Utah Valley Wolverines

Date: Wednesday March 18th, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Venue: UCCU Center (Orem, UT)
TV: ESPN+
Ranks: 90th (KenPom), 87th (Bart Torvik), 84th (Haslametrics), 85th (EvanMiya)
2025-26 Record: 25-8, 14-4 (1st in WAC)
NET Ranking: 85th

Head-to-Head: First time facing the Wolverines!

Offensive Efficiency: 108th (KenPom), 111th (Bart Torvik), 106th (Haslametrics), 114th (EvanMiya)
Defensive Efficiency: 76th (KenPom), 75th (Bart Torvik), 74th (Haslametrics), 65th (EvanMiya)
Pace: 108th (KenPom), 110th (Bart Torvik), 110th (Haslametrics), 107th (EvanMiya)
Offensive Shot Quality Rank: 150th
Defensive Shot Quality Rank: 40th
Rim & 3 Rate: 85% (114th)

Strengths (2025-26 Season):
Steals Per Game: 9.4 SPG (6th; 3rd in WAC)
Assists Per Game: 18.4 APG (8th; 1st in WAC)
Turnovers Forced Per Game: 15.18 TO/G (8th; 3rd in WAC)
Blocks Per Game: 5.5 BPG (9th; 1st in WAC)
Field Goal Percentage: 50.3% (9th; 1st in WAC)
Scoring Margin: +11.7 PPG (21st; 1st in WAC)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 56% (29th; 1st in WAC)
Winning Percentage: 75.8% (33rd; 1st in WAC)
Rebound Margin: +5.2 RPG (42nd; 3rd in WAC)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: 41.5% (43rd; 1st in WAC)
Scoring Defense: 68.5 PPG (47th; 3rd in WAC)
Fastbreak Points: 12.82 PPG (65th; 2nd in WAC)
Scoring Offense: 80.2 PPG (81st; 1st in WAC)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: 11.88 ORPG (91st; 3rd in WAC)

Weaknesses (2025-26 Season):
Free Throw Percentage: 69.2% (285th; 7th in WAC)
Three Pointers Per Game: 6.7 3PM (285th; 3rd in WAC)
Three Point Attempts Per Game: 19.5 3PA (304th; 3rd in WAC)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.1 TO/G (345th; 4th in WAC)

Projected Starting Lineup:
#4 G Sherman Weatherspoon IV (Junior; Bowie, MD) - 4.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg; 40% FG, 37% 3-PT, 73% FT per 15.8 mpg/31 GP
#9 G Braden Housley (RS Sophomore; Sandy, UT) - 5.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.3 spg; 42% FG, 31% 3-PT, 59% FT per 26.4 mpg/27 GP
#10 G Trevan Leonhardt (RS Junior; Kaysville, UT) - 12.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 6 apg, 2.1 spg; 51% FG, 37% 3-PT, 76% FT per 34.3 mpg/33 GP
#2 G Jackson Holcombe (RS Sophomore; Charleston, SC) - 15.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.2 spg, 1.3 bpg; 54% FG, 15% 3-PT, 66% FT per 29.9 mpg/33 GP
#1 F Isaac Davis (Sophomore; Idaho Falls, ID) - 11 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.3 apg; 63% FG, 33% 3-PT, 68% FT per 18.9 mpg/33 GP

Key Bench Players:
#8 F Hayden Welling (Senior; Draper, UT) - 7.4 ppg, 3 rpg, 1 apg; 42% FG, 21% 3-PT, 68% FT per 16.7 mpg/33 GP
#23 F Isaac Hawkins (Junior; Fort Mill, SC) - 7.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg; 66% FG, 27% 3-PT, 76% FT per 14.2 mpg/33 GP
#7 G Noah Taitz (Graduate Student; Las Vegas, NV) - 5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.1 apg; 37% FG, 35% 3-PT, 71% FT per 19.7 mpg/29 GP
#11 F Tyler Weaver (RS Freshman; Aliso Viejo, CA) - 2.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg; 38% FG, 36% 3-PT, 75% FT per 7.2 mpg/20 GP

Preview:
The 2025-26 season marks the 63rd and final season for the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), which will be rebranded as the United Athletic Conference (UAC) starting this July. The new conference will bring over Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, and West Georgia from the ASUN and Little Rock from the OVC. Current members of the WAC Cal Baptist and Utah Valley will head to the Big West starting next year, while Southern Utah and Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State) will depart for the Big Sky. SUU left the Big Sky for the WAC not too long ago, so a return for the Thunderbirds is probably a little awkward.

