Mark it down on your calendars– Wolverine men’s basketball will be back before you know it.
The UVU men’s basketball team released its full 2021-22 schedule last week, and the first game is scheduled for Nov. 9 at Boise State.
The Wolverines’ first home game is Nov. 12 against Antelope Valley, an NAIA school based out of Lancaster, California. After competing in the inaugural SoCal Challenge against Pepperdine, Long Beach State and Idaho, UVU will return home to take on the Denver Pioneers Nov. 27 on Thanksgiving weekend.
Following the holiday, UVU will take on the BYU Cougars in the UCCU Crosstown Clash on Dec. 1 at the UCCU Center. This will be just the second-ever meeting between these teams to be played at UVU.
Before beginning conference play, the Wolverines will have a trio of tough road games against Southern Utah, Wyoming, and Washington. UVU starts conference play on Dec. 30 against WAC newcomer Abilene Christian. This will be the first time the Wolverines will face the Wildcats on the hardwood, and will certainly be a tough matchup as the Wildcats made it to the second round of last season’s NCAA tourney, upsetting third-seeded Texas.
UVU will renew the Old Hammer Rivalry with Dixie State on Jan. 8 at the UCCU Center. The two old Scenic West Athletic Conference foes will be meeting for just the third time as WAC opponents.
The Wolverines will face off against the other three WAC newcomers later in the season, first playing host to Lamar on Jan. 22. UVU will then travel to Texas to face off against Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State on Feb. 3 and 5.
UVU will return home for arguably its toughest homestand of the season, facing off against WAC co-champions Grand Canyon on Feb. 10 and the team that eliminated the Wolverines from the conference tournament in New Mexico State.
UVU will close out the regular season against those same two teams on March 3 and 5. The WAC tournament is scheduled from March 8-12 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The Wolverines are coming off of a highly successful season that saw the team win its second-ever WAC regular season championship. The team is returning 10 players from last season’s championship team, including the WAC’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, Fardaws Aimaq.
In addition to Aimaq, the Wolverines are also returning their leading scorer Trey Woodbury, who averaged 15.6 PPG. UVU also adds a number of transfers, highlighted by former BYU forward Connor Harding who helped lead the Cougars an NCAA tournament berth last season.
The 2020-21 season ended with a regular season championship, but the Wolverines are surely hungry to improve on last season’s successes. The team certainly has the talent and drive to make a push for an NCAA tournament berth.
