Utah Valley (11-13, 3-6) vs. CSU Bakersfield (17-7, 8-1) GAME INFORMATION
TV: UVUtv (Brandon Crow / Holton Hunsaker)
Video Stream: WAC Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch / Ben Aird)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: UVU StatBroadcast
 

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OPENING TIP
After playing three straight games on the road, Utah Valley returns home to host WAC leader CSU Bakersfield on Thursday night at the UCCU Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

The Wolverines return home to the UCCU Center where the team holds an impressive 7-3 record this season. UVU already has wins at home over WAC foes UMKC and UTRGV this season. 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 picked up its first WAC road win of the season on Feb. 11 with an 87-54 route of Chicago State in the Windy City. Conner Toolson scored a game-high 17 points and Isaac Neilson recorded a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double in the win. UVU recorded its best shooting percentage of the season against a Division I team, knocking down 53.3 percent of its shots, including 13 three-pointers.
 
Toolson leads the Wolverines in scoring at 13.0 points per game. Kenneth Ogbe ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.0 points a contest. Neilson leads the team on the boards, pulling down 9.5 rebounds a game. Randolph leads the team in assists, averaging 4.6 helpers a game.

Neilson ranks in the top-30 nationally in a pair of individual statistical categories. The junior forward ranks 17th nationally at 3.46 offensive rebounds per game and 30th in the country in rebounds per game at 9.5. He also ranks 52nd in the nation with 44 blocks this season.

Utah Valley is the seventh fastest team in the nation according to KenPom.com at 74.8 possessions per 40 minutes. Savannah State (81.3) is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by The Citadel (81.1), Marshall (78.1), BYU (76.6), Central Michigan (75.3), and Auburn (75.0). UVU is seventh, followed by Lipscomb (74.7), Omaha (74.6), Green Bay (74.5), Wyoming (74.5), UTRGV (74.3) and UCLA (74.1). The Wolverines rank ninth nationally in average possession length at 14.7 seconds a possession.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday's game against CSU Bakersfield will be broadcast live on UVUtv and the WAC Digital Network (WACsports.com/live) with Brandon Crow and Holton Hunsaker on the call. The game will be broadcast on the air waves at ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch and Ben Aird 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 heads into Thursday's matchup against Utah Valley with a 17-7 overall record. The 'Runners sit atop the WAC standings with an 8-1 league mark. CSUB's lone setback in WAC play this season was a 63-58 loss at New Mexico State on Jan. 14. Since that loss, CSUB has won six straight, including a sweep at home last week with wins over NM State and UTRGV. The win over NMSU snapped the Aggies' 20-game win streak. Sophomore guard Damiyne Durham led three other Roadrunners in double figures to help the 'Runners to a 75-53 win over UTRGV on Saturday night. Senior forward Matt Smith registered a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win over the Vaqueros. Senior forward Jaylin Airington leads CSUB in scoring at 14.6 points per game. Durham follows closely behind at 14.0 points a contest. Smith fronts the 'Runners on the boards at 6.1 rebounds a game. CSU Bakersfield averages 72.6 points per game while limiting opponents to just 63.2 points a contest, which ranks the 'Runners 22nd nationally. CSUB forces opponents into an average of 16.9 turnovers a game, which ranks 14th nationally.

SERIES HISTORY VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD
Utah Valley and CSUB meet on the basketball hardwood for the 17th time on Thursday night. CSUB holds an all-time 10-6 advantage over the Wolverines. CSU Bakersfield has won four straight games over UVU, including a 68-65 win over the Wolverines on Jan. 21 in Bakersfield. UVU holds a 4-3 all-time record in games played at the UCCU Center. UVU's last win over CSUB was a 74-69 victory on March 7, 2015 in Orem. Two of the last three games in the series have been decided by four or less points.

Last Five Results vs. CSU Bakersfield (CSUB leads, 10-6)
Jan. 21, 2017    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 68-65    Bakersfield
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

LAST MEETING VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD (January 22, 2017)
Brandon Randolph's game-tying shot at the buzzer fell just short as the Utah Valley University men's basketball team dropped a 68-65 decision at CSU Bakersfield on Jan. 22 at the Icardo Center.
 
Trailing by four points, 64-60, with three minutes to play, Utah Valley's Jordan Poydras knocked down a three-pointer to get the Wolverines to within one point, 64-63. Each team turned the ball over before Connor Toolson was able to get a look from three that rimmed out. The Roadrunners tipped in a missed shot on the other end to give CSUB a three-point edge, 66-63, with a minute to go.
 
