Utah Valley (8-7) at Grand Canyon (9-6) GAME INFORMATION
Live Video Stream: WAC Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Jaosn Erickson)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: GCU StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
After wrapping up non-conference play with a 102-63 win over Antelope Valley on Monday night, Utah Valley opens Western Athletic Conference play this week at Grand Canyon on Saturday night at GCU Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (MST).

The Wolverines open league play on the road where the team holds a 3-6 mark this season. UVU's three road wins include victories at Denver, BYU and UC Riverside. The team has dropped five of its last six road contests.

In the 102-63 win over Antelope Valley on Monday night, Conner Toolson led the way with 23 points in just 18 minutes of action, hitting a career-high seven 3-pointers including his first five attempts. Telly Davenport posted career highs with 21 points and a game-high eight rebounds while Jared Stutzman also scored a career best, finishing with 16.

Toolson leads the Wolverines in scoring at 14.9 points per game. Junior forward Isaac Neislon ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points a contest and leads the team on the boards, pulling down 9.5 rebounds a game. Brandon Randolph leads the team in assists, averaging 5.1 helpers a game.

Neilson ranks in the top-25 nationally in both rebounds per game and offensive boards per game. The junior forward ranks 23rd in the country in total rebounds with 142. He also ranks 25th nationally on the offensive glass at 3.60 offensive boards a game.

Utah Valley is the fifth fastest team in the nation according to KenPom.com. The Wolverines averaged 77.5 possessions per game, ranking fifth behind The Citadel (84.7), Savannah State (82.1), BYU (78.3), and Marshal (78.3). UVU sits just ahead of Wyoming (76.6), Incarnate Word (76.5), Auburn (76.0) and Kentucky (75.9). UVU averages 14.2 seconds per possession which ranks the team ninth in average possession length.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game at Grand Canyon will be video streamed live on the WAC Digital Network at www.WACsports.com/Watch. 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 GRAND CANYON
Grand Canyon heads into Saturday's matchup against Utah Valley with a 9-6 overall record. The team has won four of its last five games. The 'Lopes are an impressive 7-2 at home this season and have won six straight at GCU Arena since suffering a 79-70 setback to nationally-ranked Louisville on Dec. 3. GCU has played nine of its 15 games at home this season. The 'Lopes most recently dropped a 76-56 decision at UC Riverside last week--a team that UVU defeated 73-64 last week on the road. Senior guard DeWayne Russell leads both GCU and the WAC in scoring at 24.2 points per game. GCU junior guard and WAC Preseason Player of the Year Josh Bruan suffered an injury and has not played since the Nov. 28 game against SIUE. GCU has also been without leading rebounder (7.1 rpg) Darion Clark who has been out with injury since the team's game at Arizona on Dec. 14. Grand Canyon ranks seventh in the WAC in scoring offense, averaging 70.7 points per game. The team does ranks third in the league in scoring defense while holding teams to a 68.7 points per game average. The 'Lopes are coached by former NBA All-Star Dan Majerle who is in his fourth season with the team.

SERIES HISTORY VS. GRAND CANYON
Utah Valley and Grand Canyon meet on the basketball hardwood for the eighth time on Saturday night. GCU holds an all-time 4-3 advantage over the Wolverines. After winning the first three games of the series, UVU has dropped four straight to the Antelopes. UVU holds an all-time 1-2 record in games played in Phoenix. Grand Canyon swept the two-game series last season, taking a 99-88 decision in Phoenix before downing UVU 86-79 in Orem. UVU has never won a conference game against GCU.

All-Time Series Results vs. Grand Canyon (GCU leads, 4-3)
Feb. 15, 2005    Utah Valley def. Grand Canyon, 71-49    Orem, Utah
Jan. 11, 2014    Utah Valley def. Grand Canyon, 65-58    Orem, Utah
Feb. 06, 2014    Utah Valley def. Grand Canyon, 79-68    Phoenix, Ariz.
Jan. 15, 2015    Grand Canyon def. Utah Valley, 83-74    Orem, Utah
Feb. 14, 2015    Grand Canyon def. Utah Valley, 83-57    Phoenix, Ariz.
Jan. 16, 2016    Grand Canyon def. Utah Valley, 99-88    Phoenix, Ariz.
March 05, 2016    Grand Canyon def. Utah Valley, 86-79    Orem, Utah

WAC OPENERS
Utah Valley holds an all-time 2-1 record in Western Athletic Conference openers. In UVU's debut season in the WAC, the Wolverines picked up an 82-74 win at CSU Bakersfield in its WAC opener. The team then defeated Seattle U, 70-52, in the 2015 opener. UVU suffered its first WAC opener last season with a 78-66 setback to New Mexico State at home. All-time, UVU holds a 5-2 overall record in league openers as a member of the Great West Conference and WAC.

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
Utah Valley junior forward Isaac Neilson holds five double-doubles this season. The five double doubles are the second-most in the WAC this year and  are the eighth-most in the country this season. His five double-doubles ranks Neilson tied for 56th nationally in the category.

FAST AND THE FURIOUS - UVU LEADS WAC IN SCORING OFFENSE
As of Jan. 1, KenPom.com has Utah Valley ranked as the fifth fastest team in the nation at 77.5 possessions per 40 minutes. The Citadel (84.8) is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by Savannah State (82.1), BYU (78.2) and Marshall (77.9). UVU is fifth, followed by Incarnate Word (76.6), Wyoming (76.6), and Central Michigan (76.2). The Wolverines lead the WAC in scoring at 80.7 points per game.

LOVING THE LONG BALL
Utah Valley has knocked down 144 three-pointers through 15 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 27th in the nation in threes per game, averaging 9.6 threes a contest.

UTAH VALLEY ROUTES ANTELOPE VALLEY, 102-63, IN NON-CONFERENCE FINALE
Utah Valley University used a scorching start from the field en route to a 102-63 win over Antelope Valley in the Wolverines' final non-conference game of the season on Monday night at the UCCU Center.
 
Conner Toolson led the way with 23 points in just 18 minutes of action, hitting a career-high seven 3-pointers including his first five attempts. Telly Davenport posted career highs with 21 points and a game-high eight rebounds while Jared Stutzman also scored a career best, finishing with 16.

The Wolverines (8-7) shot 57.1 percent (36-for-63) from the field while holding the Pioneers to just 28.8 percent (19-for-66). UVU finished with 27 assists – six coming from Ivory Young – on its 36 made field goals and also outrebounded Antelope Valley, 48-30.
 
Utah Valley put the game out of reach early, racing out to an 18-0 lead four minutes into the contest. Jordan Poydras – who finished with 13 -- and Toolson each connected on a pair of 3-pointers while Zach Nelson scored the other six Wolverine points. Toolson's fifth straight triple of the half came with 12:30 left and extended the UVU lead to 33-9.
 
Stutzman connected on two first-half threes, with the second making it 44-12 with 8:32 left until the break. That shot had Utah Valley shooting a torrid 18-for-21 (85.7 percent) to that point. UVU led 57-34 at the half, scoring its second-highest point total in a half this season after its 60-point, second half output earlier at BYU.
 
All 12 Wolverines who played in the game scored, including Jeffrey Yan, who made his first appearance of the year for Utah Valley. Yan hit a pair of free throws late in the contest.