Grand Canyon’s game at UNLV on Saturday will be a homecoming for the Antelopes’ leading scorer.
Jaden Henley transferred to Grand Canyon this year after he spent last season at UNLV. The 6-foot-7 senior from Ontario, California, began his career at Minnesota in 2022 and spent the 2023-24 season at DePaul.
Henley started 27 games for the Rebels and finished last season No. 2 on the team with 12.5 points a game. He also averaged a team-high 1.6 steals a game and led the team with an .864 free throw percentage and earned Mountain West Player of the Week honors after back-to-back 22-point games against Nevada and San Jose State.
He has really come into his own this year. Henley has started all 22 of the Antelopes’ games this season. He leads the team and ranks No. 6 in the Mountain West with 17.1 points a game. He also leads Grand Canyon with 60 assists and 34 steals, and is shooting 77% from the charity stripe.
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Henley leads Grand Canyon (15-7, 8-3 MWC) into the Thomas & Mack Center for a game that could have major Mountain West title implications for the Antelopes. They’re currently sitting in fourth place in the conference, behind New Mexico (18-5, 9-3), San Diego State (16-6, 10-2), and league-leading Utah State (19-3, 10-2), which is coming off a dominant victory over the Lobos. A win will keep Grand Canyon on the Lobos’ heels.
UNLV (10-12, 5-6 MWC) is also led this season by a transfer. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn spent the past two seasons at Illinois, where he played in 63 games. The former four-star recruit has quickly become one of the top scorers in the Mountain West. He ranks No. 3 in the conference with 18 points a night, and he has scored at least 20 points in a game nine times this season, including in five of the Antelopes’ past seven contests.
Gibbs-Lawhorn posted a career-high 33 points in a home win over Boise State on Jan. 13. He put up 26 points at Nevada on Jan. 30 and 28 at Fresno State on Tuesday, but all those points haven’t led to wins lately.
UNLV is on a four-game losing streak since going on the road and upsetting Utah State on Jan. 20.
Grand Canyon at UNLV Odds
Grand Canyon is a 3.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is at 149.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -165 for Grand Canyon and +135 for UNLV.
The overall series is tied 3-3, but Grand Canyon and UNLV haven’t played since 2011. The Antelopes are 0-3 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Grand Canyon at UNLV on TV
The Mountain West game featuring Grand Canyon and UNLV will be televised on Fox.
Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET.
Grand Canyon at UNLV Prediction
I predict Grand Canyon wins, 78-70.
Henley is the Antelopes’ most consistent scorer, but he’s far from their only weapon. Makaih Williams joined the team last year after he was named WAC Freshman of the Year at UT Arlington in 2023-24. He came off the bench to open the season, but he has become a regular in the starting lineup and ranks No. 2 on the team with 13 points a night.
Brian Moore Jr., who was named the top mid-major player in the country when he won the Lou Henson Award last season at Norfolk State, is a crafty, talented scorer, too. He put up a season-high 20 points in the Antelopes’ win over Utah State on Jan. 17.
Grand Canyon also has one of the top defenses in the Mountain West. It’s giving up the fewest points a game in the conference (67.7) and ranks No. 2 in the league with an opponent field goal percentage of .407.
