#2 Utah Valley (21-9) vs. #7 CSU Bakersfield (12-17)
Thursday, March 8, 2018  |  2:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. MST
Las Vegas, Nevada  |  Orleans Arena (9,500)
Complete Utah Valley Game Notes (PDF)  |  WAC Tournament Central  |  Tournament Bracket

GAME INFORMATION
TV: ESPN3 (Mychal Clanton/Joan Bonvicini)
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Radio: ESPN 960 AM (Jim McCulloch/Josh Kallunki)
Radio Webcast: espn960sports.com
Live Stats Link: WAC StatBroadcast
Tickets: WAC Tournament Tickets
 

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OPENING TIP
Utah Valley wrapped up regular season play with a 73-47 win over Seattle U on Saturday night to secure a second place finish in the WAC. The win also secured the Wolverines the No. 2 seed at this week's WAC Tournament, where the team will take on seventh-seeded CSU Bakersfield on Thursday in a quarterfinal matchup at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. MST.

Five UVU players earned WAC postseason honors. Kenneth Ogbe was named to the All-WAC first team, while Conner Toolson and Brandon Randolph earned second team All-WAC honors. Akolda Manyang was named to the WAC's All-Defensive team and Jake Toolson was named to the WAC All-Newcomer team. Manyang was also named to the USBWA All-District team, becoming only the second player in UVU history to earn the distinction. NBA journeyman Ronnie Price is the only other UVU player to earn USBWA All-District honors (2004-05).

The Wolverines wrapped up regular season play on Saturday night with a 73-47 win over Seattle U. UVU's six seniors/graduates combined for 35 points in the senior night victory. Junior Conner Toolson put in a 17-point performance on four makes from long distance. He also added six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Kenneth Ogbe scored 13 points, while also pulling down six rebounds and dishing out two assists. Brandon Randolph scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and delivered three assists for the Wolverines in his senior send-off.

Utah Valley earned its 21st victory of the season with its win over Seattle U on March 3. 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. It marks the fifth time in school history that a team has won 20 or more games. The last time UVU won at least 20 games was during the 2013-14 season when the Wolverines finished the season with a 20-12 record. 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. UVU can match the 22-game record with a win on Thursday.

Utah Valley is tied for the fourth-longest current home win streak in the nation at 13 games. South Dakota State holds the nation's longest current home win streak at 20 games, followed by the College of Charleston and Wagner at 16 games in a row. Utah Valley wrapped up its home slate this season with a school-record 15-1 mark at the UCCU Center, surpassing the previous record of 14-1 set by the 2006-07 team.

Utah Valley has five players averaging double figures. Kenneth Ogbe leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. Akolda Manyang ranks second on the team at 12.9 points per game. Conner Toolson is third at 12.6 points a contest. Jake Toolson averages 11.4 points, followed by Brandon Randolph at 11.0.

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 21 of its 28 games since the loss at Duke.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday's WAC Tournament quarterfinal game against No. 7 CSU Bakersfield will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Mychal Clanton and Joan Bonvicini will be on the call. ESPN3 can be accessed at www.WatchESPN.com. 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.

UTAH VALLEY'S WAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Utah Valley makes its fifth appearance at the WAC Tournament this week. The Wolverines hold an all-time 2-4 record at the tournament. UVU's lone wins at the tournament were a 83-63 win over UTRGV in the quarterfinals of the 2013 tournament and a 65-53 quarterfinal win over No. 5 Seattle U in the 2017 tournament. This year's No. 2 seed is the highest ranking UVU has earned since winning the regular season WAC title and taking the No. 1 seed into the 2014 tournament.

All-Time Results at WAC Tournament (2-4)
March 13, 2014    #1 Utah Valley 83, #8 UTRGV 63    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas, Nevada
March 14, 2014    #5 Idaho 74, #1 Utah Valley 69    Semifinals - Las Vegas, Nevada
March 12, 2015    #4 Bakersfield 55, #5 Utah Valley 40    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas, Nevada
March 10, 2016    #5 UMKC 80, #4 Utah Valley 78    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas, Nevada
March 09, 2017    #4 Utah Valley 65, #5 Seattle U 53    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas, Nevada
March 10, 2017    #1 CSU Bakersfield 81, #4 Utah Valley 80 (4OT)    Semifinals - Las Vegas, Nevada

FIVE UVU PLAYERS EARN WAC POSTSEASON HONORS
Five Utah Valley players have earned WAC postseason honors. Kenneth Ogbe, Conner Toolson, and Brandon Randolph each earned all-WAC honors with Ogbe being named to the first team. Toolson and Randolph were each named to the second team. Akolda Manyang and Jake Toolson were also honored with Manyang earning WAC All-Defensive team honors and Toolson being named to the WAC's All Newcomer team.

