Game Info: Thursday, November 20, 2025 - 10:00 p.m. EST
Location: Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, Nev.
TV: MW Network | Listen: sjuhawks.com | Live Stats: sjuhawks.com | Saint Joseph's Game Notes | UNLV Game Notes

Social Media
Twitter/X: @sjuhawks_mbb | Instagram: @sjuhawks_mbb

Opening Tip
The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team has its farthest travel of the season, taking on the UNLV Runnin' Rebels on Thursday, November 20. Tipoff is scheduled for 10:00 PM EST with the game airing on MW Network.

Hello, My Name Is...    
Thursday marks the first-ever meeting between St. Joe's and UNLV. It is one of two first-time Division I opponents for the Hawks in 2025-26. Saint Joseph's hosts Coastal Carolina for the inaugural meeting in men's basketball for the schools on December 22. Despite the distance between the schools, it is somewhat remarkable that two programs of their respective profiles have yet to play. The teams have combined for 174 seasons and 4,734 games entering Thursday.

Pacific Time    
Saint Joseph's makes its longest road trip by distance this season when it travels to Las Vegas to play UNLV. Philadelphia and Las Vegas span a straight-line distance of 2,177 miles. The last game SJU played in the Pacific Time Zone was November 26, 2021 when it beat Georgetown, 77-74 at the Paycom Wooden Classic in Anaheim, Calif.

Jones-ing For More    
Shaking off a rough season opener, Deuce Jones II has looked like the player that won the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year award last season in his most recent three contests. The sophomore from Trenton, N.J. is averaging 22.3 points per game since November 8, while shooting 21-for-40 from the floor. He started the stretch with a career-high 29 points against Drexel.

Century Mark Ahead    
Justice Ajogbor has seven blocks this season as he climbs closer to 100 in his time at St. Joe's. The graduate student currently has 93 swats at SJU in 39 games. Ajogbor had 14 games last season with three or more blocks, including a career-high of eight against UAB in the NIT. He also had a streak of 11 consecutive games with multiple blocks from December 21, 2024, through February 1, 2025, the longest such stretch in NCAA Division I. His 86 blocks in 2024-25 ranked fifth nationally.

Big 5 Update
Despite the loss to Penn on Monday, the Hawks still have a chance at winning their 23rd outright Big 5 Championship. If Drexel tops the Quakers in The Battle of 33rd Street on Friday, all three teams in the pod will be 1-1. In the first two seasons of the current Big 5 format, ties have been broken by using the highest rated team in either the NET or RPI. While neither of those rankings are out as of Tuesday morning, based on KenPom.com rankings, Saint Joseph's is No. 152, Penn is No. 262 and Drexel is No. 280. With similar numbers in the NET, SJU would play in the Big 5 championship game under that scenario.

Welcome to Hawk Hill!    
On November 12, Saint Joseph's signed BJ Ranson to a National Letter of Intent. A three-star recruit out of Mount Saint Joseph in Baltimore, Md., Ranson is rated as the No. 7 recruit in Maryland and the No. 24 point guard nationally in the 2026 class by 247Sports. As a junior last season, he averaged 18.0 points and 5.5 rebounds, while shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. He was a Second Team All-Baltimore Catholic League honoree and was named to the BCL All-Tournament Team. He provided the BCL Tournament's biggest moment when he connected on a three-pointer as time expired, lifting Mount Saint Joseph to a 58-56 win against defending champion St. Francis Academy in the semifinals.

Scouting Report    

• UNLV enters play 2-2 overall and is coming off a 92-78 win at Memphis on Sunday. The Runnin' Rebels were picked sixth of 12 teams in the Mountain West preseason poll.
• UNLV has a potent offense with five players averaging double figures, led by Isaac Williamson at 18.0 PPG. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Kimani Hamilton, who was named to the Mountain West All-Preseason Team, each score 15.3 per contest. Naas Cunningham and Howie Fleming, Jr. tally 12.3 and 11.0 points an outing, respectively. Tyrin Jones pulls in 6.0 rebounds per game. Hamilton and Gibbs-Lawhorn each have 12 assists.
• Regardless of the opponent, the Runnin' Rebels can score and have shot the ball well. They average 91.8 points per game and are in the top-45 nationally, shooting 50.8 percent from the floor. They also get to the line, ranking 17th in NCAA Division I with 31.8 free throw attempts per game and are 19th with 23.3 makes a night at the line.
• With those offensive numbers in tow, it is defensive inconsistency that has cost UNLV its two losses this season. They fell 86-81 against UT Martin on opening night and then 102-93 against Montana on Nov. 11. The Grizzlies are ranked No. 150 according to KenPom.com with the Skyhawks coming in at No. 229.
• Josh Pastner is in his first season as the head coach at UNLV and his 15th season as a collegiate mentor overall. He has guided his teams to five seasons with 24 or more wins and taken his teams to the NCAA Tournament five times.

All-Time Series    
Thursday is the first meeting between Saint Joseph's and UNLV.

It's What He Does    
For the third time in his four stops, Steve Donahue won his first game at a new school. Previously, he defeated Saint Francis Brooklyn with Boston College and Robert Morris with Penn. His only loss in his first game in a new place was at Cornell, when the Big Red fell to the defending national champions, No. 3 Michigan State.

For Starters    
The Hawks are 84-29 in season-opening games. St. Joe's has won its last three openers, against Lafayette (2023, 2025) and Navy (2024). SJU won 32 consecutive games to start its season from 1950 through 1982.

Towering Over The Competition    
With Justice Ajogbor (6'10"), Jaden Smith (6'11") and Steven Solano (7'0"), the Hawks' roster is loaded with height. Only eight opponents for St. Joe's have three or more players who are 6'10" or taller, led by five on Duquesne's roster. Three teams – Princeton, Coppin State and Rutgers-Camden – do not have a player on their squad that is taller than 6'9".

Next Up    
The Hawks are back in the friendly confines of Hagan Arena, hosting Rutgers-Camden on Tuesday, November 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the game airing on ESPN+.