Rashad Vaughn, UNLV’s leading scorer and one of 50 players named to the Naismith Watchlist earlier today, suffered a back injury in the team’s 77-55 loss to Arizona State on Wednesday night. Vaughn, a McDonald’s All-American last year, is the Rebels’ most consistent offensive threat and the biggest key to UNLV’s success this season. The Las Vegas Review Journal tweeted out news of the injury:
The fact that Vaughn’s injury occurred on a non-contact play is definitely a concern for UNLV. If he’s unable to play for any extended amount of time, the Rebels will be in trouble. UNLV plays Top 25 teams Arizona, Utah and Kansas in the next month. Without Vaughn, it’s difficult to imagine any of those games going in the Rebels’ favor.
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In his first season at UNLV, Vaughn is the Rebels’ leading scorer at 17.8 points per game. While sophomore forward Christian Wood recently stepped up his play to emerge as a second scoring option, the team relies heavily on Vaughn’s scoring to win games. After his injury tonight, UNLV scored just five points in the final 8:58. It took 5 games for Wood to emerge as a reliable second scoring option, and it’s difficult to imagine the Rebels winning many games with him as the go-to guy.