MANYANG NAMED TO USBWA ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
Utah Valley senior center Akolda Manyang has been named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District team. Manyang becomes just the second player in Utah Valley history to be named to the USBWA All-District team. Ronnie Price is the only other Wolverine to receive the honor as he was named to the team during the 2004-05 season. Manyang, an Oklahoma transfer from Rochester, Minn., led the Western Athletic Conference with a 2.30 blocks per game average this season, which ranked him 24th nationally. Manyang has a UVU school-record 62 blocks this season, which ranks second in the WAC and 38th in the country. His defensive efforts earned him WAC  All-Defensive team honors. The senior center was named to the USBWA All-District VIII team, which includes players from Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and Montana.

USBWA All-District VIII Team
Jordan Caroline, Nevada
Yoeli Childs BYU
Hayden Dalton, Wyoming
Chandler Hutchison, Boise State
Justin James, Wyoming
Jemerrio Jones, New Mexico State
Zach Lofton, New Mexico State
Akolda Manyang, Utah Valley
Caleb Martin, Nevada
Brandon McCoy, UNLV

ABOUT CSU BAKERSFIELD
CSU Bakersfield enters Thursday's game with a 12-17 overall record. The Roadrunners tied for sixth in the WAC this year with a 5-9 record. The 'Runners enter Thursday's game having lost two of their last three games, including an 81-68 setback in the team's regular season finale at Grand Canyon on March 3. Junior guard Rickey Holden led three other Roadrunners in double figures in the loss at GCU with a game-high 21 points. Junior guard Damiyne Durham leads the team in scoring this season at 11.6 points per game. Holden ranks second on the team in scoring at 10.6, while freshman guard Jarkel Joiner and senior forward Shon Briggs also average double figures at 10.5 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Briggs leads CSUB on the boards, pulling down 5.5 rebounds a contest. As a team, CSUB averages 65.8 points per game while allowing opponents a 68.5 scoring average. CSU Bakersfield makes its fifth appearance at the WAC Tournament on Thursday. The Roadrunners hold an all-time 6-3 record at the tournament. The 'Runners have made it to the championship game of the tournament in each of the last three years. The team won the 2016 tournament. CSUB has never lost a game in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament.

SERIES HISTORY VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD
Utah Valley and CSU Bakersfield meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 21st time on Thursday. CSUB holds a 12-8 all-time advantage in the series dating back to 2008. Utah Valley snapped a six-game losing streak to the 'Runners on Jan. 6 in Orem with a 75-42 win in the Wolverines' WAC opener at the UCCU Center. UVU also defeated CSUB, 70-47, in Bakersfield on Feb. 22, winning for the first time in Bakersfield since 2014. UVU has faced CSU Bakersfield two times on a neutral floor at the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas with the Roadrunners winning both of those games, including last season's quadruple overtime semifinal thriller, 81-80.

Last 10 Results vs. CSU Bakersfield (CSUB leads 12-8)
Feb. 22, 2018    Utah Valley def. CSU Bakersfield, 70-47        Bakersfield, Calif.
Jan. 06, 2018    Utah Valley def. CSU Bakersfield, 75-42        Orem, Utah
March 10, 2017    #1 CSU Bakersfield def. #4 Utah Valley, 81-80 (4OT)    Las Vegas, Nevada    
Feb. 16, 2017    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 80-71        Orem, Utah
Jan. 21, 2017    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 68-65        Bakersfield, Calif.
Feb. 13, 2016    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 91-69        Bakersfield, Calif.
Jan. 30, 2016    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 78-74        Orem, Utah
March 12, 2015    #4 CSU Bakersfield def. #5 Utah Valley, 55-40    Las Vegas, Nevada
March 07, 2015    Utah Valley def. CSU Bakersfield, 74-69        Orem, Utah
Feb. 05, 2015    CSU Bakersfield def. Utah Valley, 72-69        Bakersfield, Calif.

