Nevada
Jon Wilner: Are UNLV and Nevada a package deal in Pac-12 expansion? Depends on who you ask
UNLV would not be “structurally” tied to Nevada in the event the Pac-12 offers membership to the Rebels during the second wave of its expansion phase, according to a member of the Nevada Board of Regents whose comments contradict the public sentiment following a major shakeup in college sports on the West Coast.
Immediately after the announcement last week that four Mountain West schools would join the Pac-12 starting in the summer of 2026, speculation surfaced that UNLV would have a difficult time leaving behind its sister campus in Reno.
One member of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents went so far as to say it would be “very difficult” for the campuses to separate if the Pac-12 comes calling for the Rebels.
But Heather Brown, who was elected to the board in November 2022 and represents District 6, told the Hotline on Tuesday that UNLV and Nevada would not be an all-or-nothing deal.
“If (UNLV) were approached by a conference and it makes sense,” Brown said, “my understanding is they would have to get board approval. But there’s nothing we would have to untether. There is no package. Nobody talks about them as a package … There is nothing structurally that ties them together.”
A source who has spent decades working with officials in the Nevada System of Higher Education said there has “never been a discussion about them being in the same league” and that several regents were dumbfounded by the narrative that the Rebels would be held back by Nevada.
The Las Vegas and Reno campuses have spent most of their athletic histories in different conferences, with a recent 12-year overlap in the Mountain West. (UNLV was a founding member of the conference in 1999; Nevada joined in 2012.)
Comments by regent Byron Brooks added to the belief that separating the two campuses would be tricky for the Pac-12.
“It would be very difficult for UNLV to make a move into another conference without UNR because that should be a package deal,” Brooks told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week following the Pac-12’s decision to add Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State.
“And then the financial obligations that these campuses have in moving from one conference to another … I’m not sure that UNLV and UNR are in a place to spend that kind of money to move into another conference.”
But Brown, who grew up in Las Vegas and attended UNLV, took exception to Brooks’ position.
“One of the regents was quoted publicly,” she said. “He lacked an understanding of the historical context. They have only spent 12 years in the same conference.”
She believes Pac-12 expansion could provide the Las Vegas and Reno campuses “the opportunity to go down the path that makes the most sense for their futures. They serve different communities and should act accordingly.”
The Pac-12 isn’t finished expanding — at least two more schools must be added by the summer of 2026 to remain in compliance with NCAA rules.
Washington State, Oregon State, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould and the four new members are considering an array of options, including schools in the American Athletic Conference (Memphis, Tulane and UTSA) and other members of the Mountain West.
They also have not ruled out schools that don’t play football, like Gonzaga.
The intra-state political situation in Nevada wasn’t the only reason the Pac-12 declined to offer UNLV an invitation during its first expansion wave. But the conference chose to act with “an abundance of caution” with regard to the Rebels, according to an industry source, in part to avoid a messy situation similar to what recently happened in California.
When UCLA announced its departure to the Big Ten in the summer of 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom voiced his disapproval of the secretive process. The University of California Board of Regents then spent five months debating whether the Bruins should be allowed to leave Cal behind.
Eventually, the regents let UCLA make the move but required the Bruins to make a $10 million annual “contribution” to Cal for at least three years.
However, there are several critical differences in the state education systems:
• Under California law, the governor sits on the UC board and appoints the regents. The governor of Nevada does not serve on the board or appoint the regents; they are independently elected.
• Nevada’s Board of Regents is “nestled into the state constitution,” Brown explained, which effectively makes the board a fourth branch of government independent of the governor.
Asked if Gov. Joe Lombardo, who attended UNLV, would attempt to block the Rebels from leaving Nevada behind, Brown said: “I don’t think he would, and I don’t think he could. Not even the attorney general has authority over the board.”
Lombardo’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Brown is not ready to support a move to the Pac-12 if the invitation arrives in the upcoming weeks.
The financial component is critical because UNLV has no means of paying a buyout that could approach $30 million when all the penalties are assessed, Brown said.
And she would want to weigh the move against UNLV’s options.
But if joining the Pac-12 makes sense in all respects, including the financial component, Brown said, “I think the board would support it.”
Ten Mountain West men’s basketball teams opened conference play on Saturday, and two contenders had statement wins on their home courts.
To kick off the day, Utah State (10-1, 1-0) hit the century mark in a 100-58 beatdown of Colorado State (9-3, 0-1). The Aggies’ 42-point win was the largest margin of victory in the 87-year history of the matchup.
