Utah Valley (6-6) at UC Riverside (1-8) GAME INFORMATION
Live Video Stream: BigWest.TV
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Jason Erickson)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: GoHighlanders.com
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley heads back out on the road as the team travels to the Golden State to take on UC Riverside and UC Davis this week. The Wolverines will take on UC Riverside on Wednesday night before traveling to Sacramento to take on UC Davis on Saturday afternoon.

 The Wolverines snapped a four-game skid with a 72-47 win over Montana Tech at the UCCU Center on Dec. 23. UVU heads back out on the road where the team holds a 2-5 record. UVU's last road win came back on Nov. 26 at BYU (114-101). The Wolverines only other road victory is an 88-85 win at Denver.

Isaac Neilson recorded his fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead Utah Valley to a 72-47 win over Montana Tech on Friday afternoon at the UCCU Center. Neilson tallied his 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and a 3-of-3 mark at the charity stripe. He also registered three blocks to go along with his 15 rebounds. Brandon Randolph and Jared Stutzman were also in double figures with 10 points apiece.

Sophomore guard Conner Toolson leads the Wolverines in scoring at 14.6 points per game. Junior forward Isaac Neislon ranks second on the team in scoring at 13.8 points a contest. Neilson leads the team on the boards, pulling down 10.3 rebounds a game. Neilson is the lone player in the WAC to average double digit rebounds this season. Brandon Randolph leads the team in assists, averaging 5.4 helpers a game.

Isaac Neilson ranks 19th nationally in field goal percentage as the junior forward is connecting on 61.5 percent of his shots. The junior forward also ranks 12th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game at 4.00. He also ranks 25th nationally in rebounding, pulling down 10.3 boards a contest.

Utah Valley is the fourth-fastest team in the nation according to KenPom.com. The Wolverines averaged 79.2 possessions per game, ranking them fourth behind The Citadel (85.2), Savannah State (82.8), and BYU (79.2).

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Wednesday's game at UC Riverside will be streamed live at BigWest.TV. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch and Holton Hunsaker handling the play-by-play and color duties. A live stream of the radio broadcast will be available through ESPN960sports.com and also through the ESPN 960 app, which is available for both iPhone and Android.

ABOUT UC RIVERSIDE
The Highlanders head into Wednesday's matchup against Utah Valley with a 1-8 overall record. The team's one victory this season was a 96-50 win at home over Fresno Pacific back on Nov. 19. Since that win, UC Riverside has dropped six straight. The Highlanders most recently dropped a 73-55 decision at Denver on Dec. 22. Senior forward Seacean Johnson leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 11.4 points per game and 5.0 boards a contest. He is averaging 13.4 points a contest over his last five games. Junior Chance Murray is also averaging double figures at 11.0 points per game. As a team, UC Riverside averages 63.1 points a game while allowing opponents a 75.1 points per game average. The Highlanders are shooting 36.8 percent from the field, including a 30 percent mark from beyond the arc. Wednesday's game marks just the third home game of the season for the Highlanders, who are 1-1 this year at SRC Arena.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UC RIVERSIDE, BIG WEST
Utah Valley and UC Riverside meet on the basketball hardwood for the first time. The Wolverines hold an all-time 2-6 record against teams from the Big West Conference. UVU has dropped three straight games against teams from the Big West. The team's last win over a team from the conference was an 88-59 win at home against UC Davis on Feb. 6, 2007.

All-Time Series Results vs. Big West Conference (2-6)
Dec. 05, 2007    Cal State Northridge def. Utah Valley, 76-64    Northridge, Calif.
Dec. 07, 2007    UC Santa Barbara def. Utah Valley, 81-61    Santa Barbara, Calif.
Dec. 28, 2007    Cal State Northridge def. Utah Valley, 73-65    Orem, Utah
Jan. 06, 2007    Utah Valley def. UC Davis, 57-38        Davis, Calif.
Feb. 06, 2007    Utah Valley def. UC Davis, 88-59        Orem, Utah
Dec. 04, 2008    UC Santa Barbara def. Utah Valley, 62-57    Orem, Utah
Dec. 09, 2014    UC Davis def. Utah Valley, 64-43        Davis, Calif.
Nov. 28, 2015    UC Davis def. Utah Valley, 82-70        Orem, Utah

UTAH VALLEY ENDS FOUR-GAME SKID WITH 72-47 WIN OVER MONTANA TECH
Isaac Neilson recorded his fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead Utah Valley to a 72-47 win over Montana Tech on Friday afternoon at the UCCU Center.
 
