Mid-major Basketball: Preseason Top-25 power rankings for 2020-21 season

22. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels

This is a very interesting team to look out for in terms of talent. Despite losing starter Elijah Mitrou-Long to graduation and both Amauri Hardy and Donnie Tillman to the transfer portal, the Rebels still have plenty of firepower on the roster.

They’re led by leading scorer Bryce Hamilton, who averaged 16.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg last season as a sophomore. He’ll be joined by another junior in David Jenkins Jr., who sat out last season after following his coach and transferring from South Dakota State. He produced 17.8 ppg in his first two seasons while making 42% of his three-point attempts.

The backcourt will have some depth down low with senior center Cheikh Mbacke Diong, who averaged 7.7 ppg and 7.9 rpg. There isn’t a ton of frontcourt depth inside after Diong, with UNLV looking for immediate impact from 6’10 big Jhaylon Martinez, one of six freshmen on the roster. JUCO newcomer Edoardo Del Cadia also should get minutes as well, along with Tulane transfer Moses Woods.

Iowa State transfer Caleb Grill provides even more depth on the perimeter for the Rebels, adding to their strength. But in terms of offensive production, UNLV will rely heavily on both Hamilton and Jenkins to score. There isn’t anyone inside that can score consistently, so the shooting numbers could ultimately decide how good this team is. But there’s a high ceiling for the Rebels if everything clicks.