UTAH VALLEY OPENS WAC TOURNAMENT PLAY AGAINST CHICAGO STATE ON TUESDAY NIGHT

• Utah Valley heads into WAC Tournament play this week as the No. 7 seed and will take on No. 10 Chicago State in the opening round on Tuesday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. PT / 9:30 p.m. MT
   
• The Wolverines make their eighth appearance at the WAC Tournament this week. Utah Valley holds an all-time 4-7 record at the tournament. UVU heads into this year's tournament with the No. 7 seed, marking the lowest seed the team has been in its seven appearances at the event. The lowest seed UVU had previously earned was the No. 5 seed in 2015.
   
• Utah Valley center Fardaws Aimaq has been named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was also selected to the All-WAC First Team and WAC All-Defensive Team the league office announced on Monday. Aimaq earns the WAC's Defensive Player of the Year award for a second straight season. He is the only player in UVU history to earn the honor. Aimaq also earns first team all-WAC honors and WAC All-Defensive team honors for a second straight year.
   
• One more double-double will give Fardaws Aimaq 27, tying him with Pascal Siakam for the most double-doubles in WAC history. A 27th double-double would also tie him with nine other players, including Siakam, Oscar Robertson, Lew Alcindor, Artis Gilmore, and Bill Walton for the fifth-most double-doubles in NCAA history.
   
• Aimaq broke Paul Millsap's WAC season rebounds record of 245, compiling 254 boards during WAC play this season. Millsap's record had stood for 15 seasons before Amaq broke it with his nine rebounds in UVU's final WAC game of the season at New Mexico State on March 5. Big Maple now has 419 rebounds this season is now 21 rebounds away from breaking Millsap's overall WAC record of 438 rebounds tallied in 2005-06.
   
• Aimaq has earned five WAC Player of the Week honors, two Lute Olsen National Players of the Week awards, and on ESPN Player of the Week award this season.
   
• With his 20-point, 21-rebound performance on Feb. 19 at Dixie State, Aimaq became the only player in the country with three 20/20 games this season. Aimaq is also the only player in the nation to record back-to-back 20/20 games and is the only player in the country averaging at least 18 points and 13 rebounds per game.
   
• Fardaws Big Maple Aimaq leads the nation in double-doubles (26) and defensive rebounds per game (10.83). Aimaq also ranks second in rebounds per game (13.9) and second in total rebounds (418). Aimaq ranks second in the WAC in blocks per game at 1.3. As a team, Utah Valley ranks fourth in the country in defensive rebounds per game (29.67), fifth in three-point field goal defense (27.7), sixth in rebound margin (8.1), and seventh in total rpg. (40.70).

UTAH VALLEY'S WAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Utah Valley makes its eighth appearance at the WAC Tournament this week. Coach Mark Madsen makes his second appearance at the tournament. Last season was his first appearance at the tournament since the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID.  The Wolverines hold an all-time 4-7 record at the tournament. UVU's four wins at the tournament were a 83-63 win over UTRGV in the quarterfinals of the 2013 tournament, a 65-53 quarterfinal win over No. 5 Seattle U in the 2017 tournament, an 81-74 victory over CSU Bakersfield in the quarterfinals of the 2018 tourney, and a 71-64 win over Kansas City in the quarterfinals of 2019 tournament . UVU heads into this year's tournament with the No. 7 seed for the first in its eight appearances. It is the lowest seed the Wolverines have ever had. UVU's previous low seed was No. 5 in the 2017 tournament. Utah Valley has made it to the semifinals of the tournament in the previous four tournaments.

ALL-TIME RESULTS AT WAC TOURNAMENT
March 13, 2014    #1 Utah Valley 83, #8 UTRGV 63    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 14, 2014    #5 Idaho 74, #1 Utah Valley 69    Semifinals - Las Vegas
March 12, 2015    #4 Bakersfield 55, #5 Utah Valley 40    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 10, 2016    #5 UMKC 80, #4 Utah Valley 78    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 09, 2017    #4 Utah Valley 65, #5 Seattle U 53    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 10, 2017    #1 CSU Bakersfield 81, #4 UVU 80 (4OT)    Semifinals - Las Vegas
March 08, 2018    #2 Utah Valley 81, #7 CSU Bakersfield 74    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 09, 2018    #3 Grand Canyon 75, #2 Utah Valley 60    Semifinals - Las Vega
March 14, 2019    #2 Utah Valley 71, #7 Kansas City 64    Quarterfinals - Las Vegas
March 15, 2019    #3 Grand Canyon 78, #2 Utah Valley 74    Semifinals - Las Vegas
March 12, 2021    #3 NM State 78, #2 Utah Valley 62    Semifinals - Las Vegas

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday's game against Chicago State will be broadcast live on ESPN+, which is available on the ESPN app and at ESPNplus.com. Adam Young and Sed Bonner will have the call on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast over the air waves in Utah County with Jim McCulloch on the call. The radio broadcast will be aired live on ESPN 960 AM radio. A live stream of the radio broadcast will also be available at ESPN960sports.com.

