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UNLV, Kansas agree to home-and-home series beginning in 2014

Mountain West Basketball Tournament - Quarterfinals Wyoming v UNLV

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 08: Head coach Dave Rice of the UNLV Rebels gestures as his team takes on the Wyoming Cowboys during a quarterfinal game of the Conoco Mountain West Conference Basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center March 8, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. UNLV won 56-48. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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It’s never too early to begin setting up non-conference schedules for future seasons, as it was announced on Thursday that UNLV and Kansas have agreed to a home-and-home series beginning with the 2014-15 season. That game will be played in Lawrence, with UNLV hosting the return game at the Thomas & Mack Center at some point during the 2016-17 campaign.

With a strong non-conference schedule (and wins against quality opponents, of course) being one of the factors that the NCAA tournament selection committee looks at when picking the Field of 68, match-ups like this help bolster the teams’ respective resumes. And it’s also a game that can help both the Jayhawks (Big 12) and Runnin’ Rebels (Mountain West) prepare for their respective conference slates, as each team faces tough competition in league play.

“We are very excited to start this series with Kansas,” UNLV head coach Dave Rice said in the release. “Kansas has one of the most successful, storied programs in college basketball history. Adding the Jayhawks to our schedule is consistent with our philosophy of playing a very competitive non-conference schedule.”

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