Six different Aggies scored in double figures, led by Mason Falslev’s 18 points, four rebounds and two assists.
“When you blow teams out, your numbers look great,” Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun said after the game. “So our guys know, like, we need to beat everybody we can. If we have a lead, we can’t call anything off. You know, that’s the way the analytics world works.”
Colorado State star sophomore forward Kyle Jorgensen suffered an apparent knee injury in the opening minutes of Saturday’s game. He watched the second half from the bench on crutches.
“First of all, I hope (Jorgensen) is OK,” Calhoun said. “He is, in my opinion, one of the most improved guys in the country. So things changed drastically game plan-wise when he was out.”
Later in the day, Nevada (9-3, 1-0) controlled the action from the opening tip in an 81-66 home victory over Boise State (8-4, 0-1).
“We worked hard. We knew the magnitude of this game,” Nevada sophomore forward Elijah Price said. “It feels good to start off conference on the right foot. Coach was telling us all week that it was going to be physical, so we practiced for it. We prepared for it and we wanted to hit them first. I think that’s what we did, and that’s why we won.”
Boise State head coach Leon Rice echoed Price’s sentiments.
“(Steve) Alford knows us and he knows that we’re a physical team,” Rice said. “He got his team ready to go as far as the physicality of the game. They were really physical, and they were the aggressor. Their technique was a little better. When you’re the more physical team, usually you’ve got to come out and hit first. And they did that, they came out and hit us first.”
In its first conference game as a member of the MWC, Grand Canyon (7-4, 1-0) jumped out to a big first-half lead and cruised to an 82-70 road win over Wyoming (9-3, 0-1).
New Mexico (10-2, 1-0) picked up a dominant 88-65 home win over San Jose State (5-7, 0-1) while UNLV (5-6, 1-0) stormed back in the second half to down Fresno State (6-6, 0-1), 84-72.
San Diego State (6-4, 1-0) played a strong first half at Arizona before eventually falling in the non-conference game, 68-45.
The Falcons (7-5, 1-1 MW) dismantled Nevada behind a season-high 9-18 (.500) shooting from three-point range. From the field, Air Force compiled a 24-59 (.410) effort, marking its second-best overall shooting percentage to date in 2025-26. While doing so, the Falcons also managed to hold Nevada (4-8, 0-2 MW) to season lows in both field goals made (13) and field goal percentage (.260) and its second-lowest assist figure as a team this season (five).
Senior Milahnie Perry, scoring a team-high 16 points (6-9 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 6 REB, 3 AST), overtook Air Force alumna Pat Swanke (1977-81) for sixth all-time in career scoring. Junior Keelie O’Hollaren added 10 points (4-10 FG, 1-4 3FG, 3 REB); Freshman Bhret Clay contributed eight.
Air Force led 13-11 at the close of the first quarter. Perry scored the first four Air Force points to grab an early lead. Nevada evened the score twice in the first half, but Air Force took off in the second quarter, outscoring Nevada 18-6 while holding the Wolf Pack to just 3-13 shooting. A 14-2 Air Force run which encompassed the majority of the quarter pushed the Falcons to a double-digit lead that held the rest of the way.
Eight second-quarter points for Perry and an unblemished 4-4 showing for the Falcons as a team from three-point range elevated Air Force to a 31-17 halftime lead over Nevada.
Air Force dominance extended into the second half, as the Falcons’ lead inflated to as much as 23 points in the third quarter. O’Hollaren’s five points paced the Falcons in the third quarter, while Clay and junior Jayda McNabb put up a triple apiece to outscore the Wolf Pack 15-7.
With the win in hand in the fourth quarter, Air Force still managed to top Nevada in field goals made (six) and threes made (two). Nevada outscored the Falcons 21-15 in the final 10 minutes but were unable to bridge the gap. A downhill driving and-one score for freshman Maddy Jensen got the Falcons past the 60-point mark, putting a bow on a successful outing for Air Force ahead of the holiday break.
For the game, Air Force led the opposition in field goals (24), three-pointers (nine, season high), rebounding (38), assists (15), field goal percentage (.410), three-point field goal percentage (.500), points off of turnovers (21), second-chance points (eight), bench points (23), points in the paint (30), fast-break points (five), steals (five) and assists (15).
The win snaps a three-game skid against the Wolf Pack and improves the Falcons to 11-22 in the all-time series.
