Utah Valley (1-2) vs. UC Davis (2-0) GAME INFORMATION
Tickets: GoUVU.com/Tickets
TV: UVUtv
Live Video: WAC Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Jason Erickson)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: UVU StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
After opening the season with three straight road games, Utah Valley returns to Orem to make its UCCU Center debut against UC Davis on Saturday afternoon in the team's home opener. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (MT). UVU returns from what might just be the toughest 24 hours in college basketball history as the Wolverines took on No. 4/5 Kentucky and No. 1 Duke on back-to-back nights to open the season. The Wolverines dropped a 73-63 decision at Kentucky before falling 99-69 at Duke. UVU then had to travel to Pocatello, Idaho just two days later to take on Idaho State, which the Wolverines defeated, 84-71.

Utah Valley picked up its first win of the season on Tuesday night, defeating Idaho State 84-71. Sophomore guard Jake Toolson scored a career-high 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting to lead Utah Valley to the win. Toolson was a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists. Akolda Manyang helped with 19 points while Isaac Neilson added 11.

Utah Valley senior center Akolda Manyang was named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 7-13.  The Rochester, Minn., native averaged 11.5 points on 60 percent shooting, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 blocks in a pair of road games against two Top 5 teams last week. Manyang recorded a double-double with a career-high 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against No. 1 Duke. He also dished out a career-high six assists and registered a steal. Manyang connected on 6-of-11 shots from the field and knocked down 5-of-6 free throws against the Blue Devils. In the season opener at Kentucky, Manyang scored six points on 3-of-4 shooting, pulled down seven rebounds and tallied a game-high five blocked shots.

Utah Valley returns eight players who saw significant time last season, including 2016-17 leading scorer Conner Toolson (11.9 ppg.). The Wolverines return five of their top six scorers and their top five rebounders from the 2016-17 season. WAC All-Defensive team honoree and preseason All-WAC selection Isaac Neilson returns after leading the team with 9.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game last season. The Wolverines welcome nine new players to this year's roster, including four who sat out the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules or injuries. UVU welcomes eight transfers and one freshman to the team.

The Wolverines were selected to finish third by the media and fourth by the coaches in the WAC preseason poll. UVU received three first place votes in the media poll and one first place vote in the coaches' poll. UVU senior forward Isaac Neilson was received preseason all-WAC first team honors by the media and second team honors by the coaches.

Mark Pope enters his third season as the head coach of the Wolverines. His team scored more points than any other team in UVU history last season. UVU picked up its first-ever postseason national tournament wins with a run to the College Basketball Invitational Final Four. The team also picked up a historic win over crosstown rival BYU, scoring 114 points - the most ever scored by a BYU opponent in the Marriott Center. The Wolverines completed one of the biggest comebacks in NCAA history last season, overcoming a 27-point deficit to defeat Denver in the Mile High City. UVU also picked up a first-ever win at WAC rival New Mexico State, snapping the Aggies' 39-game conference home win streak and ended the nation's third-longest home win streak.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game at Idaho State will be broadcast live on UVUtv with Brandon Crow and Holton Hunsaker handling play-by-play and color duties. The game will also be streamed on the WAC Digital Network at WACsports.com/live. The game will also be broadcast on the air waves at ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch and Josh Kullanki 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 UC DAVIS
UC Davis heads into the 2017-18 season fresh off its first-ever appearance at the NCAA Tournament last season where the team defeated NC Central in a first-four matchup. UC Davis enters the UCCU Center on Saturday with a perfect 2-0 record. The team opened the season with a 74-59 win at Northern Colorado before downing Pacific on the road, 62-58, on Wednesday night. Saturday's game at Utah Valley marks the third-straight game on the road for the Aggies. UC Davis junior Siler SchneiderTied hit an 18-footer to snap a 58-58 tie with 34 seconds left on the clock at Pacific on Wednesday night. After two defensive stops, the Aggies sealed the victory when senior Chima Moneke, last year's Big West Tournament MVP,  hit two free throws with four seconds left in the game to help UC Davis pick up the 62-58 win. Chima led UC Davis with a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds in the win at Pacific. Schneider was also in double figures with 13 points. Chima leads the Aggies in scoring at 27.0 points per game, while Schneider averages 11.5. TJ Shorts II also averages 11.5 points a game. Former Utah Jazz player Jim Les coaches the Aggies. He holds a 89-104 record over six seasons with the team.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UC DAVIS
Utah Valley and UC Davis meet up on the basketball hardwood for the sixth time on Saturday afternoon. The Aggies hold a slight 3-2 all-time series lead in the matchup. UC Davis has won the last three games in the series. The two teams have each won one game in the series in Orem.

