In today's Vegas sports news:
- The Lady Rebels' quest to be four-time Mountain West Conference champions continues against San Diego State.
- The Runnin' Rebels prepare for their first battle in the men's Mountain West Conference tournament against Air Force.
- Malcolm Koonce will remain a Las Vegas Raider. Hear what he had to say about re-signing.
- A four-game road trip begins for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Who's the best in the Mountain West?
The Mountain West Conference tournament is underway in Las Vegas. Here's where your hometown teams stand:
Lady Rebels
The Lady Rebels could secure a spot in the women's championship game with a win over San Diego State on Tuesday night.
After UNLV's 80-70 win over Boise State on Monday, head coach Lindy LaRocque said her team looked a little nervous — but she isn't surprised considering how hard tournament games are.
UNLV has won 10 straight games in the Mountain West tournament and are the back-to-back-to-back defending champions.
If the Lady Rebels beat San Diego State, they advance to the championship game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Runnin' Rebels
UNLV men’s basketball opens play in the Mountain West Championship on Wednesday vs. Air Force at 4 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Runnin’ Rebels enter as the No. 6 seed, having won six of their last eight games. Air Force is the No. 11 seed, with just one conference win this season.
Despite injuries throughout the year — including the recent loss of Julian Rishwain — head coach Kevin Kruger says the team has battled hard.
“I’m just so proud of them. I mean, guys have just done such a good job of fighting, competing — whatever’s been thrown at them, even going all the way back to November, they’ve done what they can to figure it out, problem-solve, and try to get wins."
Senior forward Jalen Hill echoed that mindset, emphasizing the team’s depth.
“This is what we’ve been doing all season. Different guys have stepped up at different times, and that just goes to show that during the weeks of practice, everybody’s locked in, everybody’s putting in work, and we all have trust in one another.”
UNLV looks to keep that next-man-up mentality rolling as it begins tournament play.
UNLV Sports
'Hungrier than ever': UNLV Basketball teams ready to rock March
Beat the Penguins
The Vegas Golden Knights begin a four-game road trip in Pittsburgh. It's the longest road trip left for the team before the focus turns to the playoffs.
The Knights wrapped up a five-game homestand on Sunday with a 6-5 loss to the Kings but went 4-1-0 overall. They have a four-point lead (82) over the Edmonton Oilers (78) in the Pacific Division standings.
Puck drops at 4 p.m. on Vegas 34.
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas Golden Knights begin four-game roadtrip against Pittsburgh Penguins
Back in Silver and Black
The free-agency frenzy continues in the NFL, with the Las Vegas Raiders seeing both additions and subtractions to their roster.
Defensive end Malcolm Koonce re-signed with the Silver and Black and is excited to work with the new Raiders leadership.
"Especially somebody like Pete Carroll, he's a legend of a coach, so who doesn't want to be around him?" Koonce said during Zoom interview. "And then Pat [Patrick Graham] has kind of seen me grow into the player that I am, so I'm very comfortable around him, comfortable in the system, and it's always great to be around guys that believe in you."
The Raiders lost linebacker Divine Deablo, who is expected to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. The 2021 third-round draft pick reportedly agreed to a two-year, $14 million deal. Deablo becomes the fourth defensive starter to leave Vegas, joining linebacker Robert Spillane, safety Tre'von Moehrig and cornerback Nate Hobbs.
One last thing...
This week, we are highlighting 7-year-old Matty Dingell for Tyke Highlights. Matty plays Little Raiders flag football and scores a long touchdown for his team. Check it out:
If you want the chance for your little athlete to be featured during our newscast, you can submit your video and fill out the form here.