Up Next:
Air Force Women’s Basketball picks up Mountain West play on Dec. 31 at San Diego State; The Falcons are back in Clune Arena on Jan. 3 against UNLV.
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles has received nearly 21,000 complaints about illegal drivers through its new online reporting portal in just two months, with more than 83 percent of those reports coming from Clark County.
The Registration Spotter tool, launched in October on the DMV’s website, allows residents to report vehicles with no plates, expired or invalid registration, or illegal out-of-state plates. The initiative was part of an effort to address what officials call a pervasive problem affecting road safety and contributing to rising car insurance costs.
WATCH | Plenty of reports, not enough action — what’s the deal?
Nevada DMV receives nearly 21,000 reports of illegal drivers in two months
“It’s everywhere all the time,” said J.D. Decker from the DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division during a February ride-along.
However, some residents who have filed reports are questioning the effectiveness of the system, like Las Vegas resident Paul who emailed to ask, “Darcy, what’s the deal?”
“I reported a car without plates over two months ago and I still see it parking where I live. Why don’t they investigate? I also see so many cars on the road without plates and even see cops that don’t stop them. Why don’t police stop them?” Paul asked.
KTNV
DMV officials acknowledge that enforcement is lacking. DMV spokesperson Hailey Foster said the agency agrees “this is certainly an issue we, the DMV, would like to see be enforced more.”
The DMV admits it’s still working to distribute data from the online portal to other agencies and cannot guarantee specific action on reports. Foster explained that if a vehicle is parked in someone’s driveway and not being operated, that’s technically legal. Officers need to see the car being driven on streets to issue a citation.
“This takes everybody, and there’s so much of it right now, and it’s going to take all of Nevada law enforcement to address,” Decker said.
KTNV
The DMV does not track enforcement statistics based on whether action comes from patrol, investigation or complaints submitted by residents, making it impossible to determine how many Registration Spotter tips have led to enforcement action.
But, traffic enforcement overall is increasing. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police made about 82,000 traffic stops this year, according to a Dec. 16 social media post.
A newly formed multi-agency traffic task force, which we told you about on Dec. 8, has logged 26 registration violations and 14 insurance violations since its formation, though their primary focus is on dangerous driving.
KTNV
We also asked other agencies for their enforcement statistics over the last two months. North Las Vegas Police said, “While NLVPD does not receive or track the individual public-submitted reports sent directly to the DMV as part of that program, we are able to provide our department’s registration-related enforcement statistics during the same general timeframe.
For the period October 1, 2025 through December 18, 2025, North Las Vegas Police Department officers issued:
- 557 citations
- 601 total offenses related to registration and license plate violations
These offenses include, but are not limited to:
- Failure to possess or surrender certificate of registration
- Improper display of license plates
- Operating a vehicle without valid Nevada vehicle registration
Henderson Police citations from 10/01/2025 – 12/17/2025:
Operate vehicle w/expired registration or plates: 214
Operate unregistered vehicle-trailer or semi trailer: 84
Display fictitious vehicle registration/plate/title: 8
Fail to obtain and properly display permit to operate unregistered vehicle: 3
Operate unregistered moped: 1
Rear license plate lamp violation: 1
License plates improperly displayed: 1
Nevada State Police was only able to provide citation information for the month of October.
Nevada Highway Patrol statewide citation information:
Total citations issued: 12,962
Registration-related citations: 1,475
All other citations: 11,487
Statement from the Department:
“The Nevada State Police Highway Patrol Division recognizes public interest related to unregistered vehicles and has and will continue to enforce all traffic laws on Nevada’s roadways, including laws related to vehicle registration. Enforcement of unregistered vehicles has long been part of routine traffic enforcement efforts statewide. As with all enforcement activity, the Nevada Highway Patrol prioritizes public safety and responds based on observed violations, calls for service, and operational considerations, including impaired driving and other serious safety concerns. Traffic enforcement is continuous and ongoing, and troopers take appropriate enforcement action when unregistered vehicles are encountered during patrol or traffic stops. The Nevada Highway Patrol strongly encourages drivers to ensure their vehicles are properly registered in accordance with Nevada law.”
The DMV is asking each law enforcement agency in the state to increase enforcement of the types of violations reported through Registration Spotter. DMV officials say the best outcome would be for each agency to conduct their own enforcement patrols and crack down on these violations.
Wondering what the deal is with something happening in the valley? Reach out to Darcy Spears at Darcy.Spears@ktnv.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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