OREM--Utah Valley returns home to the UCCU Center on Wednesday night to host in-state rival Weber State in a 6 p.m. matchup. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and broadcast on the Wolverine Sports Network/ESPN The Fan.
Utah Valley enters the contest riding a three-game winning streak after a 68–53 neutral-site victory over UC Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon at the Delta Center in the Salt Lake Slam. The Wolverines improved to 8–3 overall with the win and have now captured six of their last seven games, including a perfect 3–0 mark in neutral-site contests this season.
The Wolverines controlled the UCSB matchup from the opening tip, jumping out to a 9–0 lead and building a 37–15 halftime advantage while holding the Gauchos to just 15 first-half points. Hayden Welling led Utah Valley with a game-high 18 points, while Tyler Hendricks added 13 and Noah Taitz finished with 12. Trevan Leonhardt flirted with a triple-double, posting eight points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists, and Jackson Holcombe pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
Utah Valley continues to rank among the nation's most efficient teams, sitting inside the top 50 nationally in assists per game (19.4), blocks per game (5.8), field goal percentage (51.0), scoring defense (64.5), and scoring margin (+16.4). Individually, Holcombe is tied for first nationally in double-doubles (4), Leonhardt ranks fourth nationally in total assists (76) and ninth in assists per game (6.9), and Hendricks ranks fifth nationally in three-point percentage (52.7).
The Wolverines check in at No. 56 in the latest NCAA NET rankings, the third-highest mark among Division I programs in the state of Utah, and recently broke into the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 at No. 24 for the first time this season. Utah Valley has already defeated No. 20 UC Santa Barbara in that poll and will face No. 22 California Baptist three times during Western Athletic Conference play. UVU also owns wins over UC Irvine and Bowling Green, both of which received votes in the latest Mid-Major poll.
Weber State enters Wednesday's matchup at 5–5 overall and coming off a 64–60 road win at Kansas City last week. The Wildcats are playing the third game of a three-game road stretch and face their third in-state opponent of the season after earlier road games at Utah and Utah State. Weber State ranks No. 176 in the NET rankings and No. 207 in KenPom.
The Wildcats are one of the nation's top defensive teams on the perimeter, leading Division I in three-point field goal percentage defense (23.5%) and ranking 16th nationally in rebounding (42.8 per game). Jace Whiting leads Weber State in scoring at 13.8 points per game and ranks among the national leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, while Malek Gomma anchors the frontcourt at 7.6 rebounds per contest.
Wednesday's game marks the 17th all-time meeting between the two programs, with the series tied 8–8. Utah Valley has been dominant at home in the rivalry, owning a 6–1 all-time record against Weber State in games played in Orem and winning each of the last two meetings overall, including a 64–62 win in Ogden last season.
The matchup also carries a milestone opportunity for head coach Todd Phillips, who enters the game with a 49–28 career record at Utah Valley and is seeking his 50th career victory as the Wolverines' head coach.
Tipoff between Utah Valley and Weber State is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday night at the UCCU Center.
