UNLV faces off with Sam Houston State Sunday
After surviving an opening-night scare from Morehead State, UNLV returns to action on Sunday evening with another home game against a smaller-conference opponent with NCAA Tournament aspirations.
Sam Houston State enters the Thomas & Mack projected to finish in second in the Southland Conference, behind only a powerhouse Stephen F. Austin squad.
The Bearkats looked every bit a tournament contender in a season-opening 100-52 win over Austin College on Friday.
Sam Houston State is deep and experienced. The Bearkats returned four starters from a 24-win team, plus another two-year starter who missed all of last season due to injury.
There’s really no standout player for the balanced Bearkats.
Sophomore guard Dakarai Henderson scored 16 points in the opener and center Michael Holyfield added 14 points and five blocks, though minutes were distributed a bit different than normal because of the lopsided score.
Guards Jabari Peters and Kaheem Ransom both averaged double digits in scoring last season. Ransom dished out 10 assists in the opener.
Coach Jason Hooten indicated to the Huntsville (Texas) Item he was concerned about the size of the Rebels.
“Those guys are really long and sometimes length causes problem,” Hooten told the paper.