ABOUT CHICAGO STATE
Chicago State enters Tuesday's game with a 7-24 overall record. The team has dropped two straight since upsetting New Mexico State, 61-59, on Feb. 26 in the Windy City. The Cougars dropped both of its games on the road last week, falling 62-53 at California Baptist before dropping a 74-66 decision at Seattle U on Saturday in the team's regular season finale. Chicago State led for the majority of the game on Saturday at Seattle U before falling down the stretch. Brandon Betson (31) and Jahsean Corbett (21) combined to score 52 of the Cougars 66 points while Corbett also led all rebounders with 14 boards for his fourth double-double of the season. Chicago State holds an all-time 0-6 record at the WAC Tournament. The team's last appearance at the tournament was in 2019, falling in the quarterfinals to NM State, 86-49. Betson leads the Cougars in scoring at 14.3 points a game, while Coreyoun Rushin fronts the team on the boards at 7.1 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. CHICAGO STATE
Utah Valley and Chicago State meet up on the basketball hardwood for the 27th time on Tuesday. The two teams will play for the first time in the WAC Tournament. Utah Valley holds an all-time 21-5 advantage in the series. The Wolverines have won seven straight over the Cougars dating back to an 87-54 win on Feb. 11, 2017 in the Windy City. Chicago State's last win over UVU was a 70-61 win in Orem on Jan. 12, 2017. UVU defeated Chicago State, 101-87, in the team's only game this season on Jan. 27 in Chicago.

Last 10 Results vs. Chicago State (UVU leads 20-5)
Jan. 27, 2022    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 101-87        Chicago, Illinois
Jan. 02, 2020    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 94-73        Chicago, Illinois
Feb. 21, 2019    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 103-71        Orem, Utah
Jan. 26, 2019    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 74-60        Chicago, Illinois
Feb. 08, 2018    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 97-57        Chicago, Illinois
Jan. 13, 2018    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 83-58        Orem, Utah
Feb. 11, 2017    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 87-54        Chicago, Illinois
Jan. 12, 2017    Chicago State def. Utah Valley, 70-61        Orem, Utah
Feb. 18, 2016    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 74-72        Orem, Utah
Jan. 23, 2016    Utah Valley def. Chicago State, 82-76        Chicago, Illinois

LAST MEETING vs. Chicago State (Jan. 27, 2022 - Chicago, Illinois)
CHICAGO, Ill. – Six Wolverines scored in double-figures as Utah Valley knocked off Chicago State, 101-87, on the road at the Jones Convocation Center on Thursday night in the Windy City. Every player that played for the Wolverines scored as UVU had an historic night shooting the ball. Utah Valley shot 69.1 percent from the field, its best percentage since 2014, and 72.7 percent from deep, its best clip since 2007.

AIMAQ NAMED WAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, FIRST TEAM ALL-WAC, AND TO WAC ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Utah Valley center Fardaws Aimaq has been named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was also selected to the All-WAC First Team and WAC All-Defensive Team the league office announced on Monday. The All-Conference honors are voted on by the WAC's head coaches.

Aimaq earns the WAC's Defensive Player of the Year award for a second straight season. He is the only player in UVU history to earn the honor. Aimaq also earns first team all-WAC honors and WAC All-Defensive team honors for a second straight year.

AIMAQ BREAKS PAUL MILLSAP'S WAC-ONLY SINGLE SEASON REBOUND RECORD, ON CUSP OF BREAKING HIS OVERALL SINGLE SEASON REBOUNDS MARK
Utah Valley's Fardaws Aimaq broke Paul Millsap's WAC-only single season rebounds record on March 5 at New Mexico State. Aimaq finished the WAC season with 254 boards, surpassing Millsap's record of 245 set during the 2005-06 season. Aimaq currently has 418 rebounds this season and is now just 21 boards away from breaking Millsap's overall single season record of 438 rebounds (2005-06).

AIMAQ ONE DOUBLE-DOUBLE AWAY FROM SIAKAM'S WAC RECORD, SIXTH-MOST IN NCAA HISTORY
One more double-double will give Fardaws Aimaq 27 double-doubles this season, tying him with Pascal Siakam for the most double-doubles in WAC history. A 27th double-double would also tie him with nine other players, including Siakam, Oscar Robertson, Lew Alcindor, Artis Gilmore, and Bill Walton for the fifth-most double-doubles in NCAA history.

AIMAQ JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB, JUST 41 POINTS SHY OF 600 SEASON POINTS
Utah Valley's Fardaws Aimaq scored his 1,000th career point on a free throw with 12:47 to play in the second half at Grand Canyon on March 3. Aimaq has scored 862 of those points in his two seasons with Utah Valley. He also scored 146 points during the 2018-19 season at Mercer. Aimaq also needs just 35 more points to become just the third player in UVU history to score 600 or more points in a single season. The only other Wolverines to hit the single season 600-point mark are Ronnie Price (2004-05) and Ryan Toolson (2007-08, 2008-09).

AIMAQ BREAKS ALL-TIME UVU SINGLE SEASON REBOUNDS RECORD
With his 21 rebounds at Dixie State on Feb. 20, Fardaws Aimaq surpassed Geddes Robinson as the all-time single season rebounder in UVU history. Aimaq now has a single season school-record 418 rebounds, passing Robinson who had 344 rebounds during the 2011-12 season.

AIMAQ IS THE ONLY PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY AVERAGING AT LEAST 18 POINTS AND 13 REBOUNDS PER GAME
Fardaws Aimaq is the only player in the nation averaging at least 18 points and 13 rebounds per game. Big Maple leads UVU in scoring at 18.8 points and rebounding at 13.9 rebounds per game. He ranks second nationally in rebounding and is 47th in scoring.