UTAH VALLEY HOSTS ABILENE CHRISTIAN IN WAC OPENER ON THURSDAY NIGHT AT UCCU CENTER

• Utah Valley opens Western Athletic Conference play this week as the Wolverines host league newcomer and 2021 NCAA Tournament team Abilene Christian (9-2) on Thursday night at the UCCU Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
   
• Fardaws Aimaq and Le'Tre Darthard led Utah Valley as Utah Valley dominated Washington, 68-52, on the road to close out its non-conference season on Dec. 21. UVU led for 35 minutes and held UW without a three pointer, marking the first time the Wolverines have held an opponent without a three pointer since 2007. The win over the Huskies marks just the third Utah Valley win over a P6 team in school history and first since 2010.
   
• With a 9-3 record, Utah Valley is off to its best start since its inaugural Division I season in 2003-04.  The 2003-04 team also opened the season with a 9-3 record, but the 2003-04 team's 9-3 record included seven non-DI games.
   
• 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.
   
• As of Dec. 28, Utah Valley holds the best NCAA NET ranking in the Western Athletic Conference. The Wolverines lead WAC members with the No. 78 spot in the rankings. UVU is followed by Grand Canyon (81), New Mexico State (83), and Abilene Christian (85) as the only teams with a double digit ranking.
   
• As of Dec. 28, Fardaws Big Maple Aimaq leads the nation in double-doubles (10) and defensive rebounds per game (10.25). Aimaq also ranks second in total rebounds (164) and rebounds per game (13.7). Aimaq is also 18th in offensive rebounds per game (3.42), 20th in field goals made (88), 23rd in free throw attempts (74), 31st in points per game (19.4), 31st in total points (233), 37th in field goal attempts (174), and 39th in free throws made (51).
   
• 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
Thursday night's game against Abilene Christian will be broadcast live on ESPN+, which is available on the ESPN app and at ESPNplus.com. Brandon Crow and Josh Kallunki will be on the call for the broadcast.  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 ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Abilene Christian is one of the five new teams to join the WAC this season. The team won the Southland Conference tournament last year to earn a spot in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. ACU made the most of its opportunity, knocking off Texas in the first round before falling to UCLA in the second round. The Wildcats head into Thursday night's game against Utah Valley with a 9-2 overall record and a nine-game win streak. After dropping a 70-56 decision at Utah and an 81-80 double-overtime setback at Texas A&M, the Wildcats have rattled off nine straight, including a 74-58 win over Longwood on Dec. 22. The team has won eight straight at home and has not played a road game since defeating UT Arlington in overtime, 80-71, on Nov. 12. The Wildcats hold a 1-2 record on the road this season. The team most recently picked up a 74-58 win at home over Longwood. Damien Daniels and Mahki Morris each had 17 points in the win. Coryon Mason leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points a game, followed by Morris at 11.3 points a game. Airion Simmons leads the team on the glass, pulling down 4.9 boards a game. ACU is one of the top defensive teams in the nation. The team leads the country in turnovers forced (23.82) and turnover margin (10.4). The Wildcats also ranks third in the country in steals per game at 12.4 a contest. ACU also ranks ninth nationally in scoring offense at 84.3 points a game. The team allows its opponents just an average of 60.6 points a game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Utah Valley's matchup against Abilene Christian on Thursday night will be its first-ever meeting between the two teams.

WIN AT WASHINGTON MARKS UTAH VALLEY'S THIRD WIN OVER A P6
Utah Valley's 68-52 road win over Pac-12 foe Washington marks the program's third win over a team from a Power 6 conference. All three of UVU's P6 wins are road wins over Pac-12 conference opponents. UVU's previous P6 wins included at 75-71 win at Arizona State (12/10/05) and a 70-68 win at Oregon State (12/1/10).

UTAH VALLEY TIED FOR BEST 12-GAME START IN PROGRAM HISTORY
With a 9-3 record, Utah Valley is off to its best start since its inaugural Division I season in 2003-04.  The 2003-04 team also opened the season with a 9-3 record, but the 2003-04 team's 9-3 record included seven non-Division I games.

PERFECT IN OVERTIME
Four of Utah Valley's 11 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 196 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 MOVE UP TO #20 IN COLLEGEINSIDER.COM MID-MAJOR TOP-25
Utah Valley moved up one spot from No. 21 to No. 20 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll. The Wolverines received 125 points and sit just one spot behind Southern Utah.

UVU SETS UCCU CENTER RECORD WITH 107 POINTS SCORED
Utah Valley defeated Bethesda 107-65 on Dec. 17 at the UCCU Center. The 107 points are the most points ever scored in a game by a team at the UCCU Center. The previous record was 106 points against Bethesda on Dec. 14, 2017. The 107 points is tied for the third most points ever scored in a single game by UVU. The team single game record for points scored is 123 recorded at Chicago State on Jan. 29, 2009.

DAWS LEADS NATION IN DOUBLE-DOUBLES AND DEFENSIVE BOARDS PER GAME
As of Dec. 28, Fardaws Big Maple Aimaq leads the nation in double-doubles (10) and defensive rebounds per game (10.25). Aimaq also ranks second in total rebounds (164) and rebounds per game (13.7). Aimaq is also 18th in offensive rebounds per game (3.42), 20th in field goals made (88), 23rd in free throw attempts (74), 31st in points per game (19.4), 31st in total points (233), 37th in field goal attempts (174), and 39th in free throws made (51).

WOLVERINES RANK IN TOP-20 NATIONALLY IN FOUR STAT CATEGORIES
As of Dec. 28, Utah Valley ranks in the top-20 in four different statistical categories. The Wolverines rank 13th in defensive rebounds per game (29.75), 14th in total rebounds per game (42.08), 18th in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.1), and 20th in rebound margin (8.8).

UVU HOLDS TOP NCAA NET RANKING IN THE WAC
As of Dec. 28, Utah Valley holds the best NCAA NET ranking in the Western Athletic Conference. The Wolverines lead WAC members with the No. 78 spot in the rankings. Grand Canyon follows Utah Valley at No. 81, followed by New Mexico State (83), Abilene Christian (85), Stephen F. Austin (143), Tarleton (169), California Baptist (181), Seattle U (205), UTRGV (251), Dixie State (270), Sam Houston (277), Chicago State (335), and Lamar (338).