CEDAR CITY, UTAH -- The SUU Men's Basketball team will try to play spoiler once again to an in-state rival, this time hosting Utah Valley in the America First Event Center. The Wolverines have a chance at the WAC Regular Season Title, but SUU will be looking to win its second straight game against UVU.

Head Coach Rob Jeter said

"This is the grudge match. We know how disciplined we have to play to beat this team, because we have already done it. But playing a team three times in one season is hard because both teams are going to make adjustments. But if we can play tough and disciplined, we can win this game."

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Game Details

Who: Southern Utah (10-19, 6-10 WAC) vs Utah Valley (22-7, 12-4 WAC)

When: Thursday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m.

Where: The America First Event Center in Cedar City, Utah

Watch: ESPN+

Live Stats: HERE

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Matchup History

• The Thunderbirds are 8-10 all-time against the Wolverines with a 5-4 record in the AFEC
• The teams met in Orem, Utah, on January 8, with the Wolverines winning 89-72. UVU's top player, Jackson Holcombe, scored 23 points and had nine rebounds. 
• In the January 21 meeting, SUU defeated the Wolverines 84-70 in Cedar City, behind double-doubles from Jaiden Feroah and Isaiah Cottrell.

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The Thunderbirds

SUU is the second leading team in the WAC in scoring offense, averaging 76.4 points per game. The T-Birds still give the most points per game in the league at 79.3.

The Thunderbirds lead the entire league in 3PT% at 35% on the year, and they're third in FG% at 46%. They also check in second in the league in FT% with 72.5%, and they're third in the conference in assists per game with 14.03.

Elijah Duval is fifth in the league in PPG in conference play, scoring 15.38 per game in league play. He has scored at least 14 points in each of the last 10 games.

Jaiden Feroah checks in at eighth in the league in PPG in conference play, scoring 14.25, and he is second in the conference in rebounds per game with 7.5. He has scored in double figures in 13 of SUU's 16 conference games and has five double-doubles in league play.

Junior guard Tanner Hayhurst is coming off his first WAC Newcomer of the Week award after a career-high 25-point performance against rival Utah Tech. Hayhurst made five three-pointers in the game and has now taken the lead for most three-pointers on the team with 53. The most impressive thing about Hayhurst is that he leads the team in made three-pointers, and he shoots the deep ball at an unbelievable 48% clip.

7'0 center Kai Burdick has been making a massive impact in the last few games, and against Utah Tech last time out, he recorded a career-high 13 points to go along with seven boards.

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The Wolverines

Utah Valley is at the top of the conference in both offensive PPG and defensive PPG. They score 80 per game and allow only 67 to opponents.

They are also top of the league in FG% at 50% and in assists per game at nearly 19.

They are the only team ahead of the Thunderbirds in total blocks; they check in with 168 on the season, nearly six blocked shots per game.

Jackson Holcombe leads the way for the Wolverines. The 6'8 power forward has great footwork and unreal touch inside the paint. He is fifth in the conference in scoring at 15.4 per game and second in rebounding with 7.2.

Trevan Leonhardt and Tyler Hendricks both average 11.8 points per game. Leonhardt is one of the top point guards in the WAC. He leads the league in total assists and assists per game. He has 172 assists and just 80 turnovers on the year. Hendricks is an excellent three-point shooter. He leads the league with 60 makes from deep on the year and shoots it at a 44% clip.

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TICKETS

Tickets to the 2026 Air Force Reserve WAC Basketball Tournament are available. They can be purchased online at orleans.boydgaming.com.

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FOLLOW US

Stay up to date during the 2025-26 Southern Utah Men's Basketball season by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.

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DONATE

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