Utah Valley vs. Utah State GAME INFORMATION
TV: UVUtv/WAC Digital Network (Brandon Crow/Matt Peterson)
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Holton Hunsaker)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Video Stream: WAC Digital Network
Live Stats Link: Utah Valley StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley continues non-conference play against in-state foe Utah State on Saturday at the UCCU Center. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. Utah State marks the third in-state school that the Wolverines have faced this year. UVU is 1-1 this season against in-state opponents with a 114-101 win at BYU and an 87-80 setback at Utah.

The Wolverines hold a perfect 3-0 record at the UCCU Center this season with wins over Idaho State, Benedictine, and UTSA. Utah Valley's last loss at home was an 87-69 setback to Grand Canyon on March 5, 2016.

Isaac Neilson scored a career-high 28 points with a career-high 15 rebounds for his third double-double of the season in the setback at Utah on Tuesday night. Neilson connected on 13-of-20 shots from the field and went 2-for-5 at the free throw line. Neilson lead Utah Valley in scoring (14.4), field goal percentage (.605), and rebounding (10.3).

Kenneth Ogbe ranks second the nation with a 67.6 percent clip from beyond the arc. KenPom.com ranks Ogbe as the nation's second most efficient shooter with an 80.8 percent effective field goal percentage.  Brandon Randolph ranks 19th nationally in assists per game at 6.3.

Utah Valley knocked down a school-record 18 three-point field goals en route to its 114-101 win at BYU on Nov. 26. The 114 points are the second most points ever scored in a game by the Wolverines and is the most points ever scored by a BYU opponent in the Marriott Center. UVU ranks 11th nationally at 10.5 threes per game.

Utah Valley recorded its biggest comeback in school history on Nov. 23 as the team erased a 27-point deficit to defeat Denver 88-85 at Magness Arena. The Wolverines nearly erased an 18-point deficit in Wednesday's loss at Washington State as the Wolverines pulled to within one point with under a minute to play. UVU erased a 14-point deficit to take a three-point lead late in the loss at Utah.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game at Utah will be televised live on UVUtv and the WAC Digital Network with Brandon Crow and Matt Peterson calling the action. 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. A live video stream will be available at WACsports.com/Watch.

ABOUT UTAH STATE
Utah State heads into Saturday's matchup against Utah Valley with a 4-4 overall record. The Aggies head into the UCCU Center fresh off an 84-51 win over Great Falls on Tuesday night in Logan. Utah State holds a 1-0 road record this year after a picking up a 72-56 win at UC Irvine on Nov. 11. After opening the season with three straight wins, Utah State dropped four straight before picking up its win over Great Falls. Senior Jalen Moore leads the Aggies in scoring and rebounding, averaging 16.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Three other Aggies average double figures, including senior guard Shane Rector (11.5), freshman guard Koby McEwen (10.8) and Norbert Janicek (10.1). Utah State averages 71.6 points a contest while shooting 47.6 percent from the field. The Aggies are limiting opponents to a 67.6 points per game average. The Aggies are coached by Tim Duryea who is in his second season with the team. Duryea was a long time assistant under coach Stew Morrill at USU.  

SERIES HISTORY VS. UTAH STATE
Utah Valley and Utah State meet on the basketball hardwood for the 12th time on Saturday. The Aggies hold an all-time 11-0 advantage over the Wolverines. Utah Valley is also 0-6 all-time against teams from the Mountain West Conference. Utah Valley dropped an 81-55 decision to Utah State the last time the two teams played on Nov. 24, 2015 in Logan. The Aggies took a low-scoring 50-47 win over UVU the last time the two teams played in Orem on Dec. 13, 2014.

NEILSON SCORES RECORDS 28-POINT, 15-REBOUND DOUBLE DOUBLE IN LOSS AT UTAH
Isaac Neilson registered a career-high 28-point, 15-rebound double-double and Jordan Poydras scored 21 points in an 87-80 setback to in-state foe Utah on Tuesday night at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
 
The Wolverines drop to 5-3 on the season with the loss and look to rebound on Saturday when the team hosts in-state rival Utah State. Utah improves to 6-1 on the year with the win.
 
Trailing 75-73, Conner Toolson knocked down a shot from long range to give the Wolverines a 76-75 lead with 2:44 to play. Poydras then stole the ball and Brandon Randolph connected on the other end to give UVU a 78-75 advantage with two minutes to go. Utah's Tyler Rawson responded with a shot from long range to tie the game, 78-78. Poydras couldn't get a three to fall and Utah took advantage with a layup on the other end to put the Utes ahead, 80-78, with a minute to go. A Utah three-pointer gave the Utes a five-point edge, forcing UVU to foul and send Utah to the free throw line. Utah then went 4-for-4 at the line over the final 20 seconds to help secure the win. UVU had overcome a 14-point deficit to take the lead before surrendering the loss.
 
