5 players to watch in UNLV-South Alabama game

Five players to watch when UNLV opens its basketball season against South Alabama at 7 p.m. Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center:

1. Ken Williams, senior wing, South Alabama: He averaged 15.5 points last season, and ranks 11th in school history with 1,279 points and third with 203 3-pointers. Williams was named to the preseason second-team All-Sun Belt Conference.

2. Nick Stover, senior forward, South Alabama: The Loyola Marymount transfer averaged 10.1 points last season. In Friday’s 77-46 exhibition victory over Mobile, he tied for the team lead with 12 points.

3. Georgi Boyanov, senior forward, South Alabama: He comes off a season in which he averaged 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds. Has an ability to rebounds despite being 6 feet 7 inches tall.

4. Jalen Poyser, sophomore guard, UNLV: He likely will be the starting point guard, but also probably will see time at shooting guard as well. Has the ability to score, but how Poyser runs the offense will help decide the level of the Rebels’ success.

5. Christian Jones, senior forward, UNLV: The 6-7 Jones will be in the post, which might be fine against a South Alabama team that struggles to rebound. Jones has the ability to score as well, and if he does, that would take pressure of UNLV’s guards to produce from outside.

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