UNLV Men's Basketball Improves Under Pastner, But Falls Short Against Utah State

The Rebels made strides throughout the season but couldn't overcome a dominant Utah State team in the Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 1:20am

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The UNLV men's basketball team improved significantly over the course of the season under new head coach Josh Pastner, winning 7 of their last 10 games before being eliminated by top-seeded Utah State in the Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals. While UNLV struggled early in the season, they developed more consistency and an identity as the year progressed, but were ultimately outmatched by a stronger Utah State squad in their tournament matchup.

Why it matters

UNLV's performance this season, despite the tournament loss, shows promise for the program under Pastner's leadership. With several top Mountain West teams departing for the Pac-12, the door is open for UNLV to potentially emerge as a conference contender next year, though Pastner acknowledges there is still significant work to be done to rebuild the program.

The details

UNLV was defeated 80-60 by Utah State in the Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals, with the Aggies dominating on both ends of the floor. The Rebels struggled with 19 turnovers and several quick or poor shots that allowed Utah State to build a 37-23 halftime lead. While UNLV had improved significantly over the course of the season, winning 7 of their last 10 games, they were unable to replicate that success against the superior Aggies team.

  • UNLV finished the season with a 17-16 record.
  • The Mountain West Tournament quarterfinal loss to Utah State took place on Thursday, March 12, 2026.

The players

Josh Pastner

UNLV's head coach in his first season with the program, who was credited with improving the team throughout the year despite the tournament loss.

Kimani Hamilton

UNLV forward who was called for a flagrant foul during the second half of the tournament game against Utah State.

Utah State

The top-seeded team in the Mountain West Tournament, which defeated UNLV 80-60 in the quarterfinals.

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What they’re saying

“I have a vision that I want us to bring it back, but it's not going to happen by the snap of the fingers. We had a little taste of it here and there, but it's going to be an absolute kick, fight, scratching and clawing our way to get this thing continuing to build in the right way … It's not going to be easy. It's going to be really hard. Really, really hard. But, I believe we have a good pathway and hopefully we can get it done and get people back in the stadium and have a great season next season.”

— Josh Pastner, UNLV Head Coach

What’s next

Pastner and his staff will work to rebuild the UNLV roster and continue the program's upward trajectory, with the departure of several top Mountain West teams potentially opening the door for UNLV to emerge as a conference contender next season.

The takeaway

While UNLV's season ended with a lopsided loss to Utah State in the Mountain West Tournament, the team showed significant improvement under new head coach Josh Pastner, winning 7 of their last 10 games. With several top programs leaving the conference, UNLV has an opportunity to take a major step forward next season, though Pastner acknowledges there is still a lot of hard work ahead to fully rebuild the program.