Neilson connected on 13-of-20 shots from the field and went 2-for-5 at the free throw line for his game-high 28 points. He also pulled down a career-high 15 boards for his third double-double of the season.
 
Poydras scored his 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, which included a 4-of-7 clip from long range. The senior guard also dished out four assists on the night.

TOOLSON'S 29 POINTS LEADS UTAH VALLEY TO 75-71 WIN OVER UTSA
Conner Toolson scored a career-high 29 points and Kenneth Ogbe added 12 to lead Utah Valley to a 75-71 win over UTSA on Saturday night at the UCCU Center.
 
Utah Valley led by as many as eight points in the first half, taking a 26-18 advantage at the 10:26 mark. The Wolverines held on to a lead through the first 15 minutes of the half until UTSA went on an 8-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 32-30, with 3:25 remaining in the half. The Roadrunners used a 12-3 run over the final five minutes of the half to take a 36-32 lead into the break.
 
Toolson scored 14 points over a three and a half minutes span to open the second half to lead UVU on a 15-5 run, giving the Wolverines a 49-41 lead with 15:56 to play. UTSA battled back with a 10-2 run capped off by a Gino Littles three-pointer to tie the game, 51-51. The two teams played to a 58-58 before UVU out scored UTSA 17-13 over the final 4:35 and knocked down some clutch free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
Toolson scored his career-high 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-7 clip from long range. The sophomore guard also went 2-for-4 at the free throw line.
 
Ogbe knocked down 3-of-4 shots from the floor, went a perfect 3-for-3 from long range, and hit 3-of-4 free throws for his 12 points. Hayden Schenck was also in double figures with 10 points, connecting on 3-of-4 shots from the field and 4-of-4 shots at the charity stripe.
 
Joonas Tahvanainen scored a season-high nine points to go along with six rebounds, while Zach Nelson tallied eight points and four rebounds. Isaac Neilson pulled down 11 rebounds in 19 minutes of play. Brandon Randolph was just shy of a double-double with nine rebounds and eight assists.  

OGBE RANKS SECOND NATION IN 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE, SECOND-MOST EFFECTIVE SHOOTER IN THE NATION ACCORDING TO KENPOM.COM
UVU junior forward Kenneth Ogbe holds the second best three-point field goal percentage in the nation at 67.6 percent. Ogbe has knocked down 23-of-34 shots from beyond the arc this season and averages nearly three makes from beyond the arc per game. KenPom.com ranks Ogbe as the nation's second-most efficient shooter with an 80.8 percent effective field goal percentage. Ogbe is shooting 60.4 percent from the field this year, knocking down 32 of the 53 shots he has taken this season.

WOLVERINES REMAIN IN COLLEGEINSIDER.COM MID MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
Utah Valley dropped just one spot in the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25 Poll after going 1-1 last week with a loss at Washington State and a win at home over UTSA. The Wolverines made their debut at No. 24 in the Nov. 28 version of the poll before dropping to No. 25 this past week. The Wolverines are ranked just behind Elon at No. 23 and North Dakota State at No. 24.

UVU RANKS 11TH NATIONALLY AT 10.5 THREES PER GAME
Utah Valley has knocked down 84 three-pointers through just eight games this season. At that pace, Utah Valley is set to connect on more than 300 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 11th in the nation in threes per game, averaging 10.5 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 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, TOP 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 most assists dished out in a single game in the country this season. Randolph ranks 19th nationally, averaging 6.3 assists per game this season.

UVU HOLDS SECOND-BEST RPI IN THE WAC
Utah Valley's RPI remains in double digits at No. 96, according to the NCAA on Dec. 8. UVU holds the second-best RPI in the WAC behind only New Mexico State at 82. UVU sits ahead of Grand Canyon (141), UMKC (148), Seattle U (159), Chicago State (182), CSU Bakersfield (211), and UTRGV (319).

COMEBACK FALLS SHORT IN 83-76 LOSS AT WASHINGTON STATE
Utah Valley's second half comeback came up just short as the Wolverines nearly erased an 18-point halftime deficit in an 83-76 setback to Washington State on Nov. 30 at Beasley Coliseum.  

After going into halftime with an 18-point lead, 49-31, Washington State held on to the 18-point advantage, 65-47, with 12:03 remaining in the game. Utah Valley used an 18-5 run over the next six minutes to cut the WSU lead to just five points, 70-65, with 6:40 to play. The two teams traded free throws until WSU took an eight point lead, 77-69, with 3:25 remaining. The Wolverines then went on a 7-0 run capped off by a Brandon Randolph dunk to get to within one point, 77-76, with one minute to play. WSU's Josh Hawkinson scored on a layup to put the Cougars back up by three points, 79-76, with 43 seconds to go. UVU had a pair of open looks at a three-pointer but couldn't get the shots to fall, forcing the Wolverines to foul and send WSU to the free throw line. The Cougars knocked down all four of their free throws over the final 20 seconds to secure the win.

