Utah Valley (8-9, 0-2) vs. UMKC (9-10, 2-1) GAME INFORMATION
Live Video: WolverineGreen.com/Watch
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Matt Peterson)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: UVU StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley continues WAC play at home on Saturday night as the Wolverines host UMKC at the UCCU Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Wolverines hold an impressive 5-2 record at the UCCU Center this season. UVU's only setbacks at home this season are an 80-79 overtime loss to in-state rival Utah State and a 70-61 setback to Chicago State on Thursday night.

Utah Valley fell to 0-2 in WAC play with a 70-61 setback to Chicago State on Thursday night. Brandon Randolph scored a team-high 12 points and Isaac Neilson pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds in the loss. Randolph scored his 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and a 2-of-2 mark from the charity stripe. The junior guard also pulled down six rebounds with one assist and a steal. Neilson's 13 boards marks his 10th double-digit rebound performance of the season. The junior forward also scored seven points with a career-high six blocks.

Toolson leads the Wolverines in scoring at 14.4 points per game. Junior forward Isaac Neislon ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points a contest and leads the team on the boards, pulling down 10.1 rebounds a game. Brandon Randolph leads the team in assists, averaging 4.9 helpers a game.

Neilson ranks in the top-25 nationally in both rebounds per game and offensive boards per game. The junior forward ranks 21st in the country with 171  total rebounds. He also ranks 15th nationally on the offensive glass at 3.65 offensive boards a game.

Utah Valley is the fifth fastest team in the nation according to KenPom.com. The Wolverines averaged 77.0 possessions per game, ranking fifth behind The Citadel (83.5), Savannah State (82.4), Marshall (78.5), and BYU (77.3). UVU sits just ahead of Wyoming (76.5), Central Michigan (76.0), Incarnate Word (75.9), and UCLA (75.8). UVU averages 14.3 seconds per possession which ranks the team eighth nationally in average possession length.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game against UMKC will be video streamed live on WolverineGreen.com/Watch. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch and Matt Peterson 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 UMKC
UMKC heads into Saturday's matchup against Utah Valley with a 9-10 overall record. The 'Roos hold a 2-5 record on the road this season with wins at Bowling Green and at Seattle U. The team snapped a six-game losing streak last week with an 83-79 win at home over UTRGV. The Kangaroos most recently picked up an 84-68 WAC road win at Seattle U on Thursday night. Senior guard LaVell Boyd leads the team in scoring at 18.9 points per game. He is the lone player averaging double figures for the 'Roos. Senior center Darnell Tillman leads the team on the boards, pulling down 5.5 rebounds a game. UMKC averages 75.8 points a contest while allowing opponents an average of 80.8 points a game. UMKC is coached by Kareem Richardson who is in his fourth season with the team. He holds a 45-68 record during his time at UMKC.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UMKC
Utah Valley and UMKC meet on the basketball hardwood for the 15th time on Saturday night. UVU holds an all-time 8-6 advantage over the Cougars. Utah Valley has won two of the last three matchups between the two teams. The two teams last met in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas last March with UMKC edging out UVU, 80-78. Utah Valley swept last season's regular season series against the 'Roos, defeating UMKC 90-79 in Kansas City and 79-70 in Orem.

Last Five Results vs. UMKC (UVU leads, 8-6)
March 10, 2016    UMKC def. Utah Valley, 80-78    Las Vegas, Nevada
Feb. 20, 2016    Utah Valley def. UMKC, 79-70    Orem, Utah
Jan. 21, 2016    Utah Valley def. UMKC, 90-79    Kansas City, Mo.
Feb. 26, 2015    UMKC def. Utah Valley, 69-50    Kansas City, Mo.
Jan. 31, 2015    UMKC def. Utah Valley, 66-59    Orem, Utah

LAST MEETING VS. UMKC (March 10, 2016)
A pair of shots in the final seconds would not fall for the Wolverines as the fourth-seeded Utah Valley University men's basketball team wrapped up its 2015-16 season with an 80-78 loss to No. 5 Missouri-Kansas City in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 10, 2016.

The two teams went back-and-forth in the first half, producing seven ties and seven lead changes before a Jaden Jackson jumper at the buzzer capped a 16-5 UVU run over the final four minutes as the Wolverines took a 44-31 lead into the break.
 