There may not be a more fascinating conference to look at from a conference realignment perspective than the WAC. Back in the 1960s, the conference had schools like Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, and Utah so a lot has changed since then. In the mid 2010s, members included New Mexico State, Seattle, UMKC, and Chicago State which could not be more random. It felt like a league filled with schools that couldn't find a home elsewhere. Granted, as recently as a few years ago seeing a conference so geographically spread out was considered crazy. I guess the WAC was just ahead of the curve given the coast-to-coast conferences we see now. The league did try to "rebrand" themselves as more of a southwestern league that extends from Texas to Utah in the 2020s, but their promise to begin sponsoring football fell apart. That's how you go from 13 full-time members to just seven in the span of three years. It's definitely a good thing the conference is staying alive in some form, because the last thing everyone wants is for another at-large to go to an undeserving high major.

Utah Valley has come quite a ways as an institution themselves. They were originally an NJCAA institution before officially going D1 in 2003. After several years as an independent, they joined the now-defunct Great West conference, a league that may have been even weirder than the WAC in the 2010s (for context, Utah Valley was in the same league as NJIT). The WAC has been the home for the Wolverines for the last 13 years. UVU got off to a great start in their new league, winning 20 games under Dick Hunsaker. They've hit the 20 win mark in six of the last nine years - not too shabby. Of course, when you make good hires like Mark Pope (now at Kentucky) and Mark Madsen (now at Cal) that is possible. Todd Phillips has kept the good times rolling over the last three years. In the last two seasons, UVU has won 50 games and gone a dominant 29-5 in the WAC. I'd imagine that Phillips is going to get more attention in the coaching carousel if he keeps this up. If Calhoun were to leave Utah State, I'd imagine that is a landing spot for him that makes sense.

The success this year for UVU has been that much more impressive because they lost five of their top seven scorers from last year. That 2024-25 team also made the NIT, but lost to San Francisco in the first round. Utah Valley went 10-3 in non-conference play this year, although three of those wins were against non-D1 competition. The three losses were against Mountain West teams Boise State, Fresno State, and San Diego State, but they did pick up some solid wins against future Big West foes UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara. Overall, they played against fairly decent competition, but I've always felt that teams out west have an inherent advantage with scheduling because there's simply fewer teams in a school's radius. The WAC was especially wac-ky this year with every school playing each other three times due to there only being seven teams in the conference. Prior to that last second disappointment against Cal Baptist, the Wolverines were 5-0 in games decided by fewer than 10 points over the last two weeks - not something a fan of this year's GW team wants to hear.

Part of what makes college basketball so intriguing is that every conference has its stylistic preferences. For the WAC this year, it's forcing turnovers (they are the top conference in steal percentage), and rebounding on the offensive end (5th). They don't emphasize taking care of the ball (30th) or shooting many threes (31st in 3PA). The Wolverines very much embody these traits. As you can see in the "strengths" section above, they are top 10 nationally in turning people over, yet are only third best at doing that in their conference which is wild. They were also the second best offensive rebounding unit during league play, trailing only NCAA rep Cal Baptist. Taking care of the ball has proven to be very challenging for them (350th) going up against teams that make a living off forcing turnovers. As you'd expect given what I've said about the WAC, the three point shot is not emphasized either (321st in 3PA%). UVU has managed to stand out by being a more efficient shooting team, especially inside the arc. They are fairly good at drawing fouls, but are dismal at the charity stripe (ranked last in conference in FT%). The Wolverines also sport fairly good rim protection down low (15th in block percentage) which has helped them clamp down in the paint defensively (38th in defensive 2P%). Overall, they are a smart team that effectively funnels foes to the rim by running them off the line (18th in defensive 3PA%).