LAST TIME VS. CSU BAKERSFIELD (February 24, 2018 at Icardo Center)
Conner Toolson poured in 22 points on a 5-of-8 clip from distance to lead Utah Valley to its 20th win of the season in a 70-47 victory over CSU Bakersfield at the Icardo Center on Feb. 24.
 
UVU claimed a big advantage in field goal percentage, outshooting Bakersfield 52.2 percent to 35.2 percent. The Wolverines knocked down 12 three-pointers on the night while the Roadrunners could only hit three. Utah Valley also won the rebounding battle 33-28 and blocked seven shots compared to just one for Bakersfield.
 
The Wolverines went to the paint early as their first-six points came on layups from Isaac Neilson, Jake Toolson and Akolda Manyang. Manyang stayed in the paint as he completed a three-point play moments later to even the score at nine apiece. With just over 10 minutes to play in the half, Brandon Randolph hit the first outside shot of the night for UVU to grab a three-point lead.
 
Utah Valley stayed hot as Kenneth Ogbe knocked down a long three while the shot clock expired. Conner Toolson added one of his own and Randolph put in a contested layup to cap a 13-4 run and force a timeout from the Roadrunners. The run resulted in a nine-point lead for UVU.
 
The threes continued to drop for the Wolverines as the lead grew to as much as 12, but Bakersfield chipped away and made the score 31-27 heading into halftime. Conner Toolson led UVU in scoring through the half with eight while Jake Toolson and Manyang had seven and six, respectively.
 
The halftime adjustments paid off for UVU as it quickly got to work on building its lead with a 22-4 run out of the break. Ogbe and Conner Toolson each knocked down a pair of shots from distance as part of the burst. The run spanned the first 10 minutes of the second half and saw Utah Valley's lead grow as large as 22 points.
 
The 'Runners trimmed the deficit down to 16, but the Wolverines answered with three threes in a row from Randolph, Ogbe and Conner Toolson to preserve a comfortable lead. Utah Valley continued to score steadily on offense while also locking down the defensive end of the court and cruised to the 23-point victory.
 
Conner Toolson's 22 points on 5-of-8 shooting from distance led the Wolverines on the night and he added three rebounds, one assist, one block and three steals. Ogbe added 14 points on four made threes to go along with three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Manyang came off the bench to score 11 points, grab three rebounds and block four shots. Jake Toolson and Randolph did a little of everything for UVU as Toolson had seven points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals while Randolph scored eight points to go with four rebounds and two assists.
 
UTAH VALLEY WINS REGULAR SEASON FINALE OVER SEATTLE U, 73-47
In the final performance of their careers at the UCCU Center, the Utah Valley seniors/graduates tallied a combined 35 points to lead the Wolverines past Seattle U, 73-47, in the closing game of the regular season on March 3.
 
The Wolverines finished the regular season with an overall record of 21-9 and 10-4 in conference play. The win secured Utah Valley second place in the WAC standings and the two seed in the WAC tournament in Las Vegas. UVU also ends the year with a record of 15-1 at home. The Wolverines knocked down 50 percent of their shots on the night while Seattle only connected on 33 percent. UVU also nearly doubled the Redhawks' output on the glass with a 40-22 rebounding advantage.

After Seattle U began the game with a shot from long distance, Isaac Neilson put in a layup followed by a three from Conner Toolson to open the scoring for Utah Valley. Toolson scored another layup and Kenneth Ogbe hit a free throw to cap an 8-0 run for the Wolverines.
 
Akolda Manyang came off the bench to complete a three-point play moments later and Conner Toolson knocked down another three. UVU continued to stay hot from the arc as Ogbe and Ben Nakwaasah both drilled threes to extend the lead to nine. Jerrelle DeBerry joined in on the barrage of threes with his first just minutes later.
 
The Wolverines' lead continued to hover around nine until Nakwaasah found Manyang for an alley-oop in the closing seconds of the half to give UVU a 31-20 advantage heading into the locker room. Conner Toolson's eight points led Utah Valley in the first half while Manyang and DeBerry pitched in five apiece. Both teams struggled to control the ball in the half as the two squads combined to turn the ball over 23 times.

UVU quickly got to work on extending its lead in the opening minutes of the second half. Ogbe knocked down a three and a pair of free throws as the Wolverines grew their lead to 17. Both teams then struggled to score for the next few minutes until Conner Toolson grabbed a steal and threw down a two-handed, breakaway dunk on the other end.
 
