Utah Valley (10-10, 2-3) vs. New Mexico State (19-2, 6-0) GAME INFORMATION
TV: UVUtv (Brandon Crow/Matt Peterson)
Live Video Stream: WAC Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Holton Hunsaker)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: UVU StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
Fresh off a 92-81 win on Thursday night, Utah Valley continues Western Athletic Conference play at home on Saturday night against league leader New Mexico State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Saturday's game will be a blackout game. Fans are encouraged to wear black to the game.

New Mexico State (19-2, 6-0) holds the nation's second-longest win streak at 17 games behind only Gonzaga (21). The Aggies have also won 18 straight WAC games.

The Wolverines hold a 7-2 record at the UCCU Center this season. UVU's only setbacks at home include an 80-79 overtime setback to in-state rival Utah State (Dec. 10) and a 70-61 loss to Chicago State (Jan. 12).

Kenneth Ogbe and Conner Toolson each scored 17 points and Brandon Randolph helped with 15 to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team to a 92-81 win over UT Rio Grande Valley on Thursday night at the UCCU Center. Jordan Poydras and Zach Nelson were also in double figures with 12 points apiece. Poydras also dished out a season-high seven assists. UVU knocked down 10 shots from long range in the win.

Toolson leads the Wolverines in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Junior forward Isaac Neislon ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points a contest and leads the team on the boards, pulling down nearly 10 rebounds a game. Randolph leads the team in assists, averaging 4.6 helpers a game.

Neilson ranks in the top-35 nationally in both rebounds per game and offensive boards per game. The junior forward ranks 22nd nationally at 3.50 offensive rebounds per game. He also ranks 35th in the country in rebounds per game at 9.6.

Utah Valley is the fifth fastest team in the nation according to KenPom.com at 76.6 possessions per 40 minutes. The Citadel (82.4) is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by Savannah State (81.0), Marshall (78.7), and BYU (77.0). UVU is fifth, followed by Lipscomb (76.5), Wyoming (76.0), Central Michigan (75.9), Green Bay (75.5), Kentucky (75.3), and UCLA (75.2). The Wolverines rank ninth nationally in average possession length at 14.4 seconds a possession.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game against New Mexico State will be televised live on UVUtv and the WAC Digital Network. Brandon Crow and Matt Peterson will be on the call for the UVUtv/WDN broadcast. 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 NEW MEXICO STATE
New Mexico State heads into Saturday's matchup against Utah Valley with an 19-2 overall record. The Aggies have rattled off 17 straight wins, marking the second-longest active win streak in the nation behind Gonzaga's 21 game win streak. NMSU's lone setbacks this season include a 64-61 loss at Colorado State and a 72-59 loss at New Mexico. The Aggies hold a 6-2 road record and hold a six-game road win streak. New Mexico State most recently picked up its 18th-straight WAC win with a 71-56 victory at Seattle U on Thursday night. Senior guard Ian Baker recorded the third double-double of his career with 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Junior forward Jemerrio Jones notched his seventh double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 boards. Baker leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game, while Jones leads the team in rebounding at 5.8 boards a contest. New Mexico State averages 77.9 points per game while limiting opponents to a 65.6 points per game average.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NEW MEXICO STATE
Utah Valley and New Mexico State meet on the basketball hardwood for just the seventh time on Saturday night. NM State holds an all-time 5-1 advantage over the Wolverines. Utah Valley's lone win in the series was a 66-61 overtime victory on Feb. 27, 2014. The win secured UVU the 2014 WAC regular season title. Since the win in 2014, Utah Valley has dropped four straight to the Aggies. UVU is 1-2 all-time against NM State in Orem.

All-Time Results vs. New Mexico State (NMSU leads, 5-1)
Feb. 01, 2014    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 72-49    Las Cruces, N.M.
Feb. 27, 2014    Utah Valley def. New Mexico State, 66-61 (OT)    Orem, Utah
Jan. 24, 2015    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 69-44    Las Cruces, N.M.
Feb. 19, 2015    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 51-38    Orem, Utah
Jan. 07, 2016    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 78-66    Orem, Utah
Feb. 06, 2016    New Mexico State def. Utah Valley, 98-74    Las Cruces, N.M.

COACHES VS. CANCER - SUITS AND SNEAKERS
Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope and his staff are participating in the Coaches vs. Cancer campaign this week organized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Coach Pope joined BYU head coach Dave Rose at Subway on Jan. 23 to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The two coaches made sandwiches for patrons during the lunch hour. Coach Pope and his staff will be wearing sneakers with their suits at UVU's two home games this week to raise awareness for cancer.

ESPN'S KEVIN CONNORS SENDS SPECIAL MESSAGE TO OPEN GAME AGAINST NEW MEXICO STATE
ESPN SportsCenter anchor Kevin Connors is back at it again. The Wolverines received the ESPN anchor's Star of the Night following UVU's 114-101 win over rival BYU in Provo on Nov. 26. He has now sent a special video message for Wolverine fans that will be played on the video screens prior to UVU's tip against New Mexico State on Saturday night.

