Utah Valley (18-8, 7-3) vs. UT Rio Grande Valley (14-13, 5-5)
Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018  |  7 p.m. MST
Orem, Utah  |  UCCU Center (7.500)
Complete Utah Valley Game Notes (PDF)

GAME INFORMATION
TV: UVUtv/WAC Digital Network (Brandon Crow/Holton Hunsaker)
Live Video: WACsports.com/watch
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: UVU StatBroadcast
Tickets: UVU vs. UTRGV Tickets
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley snapped New Mexico State's 11-game win streak with an 86-79 win over the Aggies on Thursday night. The win over NM State also marked the Aggies' first WAC loss of the season. UVU improved to an impressive 13-1 at the UCCU Center this season and is now set to host UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Five different Wolverines finished in double figures including Kenneth Ogbe who dropped in a game-high 22, and the Utah Valley University men's basketball team defeated current WAC leader New Mexico State, 86-79, on Thursday night at the UCCU Center.  The Wolverines won the rebounding battle 27-25 and outshot the Aggies with a mark of 58 percent to their 55 percent clip.

Utah Valley earned its 18th win of the season with its 86-69 win over New Mexico State on Thursday night. The win marks the highest win total of head coach Mark Pope's tenure at Utah Valley, improving upon last season's win total of 17. UVU has 18 wins with five regular season games remaining. The most wins in UVU's Division I era with a full Division I schedule came during the 2006-07 season when the team won 22 games.

Utah Valley is tied for the ninth-longest current home win streak in the nation at 11 games. Cincinnati holds the nation's longest current home win streak at 39 games, followed by Vermont at 22 games and South Dakota State at 18 games in a row.

Utah Valley has five players averaging double figures. Akolda Manyang leads the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game. Kenneth Ogbe ranks second on the team at 13.6 points per game. Conner Toolson is third at 12.1 points a contest. Jake Toolson averages 12.0 points, followed by Brandon Randolph at 10.8.

Utah Valley graduate forward Zach Nelson is closing in on the 1,000-point mark. Nelson currently has 972 points and is just 28 points shy of reaching the milestone. Nelson will become just the seventh player in UVU history to reach the mark. Nelson will become the first player in UVU history to score 1,000 points, pull down 500 or more rebounds and dish out 200 or more assists.
 
UVU opened the season with what might just be the toughest 24 hours ever played 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 has since won 15 of 18 games since the loss at Duke.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday night's game against UT Rio Grande Valley will be broadcast live on UVUtv and the WAC Digital Network (WACsports.com/watch). Brandon Crow and Holton Hunsaker will be on the call for the UVUtv/WDN game. The WDN is also available on numerous media platforms, including Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, and Amazon Fire TV. The game will also be available on the air waves at ESPN 960 AM radio with Jim McCulloch handling the play-by-play duties. A live audio 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 UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY
UTRGV enters Saturday night's game with a 14-13 overall record and a perfect 5-5 mark in WAC play. The team has won two of its last three games, including a pair of two-point wins at home over Grand Canyon (83-81) and CSU Bakersfield (68-66). The Vaqueros most recently dropped an 85-58 decision at Seattle U on Thursday night. Senior Nick Dixon led UTRGV at Seattle U with 17 points, six rebounds and a career-high six steals. Junior Terry Winn scored a season-high tying 17 points with six rebounds. Sophomore Xavier McDaniel Jr. scored 11 points. Freshman Greg Bowie scored 10 points with two steals. Dixon leads the WAC in scoring at 20.6 points per game on a 45.2 percent clip from the field. McDaniel Jr. and junior Terry Winn also average double figures at 10.7 and 10.1 points per game, respectively. As a team, UTRGV averages 76.7 points per game while allowing opponents a 77.9 points per game average.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UTRGV
Utah Valley and UTRGV meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 26th time on Saturday night. UVU holds a 22-3 all-time advantage in the series dating back to 2005. UVU swept the WAC series last year, defeating UTRGV 92-81 in Orem and 88-68 in Texas. With its 84-76 win in Edinburg earlier this season, UVU has won 11 straight games over UTRGV. UVU's last loss to UTRGV was a 62-60 setback in Texas on Jan. 19, 2013. The Wolverines hold an all-time 11-1 record against UTRGV in games played at the UCCU Center. UTRGV's lone win at the UCCU Center was a 56-53 win on March 10, 2010.

Last 10 Results vs. UTRGV (UVU leads 22-3)
Jan. 18, 2018    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 84-76    Edinburg, Texas
Feb. 25, 2017    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 88-68    Edinburg, Texas
Jan. 26, 2017    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 92-81    Orem, Utah
Feb. 04, 2016    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 88-77    Edinburg, Texas
Jan. 09, 2016    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 98-65    Orem, Utah
Feb. 21, 2015    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 72-49    Orem, Utah
Jan. 22, 2015    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 72-54    Edinburg, Texas
Mar. 13, 2014    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 83-63    Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar. 01, 2014    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 45-42    Orem, Utah
Jan. 30, 2014    Utah Valley def. UTRGV, 67-53    Edinburg, Texas