The Redhawks tried chipping away several times but Utah Valley had an answer for all their short runs, including a 10-4 run that extended the lead to 19. Then, with just under seven minutes to play, Conner Toolson and Brandon Randolph drilled back-to-back threes on the way to building a 25-point lead via a 10-0 run.
 
Senior Zach Nelson checked in at the five-minute mark and knocked down four-straight free throws, growing UVU's advantage to as much as 30 points, and the Wolverines preserved their lead as the clock ticked down to zero.
 
Though it was senior night, junior Conner Toolson stole the show with a 17-point performance coming from four makes from long distance. He also added to his performance six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Ogbe scored 13 points including a 2-of-2 clip from three-point range, while also pulling down six rebounds and dishing out two assists. Randolph scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and delivered three assists for the Wolverines in his senior send-off.
 
Manyang scored seven points to go with two rebounds and two blocks in his final home game as a Wolverine. Neilson pulled down five rebounds on his senior night in addition to scoring four points. Nelson scored six points and grabbed two rebounds while DeBerry scored seven points to go with four rebounds and an assist.

UVU MAKES BIGGEST TWO-YEAR JUMP IN THE NATION IN KEN POM RANKINGS
Utah Valley has made the biggest two-year jump in the nation in the KenPom.com rankings. UVU fell as low as No. 343 in the KenPom rankings during the 2015-16 season and is now currently ranked at No. 82 in the rankings. That is an increase of 261, which is the biggest increase nationally during the time period. Northern Colorado comes in second having moved up 220 spots to 117, followed by Furman  and Loyola Chicago at a 215 increase.

UVU RECORDS FIRST 20-WIN SEASON SINCE 2013-14
Utah Valley won its 20th game of the season on Feb. 22 to become the fifth UVU team in the Division I era to win 20 or more games in a single season.  The last 20-win season came during the 2013-14 campaign when the team went 20-12 overall and finished 13-3 in WAC play for the team's first-ever WAC title. The 2013-14 team also made a trip the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) where it dropped a 77-64 decision at Cal. 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.

20-Win Seasons in UVU History
1.    22-7        2006-07
2.    21-9        2017-18
3.    20-13        2011-12  (CIT Tournament)
4.    20-12        2013-14  (NIT Tournament)

WOLVERINES HOLD FOURTH-LONGEST HOME WIN STREAK IN THE NATION
Utah Valley holds the fourth-longest current home win streak in the nation at 13 games. South Dakota State holds the nation's longest current home win streak at 20 games, followed by the College of Charleston and Wagner at 16 games.

UVU SETS SCHOOL RECORD WITH 15 HOME WINS
Utah Valley wrapped up play at home this season with a 15-1 record. The 15 wins breaks the Utah Valley single-season record for home wins in a season. The team surpassed the 2006-07 team which went 14-1 and the 2011-12 team that finished the season with a 14-2 mark at home.

UVU HAS THE NINTH-BEST HOME COURT ADVANTAGE IN THE NATION
According to KenPom.com, Utah Valley has the ninth-best home court advantage in the nation. Colorado holds the best home court advantage according to KenPom, followed by Iowa State, Air Force, Arkansas, Illinois State, Wake Forest, Texas Tech, Louisiana Tech, and Utah Valley.

KENPOM.COM/RPI UPDATE
Utah Valley has moved up to No. 82 in the latest rankings on KenPom.com. KenPom.com has UVU predicted to defeat CSU Bakersfield on Thursday. UVU's RPI now sits at No. 74, according to the NCAA. UVU's win over NM State marks UVU's highest-rated win of the season as the victory gives UVU a win over a top-50 RPI team as the Aggies are ranked No. 40 in the NCAA RPI.

UVU HAS ONLY LOST BACK-TO-BACK GAMES ONE TIME THIS SEASON
With its win over Seattle U on March 3, Utah Valley escaped from losing back-to-back games for just the second time this season. The Wolverines opened the season with back-to-back losses at Kentucky and Duke to open the season. Following the Kentucky and Duke losses, UVU has responded with a win after each of its seven losses. The team has lost back-to-back games just one time this season.

MANYANG BREAKS UVU SINGLE SEASON BLOCKS RECORD
Utah Valley senior center Akolda Manyang broke the all-time UVU single season record for blocks with a swat at CSU Bakersfield on Feb. 22. He passed up Ben Aird, who held the all-time single season record for blocks at 56, which he set during the 2012-13 season. Manyang's 62 blocks this season ranks second in the WAC.