The Southern Utah University (SUU) men’s basketball team is preparing to face Utah Valley University (UVU) in a matchup at the America First Event Center in Cedar City, Utah. The game is scheduled for Thursday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
SUU enters the contest with a record of 10-19 overall and 6-10 in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play. UVU holds a stronger record at 22-7 overall and 12-4 in conference games. The Wolverines are currently competing for the WAC Regular Season Title.
Historically, SUU has an 8-10 all-time record against UVU, including a 5-4 mark when playing at home. In their last meeting on January 8 in Orem, Utah, UVU secured an 89-72 victory with Jackson Holcombe leading the Wolverines by scoring 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds. However, SUU responded with an 84-70 win over UVU on January 21 in Cedar City, led by double-doubles from Jaiden Feroah and Isaiah Cottrell.
The Thunderbirds are ranked second in the WAC for scoring offense, averaging 76.4 points per game but also allow the most points per game at 79.3. They lead the league in three-point shooting percentage at 35%, rank third in field goal percentage at 46%, second in free throw percentage at 72.5%, and third in assists per game with an average of just over fourteen.
Elijah Duval stands fifth among conference players for points per game during league play with an average of 15.38 and has scored at least fourteen points in each of his last ten games. Jaiden Feroah is eighth in conference scoring with an average of 14.25 points per game and ranks second for rebounds with seven-and-a-half per contest; he has reached double figures thirteen times out of sixteen conference games this season.
Junior guard Tanner Hayhurst recently earned his first WAC Newcomer of the Week award after posting a career-high twenty-five points against rival Utah Tech, making five three-pointers to bring his season total to fifty-three while shooting forty-eight percent from beyond the arc.
Center Kai Burdick contributed significantly against Utah Tech as well, recording career highs with thirteen points and seven rebounds.
Utah Valley leads the WAC both offensively—scoring eighty points per game—and defensively—allowing sixty-seven to opponents. The Wolverines top the league in field goal percentage at fifty percent and nearly nineteen assists per contest; they also lead all teams except SUU in total blocks this season.
Jackson Holcombe remains central to UVU’s efforts as he averages fifteen-point-four points and seven-point-two rebounds per game—ranking fifth and second respectively within the conference. Teammates Trevan Leonhardt and Tyler Hendricks each contribute nearly twelve points on average; Leonhardt leads all players in total assists (172) while Hendricks tops three-point shooting marks with sixty made threes this year at forty-four percent accuracy.
Tickets for the upcoming Air Force Reserve WAC Basketball Tournament can be purchased online through orleans.boydgaming.com.
