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BYU Basketball: BYU to play UNLV in a December doubleheader

By Shaun Gordon

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 05: A general view shows T-Mobile Arena on April 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The USD 375 million, 20,000-seat sports and entertainment venue, a joint venture partnership between MGM Resorts International and AEG, opens on April 6 with a concert headlined by the band The Killers. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 05: A general view shows T-Mobile Arena on April 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The USD 375 million, 20,000-seat sports and entertainment venue, a joint venture partnership between MGM Resorts International and AEG, opens on April 6 with a concert headlined by the band The Killers. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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BYU basketball’s non-conference schedule is taking shape for the 2018-19 season, with a third game reported in the last three days.

Jon Rothstein is at it again.

In the last three days, the CBS reporter has reported on three different games that BYU basketball will play in 2018-19.

This time, he’s broken a December matchup in Las Vegas against UNLV:

This won’t be a true road game for the Cougars. Rather than facing the Runnin’ Rebels in the Thomas & Mack Center, the game will take place at the T-Mobile Arena. The two-year old arena is currently the home of the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights.

If the reports are correct, the game will be one part of a doubleheader on December 15, along with LSU vs. St. Mary’s.

Not only will this event give Cougar fans the opportunity to watch BYU play in Vegas, but it’ll also give them a chance to get an early look at one of their conference rivals in the other game.

BYU and UNLV certainly aren’t strangers to each other. The former conference foes have faced off 34 times, with the  Runnin’ Rebels winning 18 and the Cougars winning 16. Their last matchup came on February 5, 2011, and the Cougars won that home tilt 78-64.

A guy named Jimmer Fredette had 29 points in that one.

UNLV is traditionally a strong college basketball program, but they’ve under-achieved in recent years. Last season the Runnin’ Rebels finished 20-13 overall, but managed to win only eight conference games, good for 7th in the Mountain West Conference.

If UNLV performs the same as last year, this game wouldn’t provide the same resume boost as the games against Houston and Mississippi State. The Runnin’  Rebels finished with an RPI of 134, which would fall outside of the top two quadrants on a neutral site.

It looks like this game may be more of a service to BYU fans, an opportunity to escape the cold for a few days and watch two entertaining basketball games.

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