Tied 75-75, with 3:23 to play, UMKC's Martez Harrison made back-to-back layups to give the 'Roos a 79-75 advantage with 2:11 to go. Marcel Davis hit a free throw and Dayon Goodman made a layup to get the Wolverines to within just one point, 79-78 with under a minute remaining.
 
Alex Carr rebounded a missed UMKC shot with 25 seconds to play and Konner Frey missed a go-ahead three with nine seconds left on the clock. UVU then sent UMKC's LaVell Boyd to the free throw line where he went 1-of-2 to give UMKC an 80-78 lead. Corey Cardwell's half court shot at the buzzer would not fall as UMKC secured the win.
 
Jackson scored his 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-6 clip from long range. He also went a perfect 2-of-2 from the free throw line. The senior guard also pulled down three rebounds.
 
Goodman scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. He also pulled down three rebounds and had a pair of blocks. Frey was just one rebound shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds.
 
Davis toyed with a triple-double, scoring 13 points with nine assists and six rebounds. Davis hit 4-of-9 shots from the field, including a shot from beyond the arc.
 
Utah Valley connected on an impressive 48.2 percent of its shots from the field while limiting UMKC to a 42.3 percent clip. The Wolverines knocked down 9-of-25 shots from beyond the arc for a 36 percent mark.

HOME SWEET HOME
Utah Valley holds an all-time 148-42 (78.3 percent) record in 12 seasons at the UCCU Center. The Wolverines are averaging nearly 12 wins a season at the UCCU Center. UVU is an impressive 5-2 at home this season. The team's lone losses at home this season include an 80-79 overtime loss to in-state rival Utah State and a 70-61 setback to Chicago State.

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 DOWN
With a 14-point, 16-rebound double-double at Grand Canyon last week, Utah Valley junior forward Isaac Neilson now holds six double-doubles this season. The six double doubles are the third-most in the WAC this year and  are the seventh-most in the country this season. His six double-doubles ranks Neilson tied for 49th nationally in the category.

FAST AND THE FURIOUS
As of Jan. 13, KenPom.com has Utah Valley ranked as the fifth fastest team in the nation at 77.0 possessions per 40 minutes. The Citadel (83.5) is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by Savannah State (82.4), Marshall (78.5), and BYU (77.3). UVU is fifth, followed by Wyoming (76.5), Central Michigan (76.0), Incarnate Word (76.2), and UCLA (75.8). The Wolverines rank eighth nationally in average possession length at 14.3 seconds a possession.

LOVING THE LONG BALL
Utah Valley has knocked down 154 three-pointers through 17 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 52nd in the nation in threes per game, averaging 9.1 threes a contest.

UTAH VALLEY DROPS 70-61 DECISION TO CHICAGO STATE
Brandon Randolph scored a team-high 12 points and Isaac Neilson pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team in a 70-61 setback to WAC foe Chicago State on Thursday night at the UCCU Center.

Tied 6-6 with 12:55 to play in the first half, Utah Valley went on an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to jump out to a 17-6 advantage 9:47 remaining in the half. The Wolverines extended their lead to as many as 14 points with 6:35 to go in the half, but Chicago State out-scored UVU 14-7 the rest of the way to cut the UVU advantage to just five points, 33-28, at the break.
 
With UVU leading 38-31 just a minute and a half into the second half, Chicago State used a 16-2 run over a four-minute span to jump out to a 50-40 lead with 11:53 to play. Utah Valley responded with a 10-3 run of its own to get to within three points, 53-50, with 8:26 remaining. The Cougars out scored the Wolverines 17-11 the rest of the way to secure the victory.
 
Randolph scored his 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and a 2-of-2 mark from the charity stripe. The junior guard also pulled down six rebounds with one assist and a steal. Conner Toolson was also in double figures with 10 points, connecting on 4-of-12 shots from the field. Toolson also had eight rebounds, two assists and a block.
 
Neilson's 13 boards marks his 10th double-digit rebound performance of the season. The junior forward also scored seven points with a career-high six blocks. Zach Nelson scored eight points with five rebounds and two blocks. Hayden Schenck scored seven points with a pair of rebounds in 18 minutes of action.
 
Fred Sims Jr. led Chicago State with a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double. Clemmye Owens V was also in double figures with 14 points.
 
As a team, Utah Valley shot 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the field with a 14.8 percent (4-of-27) clip from beyond the arc. Chicago State knocked down 35.9 percent (23-of-64) of its shots on the night, including a 45 percent (9-of-20) clip from long range.