No fans for end of UNLV football, start of UNLV basketball

Allegiant Stadium will be vacant for the rest of UNLV football’s regular season. The Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion will be empty as well when they welcome UNLV’s basketball teams back to the court.

UNLV football will play its final two regular-season games — Nov. 27 against Wyoming and Dec. 4 against Boise State — without fans, the athletic department announced Monday. The men’s and women’s basketball teams will do likewise at the start of their seasons.

The announcement comes as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Nevada.

Southern Nevada Health District recommendations say if the seven-day running average of new cases is 750 or greater, events with more than 250 attendees should not be held. The seven-day average was 760 in Clark County on Nov. 10, according to the SNHD website.

UNLV cited those guidelines when announcing its decision.

“The health and safety of everyone involved continues to be our top priority,” athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois said in a statement. “We wish we could welcome fans to our games, but we will continue to do our part to mitigate the serious impacts of the pandemic on all of those in Southern Nevada.”

The football program previously hosted 2,000 people for its first two games at Allegiant Stadium. UNLV was not given that same approval for its final two home games, however. The basketball programs — which are both slated to begin their seasons Nov. 25 — were not, either.

Season-ticket holders have three options: They can defer funds toward season tickets for next year, donate the money to the Rebel Athletic Fund or receive a refund. The first two options allow fans to keep their same seats for next season.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.