Randolph was fouled on the next UVU possession with 55 seconds remaining and knocked down both of his free throws to make it a one-point game, 66-65. UVU forced a CSUB missed shot with 28 seconds to go but and offensive rebound kept the possession alive for the Roadrunners. UVU was then forced to foul and send CSUB to the free throw line where Jaylin Airington knocked down both free throws to put the 'Runners back up by three points, 68-65, with 20 seconds to play. Toolson missed a game-tying three with seven seconds. Randolph pulled down the offensive board and launched a last-second shot from long range but couldn't get it to fall as CSU Bakersfield escaped with its eighth-straight home victory
 
Jordan Poydras fronted Utah Valley with 12 points. The senior guard knocked down four shots from beyond the arc and dished out a pair of assists. Zach Nelson and Conner Toolson were also in double figures with 10 points apiece. Nelson was an impressive 4-of-5 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 at the charity stripe. He also pulled down six rebounds with one assists, one steal and a block. Toolson connected on 3-of-8 shots form the field and went 4-for-4 at the stripe for his 10 points.
 
Hayden Schenck and Joonas Tahvanainen each scored eight points off the bench. Schenck also pulled down six rebounds with two assists. Tahvanainen was a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, including a perfect 2-of-2 from long range.
 
CRASHING THE BOARDS - UVU RANKS SIXTH IN NATION ON DEFENSIVE GLASS
Utah Valley currently ranks fifth in the country in defensive rebounds per game, pulling down 29.83 boards per game on the defensive side. The Wolverines have pulled down 716 defensive boards this season. UVU has 924 total rebounds this season, an average of 38.5 per game, which ranks 56th nationally.

UVU HOLDS HIGHEST SCORING AVERAGE IN TEAM HISTORY
This year's team is scoring more points per game than any UVU team in team history. The Wolverines are averaging 77.8 points a contest. The school record for scoring average is 76.0 points per game set by last year's 2015-16 team. The 2010-11 squad holds the third spot on the list at 75.9 points per game.

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 13-point, 10-rebound double-double at Chicago State on Feb. 11, Utah Valley junior forward Isaac Neilson now holds eight double-doubles this season. The eight double doubles are the fourth-most in the WAC this year and are the 12th-most in the country this season. His eight double-doubles ranks Neilson tied for 63rd nationally in the category. The eight double doubles rank him fourth in the WAC.

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. 15, Utah Valley is the seventh fastest team in the nation according to KenPom.com at 74.8 possessions per 40 minutes. Savannah State (81.3) is ranked as the No. 1 tempo team in the nation, followed by The Citadel (81.1), Marshall (78.1), BYU (76.6), Central Michigan (75.3), and Auburn (75.0). UVU is seventh, followed by Lipscomb (74.7), Omaha (74.6), Green Bay (74.5), Wyoming (74.5), UTRGV (74.3) and UCLA (74.1). The Wolverines rank ninth nationally in average possession length at 14.7 seconds a possession.

THE LONG BALL
Utah Valley has knocked down 213 three-pointers through 24 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.

HOME SWEET UCCU CENTER
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.

UTAH VALLEY RUNS PAST CHICAGO STATE, 87-54
Conner Toolson scored a game-high 17 points and Isaac Neilson recorded a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double to lead the Utah Valley University men's basketball team to an 87-54 road win over Chicago State on Saturday afternoon at the Jones Convocation Center.
Chicago State took a 6-3 lead to open the game before a Jared Stutzman three-pointer with 16:22 to play in the first half sparked a 15-2 UVU run capped off by an Andrew Bastien dunk and a Conner Toolson three gave the Wolverines an 18-8 lead with just under 11 minutes remaining in the half. Leading by seven points, 23-16, with 4:17 left to play in the opening half, Utah Valley went on a 14-2 run to take a 19-point, 37-18, advantage into the break.
 
Chicago State couldn't get any closer than 20 points in the second half as the Wolverines used an 11-2 run to extend their lead to 30 points, 60-30, with 11:16 left to play. The Cougars were able to cut the lead back to 21 points, 72-51, with 4:20 to play, but UVU hit five three-pointers over the final four minutes to finish the game on a 15-3 run to secure the 87-54 victory.
 
Utah Valley recorded its best shooting performance of the season against a Division I team, knocking down 53.3 percent (32-of-60) of its shots. The Wolverines connected on 43.3 percent (13-of-30) of its shots from beyond the arc. UVU held Chicago State to just a 19.0 percent (11-of-58) shooting mark—the team's best defensive field goal percentage effort of the season.
 
Toolson scored his game-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-6 clip from long range. The sophomore guard also pulled down five rebounds with two blocks, two assists and a steal in 29 minutes of play.
 
Jordan Poydras dropped in 12 points, while Stutzman and Neilson were also in double figures with 10 points apiece. Poydras knocked down 4-of-9 shots from the field and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the stripe. He also dished out three assists and pulled down a pair of boards.
 
Neilson recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. The junior forward also had a pair of steals and a block in the win. Stutzman hit 3-of-5 shots from long range and knocked down 1-of-2 free throws for his double-digit performance.
 
Ivory Young and Kenneth Ogbe each scored nine points, while Andrew Bastien helped with eight. Brandon Randolph dished out a game-high eight assists to go along with five points, three rebounds and two steals.

Utah Valley out-rebounded Chicago State 45-35 on the day. The Wolverines also out-scored the Cougars 34-8 in the paint.