Jackson Holcombe, Trevan Leonhardt, and Hayden Welling return from last year's team. Holcombe, the team's leading scorer, redshirted in his first year of CBB back in 2023-24 before coming off the bench for Phillips last year. He has limited range (career 19% from 3, 62% from the FT line) but is quite effective near the rim (73rd in FG percentage). In his sophomore campaign, he has doubled his rebounding average (7.1 rpg), more than tripled his passing totals (3.5 apg) and has been quite the force defensively (2.2 spg, 1.3 bpg). He has eight double-doubles on the year. Holcombe can be foul-prone (averages over three personals a game) which is probably the only reason he comes off the floor.

Leonhardt is actually the team's leading returning scorer from last year. He's started 67 games for the Wolverines over the last two years and is a fairly strong offensive player. The junior is a career 37% from deep and 78% from the line. He also ranks 24th nationally with six dimes a contest and provides a bit of rebounding. Like Holcombe, he is a menace defensively. While the former player is 16th nationally in steals, Leonhardt is no slouch himself (21st in the nation).

Welling played his first two years at UC Irvine before returning to his home state with his brother Carter. While only one Welling remains in Orem (Carter is now a double figure scorer at Clemson), Hayden is a dependable option from off the pine. He's not particularly efficient offensively but is generally good for a few baskets and a few boards in his time on the floor.

Sin City native Noah Taitz was a three-star prospect out of HS (per 247Sports) who spent two years at Stanford and one at Loyola Marymount before making the trek up I-15 to Orem last season. Unlike many of his teammates discussed so far, Taitz prefers to operate along the perimeter more than attacking the basket (career 41% from inside the arc, which isn't very good). Still, he can hit the open shot if left open (35% from 3 on the year).

Tyler Hendricks was the big portal get for Phillips from UCF. If his last name sounds familiar, it's because his brother Taylor was a one-and-done player in college who ended up getting drafted ninth overall in 2023 by the Utah Jazz. I'd imagine that played a role in Tyler ending up at UVU, although Taylor was dealt to Memphis last month. Anyways, Tyler has been sidelined with an injury and has missed the last five games. He is easily their best three point shooter, leading the team in both makes (60) and percentage (45%). His availability could play a major role in the result on Wednesday. I'd imagine he gets back to starting if he can go.

Isaac Davis and Braden Housley both come over from Utah State and have been starters for UVU. Something that I feel like doesn't get talked about a lot is that players from Utah who play at Utah schools tend to only consider schools in Utah when they transfer. Ethan Potter, who was on last year's team, is now at rival Utah Tech. Housley has already spent time at half the D1 schools in the state (Southern Utah, Utah State, and now Utah Valley). Current USU Aggie Drake Allen has also been at the same three schools. It's...interesting. I'm sure there are other examples from past seasons. Utah is really in a world of its own.

Anyways, after being an afterthought in Logan, Davis has carved out a nice role for the Wolverines. He's highly effective near the basket and rebounds well, but his time on the floor is limited by his propensity to foul. The Idaho native has fouled out in two of the last three games and in the WAC championship he had four personals. Housley meanwhile was a full-time starter for SUU two seasons ago before barely getting on the floor for USU last year. He's not super efficient as a scorer/shooter but is fairly good at setting up the offense and playing good on-ball defense.

Juniors Isaac Hawkins and Sherman Weatherspoon IV join from the JUCO ranks. Hawkins is the tallest player in the rotation at 6'10". He's a fairly reliable interior finisher who has made nearly 70% of his inside attempts on the year, crashes the glass well on both ends, and even provides some rim protection down low (73rd nationally in blocks per game). Hawkins previously played on an always good College of Southern Idaho squad, where he was first in rebounding, first in blocks, and second in scoring.