The Wolverines built up a double digit lead, 17-6, midway through the first half. The team then extended it to 16 points, 30-14, with 4:45 remaining in the half. Montana Tech then knocked down a pair of threes to cut the UVU's lead to a 30-22 advantage, but the Wolverines extended the lead back to 13 points, 35-22, at the break.
 
Utah Valley opened the second half on a 14-3 run, extending its lead to 26 points, 51-25, with 15 minutes to play. The Wolverines then continued to build on the lead through the remainder of the second half to secure the win.
 
Neilson tallied his 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and a 3-of-3 mark at the charity stripe. He also registered three blocks to go along with his 15 rebounds.
 
Brandon Randolph and Jared Stutzman were also in double figures with 10 points apiece. Randolph was also in double figures with 10 points, knocking down 2-of-7 shots from the floor and 5-of-7 shots from the free throw line. The junior guard also tallied six rebounds and two assists. Stutzman scored his 10 points on a 3-of-5 clip from the field, including a pair of shots from long range.
 
Jordan Poydras scored nine points on three made shots from beyond the arc. The senior guard also pulled down four rebounds with an assist. Joonas Tahvanainen helped with eight points and four rebounds.
 
Utah Valley travels to California next week for its final two non-conference road games of the season. The Wolverines will play at UC Riverside on Dec. 28 before taking on UC Davis on Dec. 31. UVU next returns home on Jan. 2 for a matchup against Antelope Valley.

THESE GUYS ARE SMART - TEAM HOLDS IMPRESSIVE 3.49 TEAM GPA
Utah Valley might be the only team in the country with two juniors that are entering their first year in a post graduate MBA program. Zach Nelson and Kenneth Ogbe started their first year in the MBA program at UVU this year. Under head coach Mark Pope, Utah Valley basketball players hold a perfect pass-fail rate. Every single player under his guidance has passed each and every class taken over the past two seasons. This year's team holds an impressive 3.49 team grade point average.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
Utah Valley junior forward Isaac Neilson holds five double-doubles this season. The five double doubles are the most in the WAC this year and rank him sixth most in the country this season. His five double-doubles ranks Neilson tied for 32nd nationally in the category.

OGBE RANKS FOURTH IN THE NATION IN 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE, 30TH MOST EFFECTIVE SHOOTER IN THE NATION ACCORDING TO KENPOM.COM
As of Dec. 27, UVU junior forward Kenneth Ogbe holds the fourth-best three-point field goal percentage in the nation at 54.5 percent. Ogbe currently sits below the 2.5 threes per game needed to be officially listed on the NCAA stat leaders. Ogbe has knocked down 24-of-44 shots from beyond the arc this season and averages 2.0 makes from beyond the arc per game. KenPom.com ranks Ogbe as the nation's 30th-most efficient shooter with an 66.4 percent effective field goal percentage. KenPom.com also ranks Ogbe with the 39th-best true shooting percentage in the nation at 67.0 percent. Ogbe is shooting 49.3 percent from the field this year, knocking down 35 of the 71 shots he has taken this season.

WOLVERINES CONTINUE TO RECEIVE VOTES IN COLLEGEINSIDER.COM MID MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
After falling out of the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25 Poll last week, Utah Valley continues to stay in the mix as the team received one vote in this past week's poll. The Wolverines made their debut at No. 24 in the Nov. 28 version of the poll before dropping to No. 25 last week.

FAST AND THE FURIOUS
As of Dec. 27, KenPom.com has Utah Valley ranked as the fourth-fastest team in the nation at 79.9 possessions per 40 minutes. The Citadel is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by Savannah State and BYU. UVU is fourth, followed by Marshall in fifth and UCLA in sixth.

