WICHITA, Kan. – UNLV will visit Charles Koch Arena during the 2015-16 men's basketball season – one of 10 matchups announced Thursday as part of the revived Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge Series.
The game is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 2. Start time and television information will be released at a later date.
The series – which previously ran from 2009-10 through 2012-13 – pits 10 Missouri Valley Conference teams head-to-head against 10 from the Mountain West Conference.
Each conference hosts five games apiece with matchups based upon factors including previous year's achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings/strength of teams in upcoming season.
The Shockers (30-5) are the two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference champions and have made four-consecutive NCAA Tournament trips.
UNLV finished 18-15 this season with an 8-10 conference mark but returns two of the conference's top underclassmen in Rashad Vaughn (the MWC's Freshman of the Year, 18.3 points per game) and junior-to-be Christian Wood (15.7 points, 10.0 rebounds per game). Between 2007 and 2013, the Rebels appeared in the NCAA Tournament seven times.
WSU leads the all-time series with UNLV 2-1. The teams last met Dec. 4, 2011 when the Shockers routed the 18th-ranked Rebels 89-70 at Koch Arena behind 31 points on eight three-pointers from Joe Ragland.
The Mountain West has ranked among the Top 10 in the NCAA's final RPI report in nine of the last 10 years, while the Valley has been among the Top-10 eight times during that same span. The leagues have combined for nine Sweet 16 and one Final Four (Wichita State) appearances over the last decade.
In the four previous years if the MWC-MVC Challenge Series, the Mountain West claimed a 22-13 edge, with help from a lopsided 8-1 record in 2010.
UNI and Wichita State have enjoyed the best individual team success among MVC members, with each compiling a 3-1 record during the first four-year series.
In 2014-15, the MVC had five teams in post-season play, which included two in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the past four seasons. UNI (1-1) and Wichita State (2-1) each won a second-round game while the Shockers advanced to the Sweet 16.
In the 2015 Challenge Series, games will be played across November and December. In future seasons, Challenge Series contests will primarily be played during a nine-day window beginning the weekend after Thanksgiving.
2014-15 MWC-MVC Challenge Series Matchups:
Date - Matchup (Location)
Fri., Nov. 13 - Illinois State at San Diego State (San Diego, Calif.)
Fri., Nov. 13 - Air Force at Southern Illinois ( Carbondale, Ill.)
Sat., Nov. 14Â -Â Colorado State at UNIÂ (Cedar Falls, Iowa)
Mon., Nov. 16 - Wyoming at Indiana State (Terre Haute, Ind.)
Wed., Nov. 18 -  Loyola at New Mexico (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Tues., Dec. 1 - Utah State at Missouri State (Springfield, Mo.)
Wed., Dec. 2 - UNLV at Wichita State (Wichita, Kan.)
Sat., Dec. 12 - Drake at Nevada (Reno, Nev.)
Sun., Dec. 20 - Bradley at Boise State (Boise, Idaho)
Sun., Dec. 20 - Evansville at Fresno State (Fresno, Calif.)
WSU in the MWC-MVC Challenge Series:
Date - Location - Result
Dec. 12, 2009 – Wichita – WSU 80, TCU 68
Dec. 4, 2010 – San Diego - #17 San Diego State 83, WSU 69
Dec. 4, 2011 – Wichita – WSU 89, #18 UNLV 70
Dec. 2, 2012 – Colorado Springs – WSU 72, Air Force 69
-Wichita State-
