Utah Valley (9-9, 1-2) at CSU Bakersfield (11-7, 2-1) GAME INFORMATION
TV: American Sports Network / KMYU locally in Utah (Dave Armstrong/ Daimon Bethea)
Where to Watch: TV Clearance List
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Jason Erickson)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: GoRunners.com
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley continues WAC play on Saturday night as the team travels to California to take on the defending WAC Tournament champion CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. (MST). The game will be broadcast nationally on the American Sports Network, which is available in Utah on KMYU (My Utah TV).

The Wolverines hold a 3-7 record on the road this season. The team has road wins over Denver, BYU and UC Riverside. Saturday's game marks just the second WAC road contest of the season for the Wolverines.

After falling 70-61 to Chicago State at home on Jan. 12, Utah Valley bounced back with an 86-76 win over UMKC on Jan. 14. Brandon Randolph led three other Wolverines in double figures with 16 points in the win over the Kangaroos. Zach Nelson registered his fifth double digit scoring game of the season with 14 points. Conner Toolson and Jared Stutzman were also in double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Toolson leads the Wolverines in scoring at 14.3 points per game. Junior forward Isaac Neislon ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points a contest and leads the team on the boards, pulling down 10 rebounds a game. Randolph leads the team in assists, averaging 4.7 helpers a game.

Neilson ranks in the top-30 nationally in both rebounds per game and offensive boards per game. The junior forward ranks 21st in the country with 180  total rebounds. He also ranks 15th nationally on the offensive glass at 3.67 offensive boards a game.

Utah Valley is the fifth fastest team in the nation according to KenPom.com. The Wolverines averaged 77.1 possessions per game, ranking fifth behind The Citadel (83.3), Savannah State (80.9), Marshall (78.6), and BYU (77.2). UVU sits just ahead of Wyoming (76.6), Central Michigan (76.2), Lipscomb (75.6), and Kentucky (75.2). UVU averages 14.2 seconds per possession which ranks the team seventh nationally in average possession length.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game against CSU Bakersfield will be televised live on the American Sports Network which will be available locally in Utah on KMYU. Dave Armstrong and Daimon Bethea will be on the call for the ASN broadcast. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch and Jason Erickson 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 CSU BAKERSFIELD
CSU Bakersfield is the defending WAC Tournament champion. The team made its first-ever appearance at the NCAA Tournament last season after claiming the WAC title with its last-second win over New Mexico State. CSUB heads into Saturday's matchup against Utah Valley with an 11-7 overall record. The 'Runners hold a perfect 7-0 record at home this season. The team had won three straight before suffering a 63-58 setback at New Mexico State on Jan. 14. Senior forward Jaylin Airington led the 'Runners with a game-high 19 points in the loss to the Aggies. Senior guard Dedrick Basile was also in double figures with 14 points. Airington and sophomore guard Damiyne Durham lead the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game apiece. Basile also averages double figures at 13.7 points a game. Senior forward Matt Smith leads CSUB on the boards, averaging 5.6 rebounds a game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD
Utah Valley and CSUB meet on the basketball hardwood for the 16th time on Saturday night. CSUB holds an all-time 9-6 advantage over the Wolverines. CSU Bakersfield has won three straight games over UVU, including a series sweep last season. UVU holds a 2-5 all-time record in games played in Bakersfield. The Wolverines last won in Bakersfield on Jan. 4, 2014, taking an 82-74 win. UVU's last win over CSUB was a 74-69 victory on March 7, 2015 in Orem.

Last Five Results vs. CSU Bakersfield (CSUB leads, 9-6)
Feb. 13, 2016    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 91-69    Bakersfield
Jan. 30, 2016    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 78-74    Orem
March 12, 2015    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 55-40    Las Vegas
March 07, 2015    Utah Valley def. CSU Bakersfield, 74-69    Orem
Feb. 05, 2015    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 72-69    Bakersfield

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 10-most in the country this season. His six double-doubles ranks Neilson tied for 56th nationally in the category.

FAST AND THE FURIOUS
As of Jan. 19, KenPom.com has Utah Valley ranked as the fifth fastest team in the nation at 77.1 possessions per 40 minutes. The Citadel (83.3) is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by Savannah State (80.9), Marshall (78.6), and BYU (77.2). UVU is fifth, followed by Wyoming (76.6), Central Michigan (76.2), Lipscomb (75.6), and Kentucky (75.2). The Wolverines rank seventh nationally in average possession length at 14.2 seconds a possession.

LOVING THE LONG BALL
Utah Valley has knocked down 159 three-pointers through 18 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 61st in the nation in threes per game, averaging 8.8 threes a contest.

UTAH VALLEY BOUNCES BACK WITH 86-76 WIN OVER UMKC
Brandon Randolph led three other Wolverines in double figures with 16 points to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team to an 86-76 win over WAC foe UMKC on Saturday night at the UCCU Center.

Trailing 10-3 with 14:51 to play in the first half, Utah Valley used a 17-2 run over a six-minute span to take a 20-12 lead with eight minutes remaining in the half. UMKC out-scored UVU 19-15 throughout the remainder of the half as the Wolverines held on to a 35-31 lead at the break.
 
UVU held on to a four-point lead, 49-45, with 10:53 to play in the game. The Wolverines then extended their lead to 11 points, 64-53, on a Randolph layup at the five-minute mark. The Kangaroos were only able to get as close as eight points over the final five minutes as UVU held on to its lead to secure the 86-76 victory.
 
Randolph knocked down 6-of-12 shots from the field and 4-of-5 free throws for his team-high 16 points. It marks the third straight game that the junior guard has hit 50 percent of more of his shots. He also pulled down nine rebounds with two assists and a pair of steals.
 
Zach Nelson registered his fifth double digit scoring game of the season with 14 points. Nelson knocked down 6-of-9 shots from the floor and went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe on the night. The junior forward also pulled down four rebounds with an assist.
 
Conner Toolson and Jared Stutzman were also in double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Toolson connected on 3-of-9 shots with a 6-of-8 mark from the free throw line. Stutzman was a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range and hit 3-of-5 free throws for his 12 points. Ivory Young tallied nine points, while Kenneth Ogbe and Jordan Poydras each registered seven points.
 As a team, Utah Valley shot 44.6 percent (25-of-56) on the night compared to UMKC's 38.6 percent (22-of-57) clip. The Wolverines out-rebounded UMKC, 45-34.
 
Utah Valley hit 73.8 percent of its free throws, connecting on 31-of-42 shots at the stripe. The 42 free throws are the most ever attempted by a UVU team in the UCCU Center, breaking the previous UCCU Center record of 41 attempts.
 
LaVell Boyd led UMKC with 22 points. Xavier Bishop and Broderick Newbill helped with 14 points apiece.