Utah Valley (10-11, 2-4) at Seattle U (10-11, 2-4) GAME INFORMATION
TV: American Sports Network (Nate Bukaty/Daimon Beathea)
TV in Utah: KMYU (My Utah TV)
Live Video Stream: WAC Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Jason Erickson)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: Seattle U StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley travels to the Emerald City to take on WAC foe Seattle U on Saturday night at Key Arena. The game will be broadcast nationally on the American Sports Network, which can be found locally in Utah on KMYU (My Utah TV). Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. (MST).

Saturday's game at Seattle U marks the first contest of a three-game road stretch for the Wolverines. UVU holds a 3-8 record on the road this season with wins at Denver, BYU and UC Riverside. The Wolverines hold a 0-2 mark on the road in WAC play this year.

Despite a four-point lead with under two minutes to play at home against New Mexico State last week, Utah Valley dropped a 74-69 decision to the WAC leader. Brandon Randolph scored a team-high 18 points and Isaac Neilson recorded a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double in the setback.

Sophomore guard Conner Toolson leads the Wolverines in scoring at 13.7 points per game. Junior forward Isaac Neislon ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.5 points a contest and leads the team on the boards, pulling down nearly 10 rebounds a game. Randolph leads the team in assists, averaging 4.5 helpers a game.

Neilson ranks in the top-30 nationally in both rebounds per game and offensive boards per game. The junior forward ranks 16th nationally at 3.48 offensive rebounds per game. He also ranks 30th 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 76.1 possessions per 40 minutes. The Citadel (81.8) is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by Savannah State (80.8), Marshall (78.5), and BYU (77.5). UVU is fifth, followed by Lipscomb (76.1), Wyoming (75.8), Central Michigan (75.8), Green Bay (75.7), UTRGV (75.4), and UCLA (75.1). The Wolverines rank ninth nationally in average possession length at 14.6 seconds a possession.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game at Seattle U will be televised live on the American Sports Network which is available locally in Utah on KMYU (My Utah TV).  Nate Bukaty and Daimon Beathea will be on the call for the ASN broadcast. The ASN broadcast will also be available online through the WAC Digital Network at www.WACsports.com/live. 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 SEATTLE U
Seattle U heads into Saturday's matchup against Utah Valley with an 10-11 overall record. The Redhawks are tied with UVU in the WAC standings with a 2-4 league mark. Saturday's game marks the third contest of three-straight home games for the Redhawks. The team will be celebrating homecoming this week, culminating with the game against UVU on Saturday night. Seattle U most recently picked up a 96-84 win over UT Rio Grande Valley on Jan. 28. In the win over UTRGV, sophomore Zack Moore led the charge with a career-high 33 points while senior Brendan Westendorf also achieved a career-high with 29 points. William Powell added 22 points for the Redhawks. Westendorf leads Seattle in scoring at 15.9 points per game. Powell and Moore also average double figures at 10.7 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. As a team, SU is averaging 72.1 points a contest while allowing opponents a 72.5 points per game average.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SEATTLE U
Utah Valley and Seattle U meet on the basketball hardwood for the 13th time on Saturday night. SU holds an all-time 7-5 advantage over the Wolverines. Utah Valley has dropped three straight to the Redhawks, including four of the last five. UVU's last win in the series was a 70-52 victory on Jan. 10, 2015 in Orem. UVU holds an all-time 2-4 mark against SU in games played in the Emerald City. UVU's last win over the Redhawks in Seattle was a 52-51 victory on Jan. 19, 2014. Seattle U swept last year's season series against UVU, taking a 73-62 win in Orem before defeating the Wolverines 72-69 in Seattle.