Weatherspoon has started lately with Hendricks out of the lineup. He's a Bowie, MD native who somehow got lost and ended up in Orem. All kidding aside, it's amazing just how strong the HS talent is in the DC area that you see players from the area all over the country. Weatherspoon averaged double figures on a fairly decent team at Frank Phillips College while knocking down 34% of his threes. He began his career at Valparaiso, but that team was pretty dreadful. Like Taitz, Weatherspoon can knock down the open three (37% on the year) but he is inefficient inside the paint. All three of his double figure scoring performances this season have come in March so maybe he's finally settling in at his new home.

Finally, a pair of freshmen Tylers in Tyler Weaver and Tyler Medaris round out the primary rotation. Weaver is a redshirt freshman and somewhat of a hybrid player. He too can make a three (36%0 but doesn't convert well near the rim. Medaris is a walk-on who rebounds exceptionally well but doesn't figure to be a high-usage guy if he gets run in the game.

The performances in the Dayton and McNeese games suggest that GW will struggle to hold onto the ball against UVU. I think shot selection on the offensive side of the ball will be key. Can GW get good shots in the halfcourt at points in the game where the team isn't operating in transition? Defensively, GW will need to create some havoc themselves given the struggles the Wolverines have holding onto the ball. The interior defense will also have to hold up - that's also been an issue at times this season. Potential foul trouble for Slim and Luke could be problematic. Utah Valley gets to the line a lot, but they are pretty bad at converting.

One of the other trends of the WAC not mentioned above is that there is generally major home court advantage. According to KenPom, the league has the fourth highest home win%. UVU ranks 39th in home court advantage, and they haven't lost at the UCCU Center all year. The short turnaround to tomorrow's game going all the way to Utah + the elevation difference may also play a role for GW. I do think the Revs have the talent/experience edge. Hope to see a good game.

Projected Score: Utah Valley 80, GW 77. 39% chance to win (KenPom). Bart Torvik also forecasts a 39% chance at a W. ESPN predicts a 55.1% chance for GW to move to 19-15.
 

Ditto - remarkable you were able to put this together so fast.

Why do I have the feeling that Dmvpiranha has 364 of these write-ups lying around somewhere.  I picture him going through his alphabetized listings....not Utah, not Utah State, ....there it is..Utah Valley.

Great job as always.

GW Alum Abroad wrote:

The last team to beat GW in the NIT?

Temple in 2015.

jf wrote:

dmvpiranha is the most consistent performer GW has.
The team needs to honor him by giving him 4 more chances to continue his excellent previews.

 
Ah ha…..something to root for!

1.5 point spread for this true road game

Survive and advance!

Let's please get off the ledge.  Winning at Utah Valley would not be a miracle.  Winning the NIT Tournament would be far more unexpected but again, not a miracle.

GW may also have been 15-0 at home had they played Utah Valley's home schedule.  Not meant as disrespect but battling A10 teams is a bit different than playing WAC teams 2-3 times.

Its been a long time since we won a game out west. I went through our schedules and only found two games out west, the disastrous losses in 2021, over the last decade. The last win I found was in 2010 at Oregon State...

I must have missed the film on the 11:00 news of the team boarding the plane with their thumbs up smiles and waiving goodbye as hundreds of fans cheered them on. 

Kind of weird the NIT sent us--and Davidson out West. But let's say we can't be choosers.
To Mayhem's notable point, not going to give up any bulletin board type material and playing Utah Valley
on their home court is a huge advantage for them in a tournament.
    But a team that showed they could at least come back against Florida and plays in the A-10, should not
fear most other D-1 teams, including putting it mildly, tonight's opponent.
   It's time to show we belong in a tournament we made not with a good winning record, but by statistical means.
Last time, we played in the NIT, we won the whole thing. That should be what we are shooting for.
  Utah Valley has an impressive record at home against the type of teams they played. However, with respect for their record, they're not Duke. And Duke isn't in the NIT.
  We have the talent to beat not only the team we are playing now, but anyone if we fire on all 
cylinders. The tournament is the last chance for the 25-26 GW team to get it together--and frankly, live up
to their NIL pay and preseason projections.
    No excuses.