Dave Rice is out at UNLV. A 9-7 start has cost the Running Rebels head basketball coach his job, according to multiple reports. Todd Simon takes over as interim coach.
UNLV fires head coach Dave Rice, according to report
Rice made the NCAA Tournament twice in his four full seasons as head coach at UNLV.
Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Rice finished 95-64 in his 4.5 years at the helm, with UNLV making NCAA Tournament appearances in his first two seasons. Expectations were high for UNLV entering this season, but three straight losses to start conference play was enough for the program to make a change.
Rice was known as a very good recruiter, landing five-star center Stephen Zimmerman as well five-star wing Derrick Jones in the class of 2015. He had previously landed five-star recruits Anthony Bennett in 2012 and Rashad Vaughn and Goodluck Okonoboh in 2014.
UNLV’s offense has been a major disappointment this season, ranking only No. 253 in the country in efficiency, according to KenPom. The team’s defense is currently No. 11 according to KenPom.
We’ll update this story as it develops.
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