All-Time Results vs. Seattle U (SU leads, 7-5)
Jan. 16, 2010    Seattle U def. Utah Valley, 66-63    Seattle, Wash.
March 06, 2010    Seattle U def. Utah Valley, 74-64    Orem, Utah
Jan. 13, 2011    Utah Valley def. Seattle U, 89-73    Orem, Utah
Feb. 09, 2011    Seattle U def. Utah Valley, 63-57    Seattle, Wash.
Jan. 07, 2012    Utah Valley def. Seattle U, 77-72    Orem, Utah
Jan. 13, 2012    Utah Valley def. Seattle U, 84-74    Seattle, Wash.
Jan. 19, 2014    Utah Valley def. Seattle U, 52-51    Seattle, Wash.
Feb. 13, 2014    Seattle U def. Utah Valley, 71-57    Orem, Utah
Jan. 10, 2015    Utah Valley def. Seattle U, 70-52    Orem, Utah
Feb. 07, 2015    Seattle U def. Utah Valley, 53-33    Seattle, Wash.
Jan. 28, 2016    Seattle U def. Utah Valley, 73-62    Orem, Utah
Feb. 27, 2016    Seattle U def. Utah Valley, 72-69    Seattle, Wash.

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 30.10 boards per game on the defensive glass. The Wolverines have pulled down 632 defensive boards this season. UVU has 812 total rebounds this season, an average of 38.7 per game, which ranks 58th nationally.

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, 10-rebound double-double against New Mexico State on Jan. 28, Utah Valley junior forward Isaac Neilson now holds seven double-doubles this season. The seven double doubles are the fourth-most in the WAC this year and  are the 11th-most in the country this season. His seven double-doubles ranks Neilson tied for 63rd nationally in the category.

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 Feb. 1, KenPom.com has Utah Valley ranked as the fifth-fastest team in the nation at 76.1 possessions per 40 minutes. The Citadel (81.8) is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by Savannah State (80.8), Marshall (78.5), and BYU (77.5). UVU is fifth, followed by Lipscomb (76.1), Wyoming (75.8), Central Michigan (75.8), Green Bay (75.7), UTRGV (75.4), and UCLA (75.1). The Wolverines rank ninth nationally in average possession length at 14.6 seconds a possession.

LOVING THE LONG BALL
Utah Valley has knocked down 184 three-pointers through 21 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 60th in the nation in threes per game, averaging 8.8 threes a contest.

UVU COACHES RAISING AWARENESS FOR AUTISM
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.

HOME SWEET HOME
Utah Valley holds an all-time 149-42 (78.0 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 7-3 at home this season.

POPE SUPPORTING COACHES VS. CANCER
Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope and his staff are participating in the Coaches vs. Cancer campaign this past month 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 wore sneakers with their suits at UVU's two home games last week to raise awareness for cancer.

UVU FALLS TO NEW MEXICO STATE DOWN THE STRETCH, 74-69
Brandon Randolph scored a team-high 18 points and Isaac Neilson recorded a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team in a 74-69 setback to WAC leader New Mexico State on Saturday night in front of a 6,246 fans at the UCCU Center.
 
Randolph hit a layup to give Utah Valley a four-point edge, 67-63, with just 2:03 to play. New Mexico State then responded with nine unanswered points over the final two minutes to secure the 74-69 win.

A pair of Ivory Young threes and another from Jared Stutzman helped Utah Valley jump out to a 9-4 lead to open the game. UVU and NM State then played through three ties and nine lead changes before the Wolverines went on an 11-4 run over the final five minutes of the half to take a 38-31 lead into the break.
 
UVU led by as many as nine points early in the second half, taking a 42-33 lead with 18:07 remaining in the game. New Mexico State went on a 16-4 run over a five-minute span to tie the game, 52-52, at the 9:47 mark. The two teams then played through three ties and six lead changes before the Aggies secured the game with the 9-0 run over the last two minutes to secure the road win.
 
Randolph scored his 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, including a perfect 2-of-2 clip from beyond the arc. He also knocked down 2-of-3 shots at the free throw line and collected three steals and three assists.
 
Neilson recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The junior forward knocked down 7-of-9 shots from the field and registered a pair of blocks.
 
Kenneth Ogbe and Ivory Young were also in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Ogbe hit 5-of-9 shots from the field while Young connected on 4-of-6 shots with three three-pointers.
 
As a team, Utah Valley out-shot NM State with a 49.1 percent (28-of-57) clip. The Aggies hit 46.0 percent (29-of-63) shots from the field. The Wolverines scored a season-high 44 points in the paint compared to NMSU's 36 points. NM State outrebounded UVU 44-25 on the night.