5 players to watch in UNLV basketball games this week

Five players to watch when the UNLV basketball team plays at Southern Utah at 6 p.m. PST Wednesday and at Arizona State at 5 p.m. PST Saturday:

1. Tra Holder, junior guard, Arizona State: He continues to improve his numbers, taking his scoring average from 7.0 as a freshmen to 14.2 last season to a team-leading 18.0 now. Unlike last season, Holder isn’t carrying the offensive load by himself because of the addition of Shannon Evans II.

2. Torian Graham, senior guard, Arizona State: He has been everywhere, from junior college to Houston to Buffalo and then to Arizona State. Talent was never the question, and Graham is showing why this season, averaging 17.3 points. He has made 19 of 42 3-pointers and half his 78 field goals.

3. Randy Onwuasor, junior guard, Southern Utah: He sat out last season after transferring from Texas Tech, and has become the go-to player for the Thunderbirds. Onwuasor averages 20.3 points, though on 37-percent shooting. He also averages a team-best 6.8 rebounds.

4. Shannon Evans II, junior guard, Arizona State: He followed Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley from Buffalo, and had to sit out last season because of NCAA transfer rules. Evans is worth the wait. He is easing the offensive burden from Holder, and Evans averages 16.2 points. His final season at Buffalo, Evans averaged 15.4 points.

5. Race Parson, senior guard, Southern Utah: A torn anterior cruciate ligament ended his season after 24 games last season, all starts. He averaged 8.5 points and 4.2 rebounds until that time. This season, Parsons averages of 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds.

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.