SAN DIEGO—Utah Valley hits the road for a Mountain West test on Wednesday night, traveling to face San Diego State at Viejas Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MT, with streaming available on the Mountain West Network and radio coverage on the Wolverine Sports Network/ESPN The Fan.
The Wolverines enter the matchup at 5–2 after a dominant week at the Cancún Challenge, where they posted a perfect 3–0 record in the event. Utah Valley opened the tournament with a 79–72 home-site win over preseason Big West favorite UC Irvine in Orem before heading to Mexico and rolling to victories over South Dakota State (75–52) and Samford (89–45). UVU outscored its opponents by 24.7 points per game during its two games in Cancún, with Jackson Holcombe and Braden Housley earning All-Tournament Team honors. Holcombe averaged 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.3 steals during the event, while Housley added 8.3 points and 4.7 boards. Trevan Leonhardt also delivered a strong week, averaging 11.7 points and 4.3 assists.
Utah Valley continues to rank among the nation's top statistical performers, standing 10th nationally in field goal percentage (.515) and 16th in assists per game (18.4). The Wolverines also hold top-50 marks in effective field goal percentage (.569), blocks per game (5.1) and scoring margin (+15.4). Individually, Tyler Hendricks remains one of the nation's most efficient perimeter shooters, ranking 17th in three-point percentage (.500). Holcombe sits 38th nationally in blocks per game (2.14), while Leonhardt ranks inside the top 50 in assists per game and continues to lead the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio.
San Diego State enters Wednesday's game at 3–3 following a 91–81 loss to Baylor at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Five Aztecs scored in double figures in the defeat, led by BJ Davis, Elzie Harrington and Jeremiah Oden. SDSU has scored 80 or more points in three of its last four games, its best offensive stretch since the opening month of the 2022–23 season — the year the Aztecs reached the NCAA national championship game. San Diego State's lineup features strong balance, with five players averaging at least 10 points per contest and a defense that forces nearly 14 turnovers per game.
In the NCAA NET rankings released this week, Utah Valley debuted at No. 72, third among Division I programs in the state of Utah and second-highest in the WAC behind California Baptist (No. 61). San Diego State enters the matchup at No. 126 in the NET.
The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network (TheMW.com/Watch) and on the radio airwaves on ESPN The Fan with Jim McCulloch and Brice Larson on the call.