All-Time Results vs. UC Davis, UCD leads series (3-2)
Jan. 06, 2007    Utah Valley def. UC Davis, 57-38    Davis, Calif.
Feb. 06, 2007    Utah Valley def. UC Davis, 88-59    Orem, Utah
Nov. 29, 2014    UC Davis def. Utah Valley, 64-43    Davis, Calif.
Nov. 28, 2015    UC Davis def. Utah Valley, 82-70    Orem, Utah
Dec. 31, 2016    UC Davis def. Utah Valley, 83-69    Davis, Calif.    

HOME OPENERS
Utah Valley holds an all-time 12-2 record in home openers since joining the Division I ranks. The team has won its home opener in each of the past six seasons. The last time a UVU team dropped its home opener was on Nov. 12, 2010 when the Wolverines dropped a 71-66 overtime decision to Maine. The only other loss was on Nov. 21, 2003 as UVU fell to Kennesaw State, 78-43. UVU defeated Idaho State, 82-73, in last season's home opener.

Last six home openers
Nov. 16, 2016    Utah Valley def. Idaho State, 82-73
Nov. 14, 2015    Utah Valley def. Great Falls, 89-60
Nov. 14, 2014    Utah Valley def. South Dakota, 60-52
Nov. 08, 2013    Utah Valley def. IUPUI, 74-66
Nov. 17, 2012    Utah Valley def. Arizona Christian, 96-70
Nov. 11, 2011    Utah Valley def. Simpson, 80-53

THREE-POINT STREAKING
Utah Valley has now hit a three-point field goal in 101 straight games. The last time UVU played in a game without hitting a shot from beyond the arc was on Feb. 27, 2014 against New Mexico State.

FIVE NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS ON THIS SEASON'S SLATE
Utah Valley will play five teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season. In fact, the team plays five teams that won their conference tournaments last year. Kentucky won the SEC Tournament, Duke won the ACC Tournament, UC Davis won the Big West Tournament, North Dakota won the Big Sky Tournament, and New Mexico State won the WAC Tournament. UVU plays four of those teams during its first six games of the season, three of which are on the road.

#TOUGHEST24 - UTAH VALLEY PLAYS TOUGHEST 24 HOURS OF BASKETBALL IN NCAA HISTORY
Utah Valley embarked on what is likely the toughest 24 hours of basketball ever played in NCAA history. Utah Valley traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to open the 2017-18 season against SEC foe Kentucky on Nov. 10 at Rupp Arena before continuing its road trip against ACC foe Duke on Nov. 11 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Wolverines played two of the top-5 teams in the nation on back-to-back nights on the road at a pair of basketball cathedrals. UVU chartered a plane and welcomed a travel party of over 100 staff and boosters to join the team on the trip.  Kentucky and Duke own a combined 13 NCAA men's basketball national titles. Kentucky was ranked No. 4/5 and Duke was the consensus No. 1 ranked team in the preseason polls. ESPN embedded a reporter and a television crew with the team, which featured a behind-the-scenes, all-access look at the Wolverines on the trip. ESPN' SportsCenter created a four-minute documentary-style feature on UVU that aired on SportsCenter throughout the day on Sunday, Nov. 12. ESPN's Sam Strong also traveled with the Wolverines and featured numerous stories and video clips about the team on ESPN.com throughout the entire #Toughest24 trip. ESPN's Kevin Connors also featured the Wolverines on SportsCenter two times prior to the trip and once while the Wolverines were on the trip.
 
MANYANG NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah Valley senior center Akolda Manyang has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 7-13. This is his first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor. The Rochester, Minn., native averaged 11.5 points on 60 percent shooting, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 blocks in a pair of road games against two Top 5 teams last week. Manyang recorded a double-double with a career-high 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against No. 1 Duke. He also dished out a career-high six assists and registered a steal. Manyang connected on 6-of-11 shots from the field and knocked down 5-of-6 free throws against the Blue Devils. In the season opener at Kentucky, Manyang scored six points on 3-of-4 shooting, pulled down seven rebounds and tallied a game-high five blocked shots.