LAS VEGAS -- UNLV will play Kent State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Runnin' Rebels' reward for winning the Mountain West Conference tournament.

No. 8 UNLV (26-7) faces No. 9 Kent State (28-6) Thursday at noon PDT in Omaha, Neb., in the Midwest region.

UNLV is making its 16th trip overall to the tournament. Last year, coach Lon Kruger led the Runnin' Rebels to the tournament's Sweet 16 for the first time in 16 years. UNLV won its only national title in 1990.

It will be Kent State's fifth appearance in the tournament and its first since 2006, when it lost to Pittsburgh in the first round. The Golden Flashes earned their highest seed ever after winning the Mid-American Conference championship

UNLV defeated BYU, 76-61, on Saturday to win the conference tournament.

No. 8 BYU plays No. 9 Texas A&M in the West region on Thursday.

The UNLV-Kent State winner will face the Kansas-Portland State winner on Saturday.

The University of Nevada-Reno failed to make the tournament for the first time in five years after its 83-75 semifinal loss Friday night to New Mexico State in the Western Athletic Conference tournament.

The Wolf Pack (21-11) played Houston Tuesday night in the inaugural 16-team College Basketball Invitational tournament. If the Wolf Pack wins, it will play the Washington-Valparaiso winner later this week.