The University of Nevada, Las Vegas men’s basketball team will play UC Irvine in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on March 17. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Bren Events Center on UC Irvine’s campus and will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
The Runnin’ Rebels are making their second appearance in the NIT in three seasons. Head coach Josh Pastner said, “We’re excited to receive an invitation to the NIT and grateful for the opportunity to continue our season. Any time you get the chance to keep competing with your group, it’s something you appreciate. For us, especially in our first year building this program, it’s a great chance to continue our positive trajectory toward our larger goals.”
UNLV last played in a postseason event during its 2024 NIT appearance, which ended with a quarterfinal loss. That was their first postseason since participating in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
This season, UNLV holds a record of 17-16 and has won seven of its last eleven games. The team went 1-1 in last week’s Mountain West Tournament, defeating Wyoming before losing to top-seeded Utah State. Their opponent, UC Irvine (23-11), enters as a No. 4 seed after winning the Big West regular-season title but falling to Hawaii in the conference tournament championship.
Tuesday’s matchup marks UNLV’s twelfth all-time appearance in the NIT; they have a historical record of ten wins and twelve losses in this event. Their best performance came during their debut year in 1980 when they reached the semifinals.
UNLV leads its all-time series against UC Irvine with thirty-two wins and nine losses. The teams last met on November 28, 2012, in Las Vegas.
The winner between UNLV and UC Irvine will advance to face either Tulsa or Stephen F. Austin in the second round later that week at a location yet to be determined.
