UTAH VALLEY HOSTS BETHESDA ON FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE UCCU CENTER

• Utah Valley looks to snap a two-game road skid this week as the Wolverines return to Orem to take on NCCAA foe Bethesda on Friday evening at the UCCU Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
   
• UVU's seven-game win streak from Nov. 12-Dec. 1 is the longest streak since the 2018-19 season (7 games) and is the longest of the Mark Madsen era. The seven games was the fourth-longest win streak in the nation at the time.  The longest win streak in UVU history is 13 games, which the team set during the 2011-12 season.
   
• Fardaws Aimaq has earned multiple honors already this season. He already has three WAC Player of the Week honors and two Lute Olson National Player of the Week wards. He has also earned an ESPN Player of the Week award this year.
   
• Utah Valley holds the best NCAA NET ranking in the WAC at No. 82 this week. The Wolverines hold the top spot, followed by New Mexico State at No. 84, Grand Canyon at No. 88, and Abilene Christian at No. 89.
   
• Fardaws Aimaq scored 14 points with five rebounds to lead Utah Valley in a 74-62 road loss to Wyoming on Saturday night at Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyoming. Aimaq scored his team-high 14 points on a 6 of 15 clip from the field. He also pulled down five rebounds with a pair of blocks. Ceaser scored eight points with seven rebounds in 24 minutes of play. Jaden McClanahan scored a season-high eight points with a career-high five rebounds and four assists.
   
• As of Dec. 15, Fardaws Big Maple Aimaq leads the nation in double-doubles (8) and defensive rebounds per game (9.70). He also ranks second nationally in rebounds per game (13.3) and total rebounds (133). Aimaq also ranks 11th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (3.60), 11th in field goals made (77), 24th in points per game (19.8), 31st in total points (198), 32nd in field goal attempts (153), 34th in minutes per game (35:40), and 35th in free throw attempts (60). He is the only player in the country averaging 19 or more points and 12 or more rebounds per game.
   
• The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Utah Valley center Fardaws Aimaq has been named to the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball.
   
• Utah Valley won the SoCal Challenge championship in Orange County over Thanksgiving break, defeating Idaho, 83-45, before downing Nicholls State, 74-63, in the title game to claim the championship skimboard trophy. Fardaws Aimaq was named the SoCal Challenge MVP and Connor Harding was named to the all-tournament team. Aimaq averaged a double-double over the two games at 12.0 points and 16.0 rebounds per game.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday night's game against Bethesda will be broadcast live on the ESPN, which is available at ESPNplus.com and the ESPN app. The game will also be broadcast over the air waves in Utah County game as Jim McCulloch, the radio Voice of the Wolverines, is in his 12th season with the team. The radio broadcast will be aired live on ESPN 960AM radio. A live stream of the radio broadcast will also be available at ESPN960sports.com.

ABOUT BETHESDA
Bethesda is a school of roughly 200 students from Anaheim, Calif. and hails from the National Christian Colleges Athletic Association (NCCAA) similar to the NAIA. The Flames are two years removed from a PCAC title, and the 2020-21 Flames had the nation's leading scorer in the NCCAA in Steve Wooten Jr. averaging 31.4 points per game. The team enters Friday's contest with a 2-10 overall record. Games against NCAA opponents only count as exhibition games for the team, which holds a 0-10 record in those games. The team has lost all six of its exhibition games against Division I opponents. Bethesda has been busy, playing 22 games already, but has lost all six games the team has played against Division I competition, including their last one at Long Beach State, 102-69, on Dec. 8. The two wins for the Flames came in a home game against Embry-Riddle and their last contest Saturday against Life Pacific. Mark Carter is the leading scorer for Bethesda, averaging 16.9 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. BETHESDA
Friday's matchup against Bethesda will mark just the second time the two teams have met on the basketball hardwood. The Wolverines hold a 1-0 advantage in the series, taking a 106-44 win at home on Dec. 14, 2017.

UVU HOLDS TOP NCAA NET RANKING IN THE WAC
Utah Valley holds the top NCAA NET rating in the Western Athletic Conference. The Wolverines hold the No. 82 spot in the rakings, followed by New Mexico State (84), Grand Canyon (88), Abilene Christian (89), Seattle U (177), Stephen F. Austin (183), California Baptist (188), Dixie State (257), UTRGV (270), Tarleton (271), Sam Houston (289), Chicago State (325), and Lamar (338).

UTAH VALLEY OFF TO BEST 10-GAME START IN HISTORY
With a 7-3 record, Utah Valley is off to its best start in team history, surpassing the 2017-18 team, which opened that season with a 6-4 record.

PERFECT IN OVERTIME
Four of Utah Valley's eight games this season have taken extra time. The Wolverines are a perfect 4-0 in those games with overtime road wins at Pepperdine and Long Beach State, and overtime wins at home over Denver and No. 12 BYU. Utah Valley has outscored its opponents 62-28 in its four overtime periods.

THREE-POINT STREAKING
Utah Valley has now hit a three-point field goal in 194 straight games. The last time UVU played in a game without hitting a shot from beyond the arc was on Feb. 7, 2015 at Seattle U.

WOLVERINES REMAIN IN MID-MAJOR TOP-25
Utah Valley entered the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 last week, debuting at No. 14. The Wolverines remained in the poll this week, falling to No. 24.