UVU COACHES RAISING AWARENESS FOR AUTISM ON SATURDAY NIGHT
Utah Valley's coaches will be wearing blue puzzle piece pins on their lapels on Saturday night to support the Coaches Powering Forward for Autism benefitting Autism Speaks. The program was created in 2014 after NCAA Coaches Pat Skerry and Tom Herrion embarked on a mission to raise awareness of autism. Today, nearly 300 coaches and their staffs support individuals living with autism through the Coaches Powering Forward for Autism Campaign. UVU athletics is will be accommodating unique requests so that those with sensory needs can be met. There will be a space on Saturday night for individuals to experience the game with less noise, and a room set aside for those who need a break. Also, noise cancelling headphones will be available. Additionally, to raise awareness for autism, 13 attendees will be recorded as honorary team members on the roster and included in some halftime on-court activities. UVU is one of the nation's leaders in autism research. The school is currently constructing a new autism center which is now under construction.

CRASHING THE BOARDS - UVU RANKS THIRD IN NATION ON DEFENSIVE GLASS
Utah Valley currently ranks third in the country in defensive rebounds per game, pulling down 30.55 boards on the defensive glass per game. The Wolverines have pulled down 611 defensive boards this season. UVU has 787 total rebounds this season, an average of 39.3 per game, which ranks 37th nationally.

HOME SWEET HOME
Utah Valley holds an all-time 149-41 (78.4 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 7-2 at home this season. The team's 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.

THROWING UP THE FREEBIES
Utah Valley and UMKC combined for a total of 84 free throw attempts in their game on Jan. 14 at the UCCU Center. UVU connected on 31-of-42 attempts at the charity stripe in the game, while UMKC knocked down 27-of-42 shots from the line. The combined 84 free throws fell just short of the WAC-record 93 attempted free throws between Wyoming (33) and New Mexico (58) during the 1965-66 season. UVU attempted 48 free throws in a win over UTRGV on Jan. 26. The 48 attempts falls short of the team record of 52 set at Chicago State on Jan. 29, 2009. However, the 48 attempts at the free throw line are the most ever recorded in the UCCU Center, breaking the previous team record of 42 set against UMKC on Jan. 14 of this season.

FAST AND THE FURIOUS
As of Jan. 27, KenPom.com has Utah Valley ranked as the fifth-fastest team in the nation at 76.6 possessions per 40 minutes. The Citadel (82.4) is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by Savannah State (81.0), Marshall (78.7), and BYU (77.0). UVU is fifth, followed by Lipscomb (76.5), Wyoming (76.0), Central Michigan (75.9), Green Bay (75.5), Kentucky (75.3), and UCLA (75.2). The Wolverines rank ninth nationally in average possession length at 14.4 seconds a possession.

LOVING THE LONG BALL
Utah Valley has knocked down 178 three-pointers through 20 games this season. At the pace, Utah Valley is set to connect on more than 265 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 8.9 threes a contest.

UVU BACK ON TRACK WITH 92-81 WIN OVER UTRGV
Kenneth Ogbe and Conner Toolson each scored 17 points and Brandon Randolph helped with 15 to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team to a 92-81 win over UT Rio Grande Valley on Thursday night at the UCCU Center.
 
With the win, Utah Valley improves to 10-10 overall on the season and 2-3 in WAC play. UTRGV falls to 10-13 overall and 2-3 in league action.
 
Utah Valley opened the game with a 9-1 run to open the game. The Wolverines held on the lead to go up by 10 points, 21-11, with 11:38 remaining in the half. UTRGV responded with a 10-4 run to cut the UVU lead to just four points, 25-21, with 8:30 to play in the opening period. The two teams played even the rest of the half as the Wolverines took a 41-37 lead into the break.
 
The Wolverines outscored UTRGV 7-3 to open the second half, giving UVU a 49-40 lead with 17:19 to play. Utah Valley extended its lead to 12 points, 62-50, at the 12-minute mark. The Vaqueros would close the gap to six points, 76-70, with five minutes remaining. UVU then outscored UTRGV 15-9 over the final 4:54 to secure the 92-81 win.
 
Ogbe scored his 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-7 clip from long range. He also pulled down five rebounds with one assist and a block. Toolson knocked down 4-of-8 shots from the field with a pair of three-pointers for his 17 points. The sophomore guard also hit 7-of-8 free throws.
 
Randolph tallied his 15 points a 4-of-7 clip from the field including a 1-of-1 mark from beyond the arc. Randolph also pulled down seven rebounds with two steals and an assist. Jordan Poydras and Zach Nelson were also in double figures with 12 points apiece. Poydras also dished out a game-high seven assists.
 
Isaac Neilson scored nine points with seven rebounds, while Hayden Schenck scored seven points with eight rebounds and five assists.
 
Utah Valley shot 44.2 percent (23-of-52) on the night while UTRGV connected on a 42.6 percent (29-of-68) clip from the field. The Wolverines connected on 10 three-pointers. UVU shot 75 percent from the free throw line, connecting on 36-of-48 shots at the stripe. The 48 attempts is a UCCU Center record for the Wolverines.
 
Nick Dixon led UTRGV with a game-high 41 points. Antonio Green was also in double figures with 18 points.