UTAH VALLEY TRAVELS TO KENTUCKY TO TAKE ON MURRAY STATE
Utah Valley continues a seven-game road stretch with a matchup in Kentucky against Murray State on Friday, Nov. 22, at 6 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the Wolverines Sports Network (960 AM/103.9 FM in Utah County and 98.3 FM/101.5 FM HD2 in Salt Lake).

Utah Valley dropped to 2-1 with a 77-71 loss at North Dakota on Nov. 14. Ethan Potter led the Wolverines with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Trevan Leonhardt added a career-high 12 points. UVU shot 45.5% from the field and was edged on the boards, 38-37, in a game that featured 23 lead changes and seven ties.

After opening the season with two games at home, Utah Valley will be on the road for over a month with seven road games. The team will travel 15,180 miles during non-conference play, including trips to Murray, Kentucky; Birmingham, Alabama; Stanford, California; Harrisonburg, Virginia; Jacksonville, Alabama; Pocatello, Idaho; and Ogden, Utah. UVU will play 10 of its 14 total non-conference games on the road, with its next home game on Dec. 11 against North Dakota.

Utah Valley picked up an 89-60 win over UTEP at the UCCU Center on Nov. 9. Dominick Nelson led UVU with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Tanner Toolson added 16 points and six boards. The Wolverines shot 52.1% from the field and held UTEP to 26.3%, outrebounding the Miners 44-28.

Utah Valley returns four letterwinners, including two starters from last year's team that won 16 games and tied for fourth in the WAC with an 11-9 record.

Utah Valley was selected to finish fifth in the 2024-25 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Phillips became the winningest first-year head coach in Utah Valley's Division I history last season, leading the Wolverines to a 16-16 overall record, breaking the previous wins mark of 12 wins set during the 2015-16 season under head coach Mark Pope. Phillips also wrapped up WAC play with the most league wins by a first-year head coach in UVU history with 11, breaking the previous record of six set by Pope in 2015-16. Phillips is the first coach in UVU history to finish WAC play with a winning record by a first-year head coach. He also set the UVU record by a first-year head coach for the best KenPom rating (162) and NCAA Net Rating (173). 

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Friday night's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, which is available on the ESPN app and at ESPNplus.com. Drayton Charlton-Perrin & Scott Edgar will be on the call for the ESPN+ broadcast. The game will also be broadcast over the air waves on the Wolverine Sports Network with Jim McCulloch on the call. The radio broadcast will be aired live on ESPN 960 AM/103.9 FM radio in Utah County and 98.3 FM/105.1 (HD2) in Salt Lake City with a live stream available at ESPN960sports.com. Brice Larson will host the pregame/halftime/postgame show for the game.

ABOUT MURRAY STATE
Murray State is celebrating its 100th season of collegiate basketball and its 27th year in the CFSB Center during the 2024-25 campaign. The Racers, led by head coach Steve Prohm, are off to a strong start, highlighted by a dominant 88-67 road win at Middle Tennessee, tying the best road win of Prohm's 13-year head coaching career. This week, Murray State welcomes Maryland Eastern Shore on Wednesday before hosting Utah Valley on Friday, marking the first-ever meetings with both teams. The Racers have shown significant improvement on offense, ranking seventh nationally with a 55.8 percent field goal percentage and posting an offensive efficiency rating of 61, a substantial jump from last season's 150. Preseason predictions placed the Racers third in the Missouri Valley Conference, with seniors Nick Ellington and JaCobi Wood earning All-MVC honors. Additionally, the CFSB Center, which opened in 1998, is set for a transformative renovation to enhance the historic venue.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE RACERS
Utah Valley will take the hardwood against Murray State for the first time in program history.

LAST TIME OUT: Utah Valley 71, North Dakota 77 (Nov. 14 - Grand Forks, N.D.)
 Ethan Potter scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead three other Wolverines in double figures in a 77-71 road loss to North Dakota on Nov. 14 at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

BLOCK PARTY IN OREM
Utah Valley ranks second in the nation in blocks per game, averaging an impressive 8.3 swats per contest. Seven different Wolverines have recorded a block this season. Carting Welling leads the team with seven swats, followed by Hayden Welling with six. 

LEONHARDT ONE OF 15 NATIONALLY WITH 6.5+ ASSISTS AND 2.0 OR FEWER TURNOVERS PER GAME
Utah Valley redshirt sophomore guard Trevan Leonhardt is one of only 15 players in the nation averaging over 6.5 assists per game while keeping turnovers under 2.0 per contest. He ranks 20th nationally with 6.7 assists per game while averaging just 1.7 turnovers, highlighting his exceptional playmaking and efficiency.

UVU RANKS TOP-20 NATIONALLY IN SIX STAT CATEGORIES
As a team, Utah Valley ranks among the top-20 nationally in six different statistical categories. UVU ranks second in blocks per game (8.3), ninth in free throw attempts per game (31.7), 13th in free throws made per game (21.7), 17th in field goal percentage (52.9), 20th in assists per game (19.7), and 27th in effective field goal percentage (59.6).