Kenneth Ogbe led the Wolverines with a team-high 20 points. The junior forward connected on 7-of-11 shots from the field, including a 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc. He also pulled down six rebounds. Isaac Neilson and Zach Nelson were also in double figures with 18 and 13 points, respectively. Neilson hit 7-of-13 shots from the floor, including a pair from long range. Neilson also pulled down eight rebounds with two assists and two steals. Nelson knocked down 6-of-7 shots on the night. Randolph toyed with a triple-double, recording eight points, eight assists and seven steals.

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

UVU OVERCOMES 27-POINT DEFICIT TO DEFEAT DENVER, 88-85
Kenneth Ogbe scored a career-high 28 points and Jordan Poydras added a career-high 23 points to help lead Utah Valley to 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. Trailing by 27 points, 54-27, with 58 seconds to play in the first half, Utah Valley went on a 6-0 run capped off by a Poydras three to cut the DU lead to 21 points, 54-33, at the half. The Wolverines outscored Denver 8-3 to open the second half, cutting the Pioneer lead to 15 points, 57-42, with 17:54 to play. The two teams then went back-and-forth over the next five minutes, as Denver was able to hold on to a 17-point lead, 67-50, with 12 minutes remaining. Ogbe scored seven points over a five-minute stretch to lead Utah Valley on a 16-2 run to cut the Denver advantage to just three points, 69-66, with 7:54 to play. The Pioneers went up by six points, 73-67, at the 6:49 mark, but UVU countered with a 9-2 run capped off by a Poydras three-pointer that gave the Wolverines their second lead of the game since the opening minutes, 76-75, with four minutes to go. Utah Valley then out-scored Denver 12-10 over the final minutes and knocked down 4-of-6 free throws in the final minute to secure the come-from-behind victory. Ogbe scored his career-high 28 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-4 clip from beyond the arc. The junior forward also knocked down 11-of-16 free throws. Poydras hit 5-of-11 shots from the floor, including 4-of-8 from long range for his career-high 23 points. He also connected on an impressive 9-of-11 shots from the charity stripe. Zach Nelson was in double figures with 18 points, connecting on 8-of-10 shots from the field. Nelson also pulled down five rebounds and dished out a pair of assists. Isaac Neilson led the Wolverines on the boards with 10 rebounds to go along with five points and two assists. Brandon Randolph scored seven points and dished out a game-high five assists.

NELSON CLIMBING UVU CAREER RECORD CHARTS
Zach Nelson currently ranks in the top-10 in 16 different all-time individual career statistical categories. The junior forward ranks fourth all-time at UVU in blocks (70), fifth in blocks per game (1.0), fifth in rebounds (413), fifth in defensive rebounds (312), sixth in defensive rebounds per game (4.5), sixth in rebound average (5.9), sixth in games started (68), seventh in assists (187), eighth in points scored (728), eighth in field goals made (282), eighth in field goal percentage (.494), eighth in assist average (2.7), ninth in minutes played (2,074),10th in scoring average (10.4), 10th in field goals attempted (571), and 10th in offensive rebound average (1.4).

SEVENTH-LARGEST CROWD IN UVU HISTORY
Utah Valley welcomed 6,117 fans to its home opener against Idaho State on Nov. 16. The 6,117 fans is the largest crowd for a home opener in UVU history. The Idaho State game is the highest attended game at the UCCU Center since the matchup with Utah State on Dec. 13, 2014 that produced 6,121 fans. Wednesday night's game 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.

MBA SMARTS
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.

UVU RANKED 4TH IN PRESEASON COACHES POLL, 5TH IN MEDIA POLL - NELSON NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM
The Utah Valley University men's basketball team was picked to finish fourth by the coaches and fifth by the media in the WAC preseason polls released at the annual WAC Preview and Media Day at the Marriott Denver Airport Gateway Park.
 
UVU junior forward Zach Nelson earned preseason all-WAC second team honors by both the coaches and the media. Nelson returns to the team after sitting out last season with a medical redshirt. The junior forward played in all 30 games and made 28 starts for UVU during the 2014-15 season. He led the team in rebounding at 6.1 rebounds a game and ranked second on the team in scoring at 11.0 points a contest.
New Mexico State was picked to win the league in both polls. The Aggies received nine of the 24 available first place votes from the media and four first place votes from the coaches.
 
In the coaches' poll, Grand Canyon was picked to finish second with CSU Bakersfield third and Utah Valley fourth. Seattle U and UMKC tied for fifth followed by UT Rio Grande Valley in seventh and Chicago State in eighth.
 
On the media side, Grand Canyon was picked second and CSU Bakersfield was third. Seattle U was selected fourth and Utah Valley was fifth. UMKC was picked to finish sixth, followed by UTRGV in seventh and Chicago State in eighth. Utah Valley received two first place votes in the media poll.
 
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.