV opens the Players Era 8 against No. 15/14 Kansas on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m. at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
The Rebels then face either West Virginia or Auburn on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The three-day event concludes Thursday, Nov. 19.
Want to judge this start for yourself? Get to Tuesday's Kansas game early, watch the press on the first five Stanford-style possessions, and count the rushed threes. That one stretch will tell you if this identity is built to last.