LOVING THE LONG BALL
Utah Valley has knocked down 110 three-pointers through 12 games this season. At that pace, Utah Valley is set to connect on more than 275 shots from beyond the arc this season. The team is on track to break the UVU single season record of 256 made threes set by last year's team. UVU has already broken the all-time UVU single game record for threes made with 18 at BYU. The team also broke the single game UVU record for threes attempted as the Wolverines put up a school-record 43 three-point attempts in a 86-52 win over Benedictine on Nov. 19, surpassing the previous record of 37 set last season against Chicago State (2/18/2016). Utah Valley ranks 54th in the nation in threes per game, averaging 9.2 threes a contest.

WIN STREAK ENDS AT FOUR GAMES
Utah Valley won four straight games for the first time since the 2013-14 season, the same year the Wolverines won the WAC regular season title. UVU's four-game win streak included wins over Idaho State, Benedictine, Denver and BYU.

NEILSON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR NOV. 21-27
Utah Valley junior forward Isaac Neilson has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for his play in a pair of UVU road wins over BYU and Denver. This is the first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor for Neilson. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native averaged 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game last week and led Utah Valley to a 2-0 record with a come-from-behind road win at Denver and the team's first-ever win over Brigham Young. Neilson shot a blistering 80.0 percent (12-of-15) from the field, went a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and knocked down 5-of-7 free throws (71.4 percent). He opened the week by pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds, scoring five points and blocking two shots to help UVU erase a 27-point deficit, the largest in school history, to defeat Denver 88-85 in the Mile High City last Wednesday. In a historic 114-101 win at BYU, Neilson scored a career-high 26 points, grabbed nine rebounds, blocked two shots, dished out one assist and nabbed one steal against his former team as the Wolverines scored the most points ever at the Marriott Center (114).

UVU BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD WITH 18 THREES IN WIN OVER BYU
Utah Valley's 114 points against BYU are the most points ever scored against the Cougars in the Marriott Center. UVU's 18 three-point field goals are also the most ever recorded in the Marriott Center. The 18 threes breaks the UVU single game record for threes, breaking the previous record of 16 set in 2009 against NJIT.

RANDOLPH BREAKS UVU SINGLE GAME ASSISTS RECORD, SECOND-BEST MARK IN NATION THIS SEASON
Utah Valley junior guard Brandon Randolph registered 14 assists in the Wolverines' win at BYU on Nov. 26. The 14 assists are the most ever recorded in a single game in UVU history. Randolph breaks the previous record of 12 set by Nick Thompson on Dec. 28, 2012 against Austin Peay. The 14 assists ties Randolph with Fordham's  Joseph Chartouny and  Ball State's Tayler Persons for the second most assists dished out in a single game in the country this season. Alabama A&M's Rakia Battle holds the top mark at 15 assists against Southwestern this season. Randolph ranks 51st nationally, averaging 5.4 assists per game this season.

UVU PICKS UP HISTORIC 114-101 WIN OVER CROSSTOWN RIVAL BYU
Isaac Neilson scored a career-high 26 points and Brandon Randolph recorded a 21-point, 14-assist double-double to help lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team to a 114-101 win over Brigham Young in the UCCU Crosstown Clash on Nov. 26 at the Marriott Center.  
Utah Valley knocked down a school-record 18 three-point field goals en route to its 114-point performance—the second most points ever scored in a game by the Wolverines. The 114 points are also the most points ever scored by a BYU opponent in the Marriott Center.

Neilson connected on an impressive 10-of-12 shots from the field, including a perfect 2-of-2 clip from beyond the arc. The junior forward was just one rebound shy of his third double-double with nine boards. He also tallied a pair of blocks. Randolph registered his career-high 21 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field. The junior also went a perfect 2-for-2 from three and made 8-of-10 free throws.
Randolph was just one rebound shy of a triple-double as he tallied his 21 points with 14 assists and nine rebounds. Randolph's 14 helpers are the most assists ever recorded by a UVU player in a single game, breaking the previous single game record of 12 set by Nick Thompson against Austin Peay in 2012. Conner Toolson and Poydras also had career nights with 21 and 20 points, respectively.  

Jared Stutzman was also in double figures with 11 points. Utah Valley shot 52.9 percent (36-of-68) from the field, including a 48.6 percent (18-of-37) clip from beyond the arc. The Wolverines held BYU to a 47.4 percent (37-of-78) mark from the field and a 28.6 percent (6-of-21) clip from long range. The Wolverines out-rebounded BYU 43-38 on the night.

NATIONAL ACCOLADES POUR IN AFTER WIN OVER BYU
Utah Valley received numerous accolades after its 114-101 at BYU on Nov. 26. The Wolverines received ESPN SportsCenter anchor Kevin Connors' Star of the Night that night on SportsCenter. UVU was named the American Sports Network's Team of the Week. The team also entered the CollegeInsider.com's MidMajor Top 25 poll following the win.

MILE HIGH MAGIC - UVU RECORDS BIGGEST COMEBACK IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Utah Valley recorded its biggest comeback in school history as the Wolverines overcame a 27-point deficit to defeat Denver 88-85 on Nov. 23 at Magness Arena. Utah Valley was just five points shy of breaking the all-time NCAA record for biggest deficit overcome to win a game set by Duke, which came back from 32 points down to defeat Tulane in 1950. The 27-point comeback win breaks the previous UVU record set last season when the Wolverines came back from a 20-point deficit to defeat UMKC, 79-70.

All-Time Biggest Comebacks in UVU history
Nov. 23, 2016    27 points    Utah Valley (88) at Denver (85)    Denver, Colorado
Feb. 20, 2016    20 points    Utah Valley (79) vs. UMKC (70)    Orem, Utah
Dec. 03, 2005    17 points    Utah Valley (71) vs. Sacramento State (69)    Orem, Utah

NELSON CLIMBING UVU CAREER RECORD CHARTS
Zach Nelson currently ranks in the top-10 in 17 different all-time individual career statistical categories. The junior forward ranks fourth all-time at UVU in blocks (71), fifth in blocks per game (1.0), fifth in rebounds (423), fifth in defensive rebounds (319), sixth in defensive rebounds per game (4.3), seventh in rebound average (5.7), fifth in games started (72), seventh in assists (188), eighth in points scored (767), eighth in field goals made (297), eighth in field goal percentage (.490), eighth in assist average (2.6), eighth in minutes played (2,166),10th in scoring average (10.4), eighth in field goals attempted (606), ninth in offensive rebounds (104), and 10th in offensive rebound average (1.4).

SECOND-LARGEST CROWD IN UVU HISTORY
Utah Valley welcomed 6,792 fans to its game against Utah State on Dec. 10. The 6,792 fans are the second-most ever to attend a UVU basketball game at the UCCU Center, not far behind the record of 7,124 set in 2010. UVU opened the season with the largest crowd ever for a home opener in UVU history. The 6,117 fans at the home opener against Idaho State also marks the seventh highest attended game in UVU history.

NUVI BASKETBALL CENTER
Utah Valley University broke ground on a new $3.5 million basketball practice and conditioning facility on June 22 at a ceremony celebrating the new building. The 14,500-square-foot facility, which is privately funded, will be named the NUVI Basketball Center after a lead donation from NUVI executive chair Keith Nellesen. The structure will be located on the south side of the UCCU Center on UVU's Orem campus.
 
The facility, designed by Method Studio, will include 8,000 square feet of court space and nine basketball standards, with "game-day atmosphere" graphics to match the UCCU Center environment. A mesh wall will separate the court from 1,900 square feet of strength and conditioning space, with sliding doors to dampen sound when necessary. A mezzanine level overlooks the court and will include 3,000 square feet of office space split into suites for the men's and women's coaching staff. Each suite will feature a large office for each head coach that can double as a conference room, offices for three assistant coaches and basketball operations.

NEW FACES
Utah Valley welcomes 11 new players to its roster this season, including three players (Brandon Randolph, Isaac Neilson, Jordan Poydras) who had to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. The Wolverines have added five new transfers (Conner Toolson, Kenneth Ogbe, Jake Toolson, Cory Calvert, Akolda Manyang) to this year's roster, including three (Jake Toolson, Cory Calvert, Akolda Manyang) who will have to sit out and redshirt this season. UVU welcomes three freshman to the team in Jared Stutzman, Joonas Tahvanainen and Jeffrey Yan.
 
WAITING IN THE WINGS
Utah Valley has three players that must redshirt this season due to NCAA transfer rules. UVU signees Jake Toolson (BYU), Cory Calvert (BYU) and Akolda Manyang (Oklahoma) will redshirt this season.