Utah Valley men's basketball has won two straight outright WAC regular-season titles, gone to two straight NITs, and come within one shot of its first NCAA Tournament. Now it starts over in a new league. The Wolverines open their first Big West season on November 2 at the UCCU Center, with a mostly new roster and the same coach. Here is what last season built, who is on this year's team, and every home game on the schedule.
Where the program stands
| Coach | Todd Phillips, fourth season |
| Last season | 25-9, 14-4 WAC, outright WAC regular-season champion |
| Postseason | Lost WAC final 63-61 to California Baptist; lost NIT first round 79-78 to George Washington |
| New conference | Big West, joined July 1, 2026 |
| Opener | Western Colorado, Monday, Nov. 2, 6 p.m., UCCU Center |
| Big West opener | at Long Beach State, Dec. 3 |
Last season, and the shot that didn't fall
The 2025-26 team was not supposed to be this good. "We didn't have a lot of returners coming back this season," Phillips said in March, "but we've had new guys step up all year." It went 25-9, won the WAC outright for the second straight year, and won every home game until the NIT, a 27-game winning streak at the UCCU Center.
The WAC Tournament final in Las Vegas was the closest the program has come to the NCAA Tournament. UVU led California Baptist 59-52 with just over two minutes left, then gave up three straight three-pointers to Dominique Daniels, the WAC Player of the Year. Isaac Davis's alley-oop at the buzzer rimmed out, and Cal Baptist won 63-61. "They battled all night and put themselves in a position to win the game," Phillips said.
The NIT game at home against George Washington showed the same team. UVU was down 16 at halftime, scored 49 points in the second half, and went ahead 67-66 on an 11-0 run before losing 79-78. George Washington's coach said he could not remember an NIT atmosphere as good as the one in Orem.
Cal Baptist moved to the Big West too, so that rematch comes twice this season, at the UCCU Center on January 21 and in Riverside on February 6.
The coach: Todd Phillips
Todd Phillips grew up in Boise, played at Snow College and Lewis-Clark State, and built his name at Salt Lake Community College, where he went 205-58 in eight seasons and won the 2016 junior college national championship. One of his SLCC players, Gary Payton II, later said Phillips "saw in me what no one else did."
He came to UVU as an assistant under Mark Madsen in 2019, became associate head coach in 2021, and took over when Madsen left for Cal in April 2023. "I want to build a legacy here," he said that day. "We're going to continue to win, and we are going to win championships."
He has done what he said:
- 41-25 in his first two seasons, the most wins by a UVU coach in his first two years
- 2024-25: a 15-1 WAC record, the outright regular-season title, the WAC final, an NIT berth, WAC Coach of the Year, and a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award for the nation's top mid-major coach
- 2025-26: 25-9, a second straight outright WAC title, and a second straight NIT
- A contract extension through 2027-28
What stands out about how he runs a program is that it keeps winning while the roster turns over. Last season's team lost some of its best players to bigger schools in the spring. Jackson Holcombe, a first-team All-WAC pick who averaged 16 points, went to Utah, and Trevan Leonhardt, a first-team All-WAC guard who averaged six assists, went to Nebraska. Players leaving for the Big Ten and Big 12 is a sign of how well they were developed in Orem. UVU athletic director Jared Sumsion said Phillips "has built a championship culture both on and off the court."
His staff includes associate head coach Todd Okeson and assistant and offensive coordinator Andrew May.
The 2026-27 roster
Returning
- Isaac Davis, forward, junior, 6-foot-8. Scored a career-high 28 in the game that clinched a share of last season's WAC title, and had 12 in the WAC final.
- Isaac Hawkins, forward, senior, 6-foot-10. A spark off the bench in the WAC final.
- Sherman Weatherspoon IV, guard, senior. Hit two late threes in the WAC final.
- Tyler Weaver, forward, sophomore. Scored a career-high 12 in the NIT game.
- Dominick Nelson, guard, fifth year.
New
- Jordy Barnes and Braden Housley, guards from Utah State. Housley played at Skyridge High in Lehi.
- Tanner Davis, guard from Utah Tech. A WAC All-Freshman pick last season who helped Sky View High win the 2023 Class 4A state title. Phillips called him "a big, tough guard who loves to compete on both ends of the floor."
- AJ Dixon, guard from Western Illinois, and Sebastian Muchitsch, a 6-foot-7 guard from Barton Community College by way of England.
- Freshmen: 6-foot-10 forwards Deng Deng of Salt Lake City and Jovan Nekic of Belgrade, Serbia, plus Omar Mowafak of Cairo and Jaxson Roberts of Corner Canyon High.
That is a lot of Utah on one roster. Six players went to high school in the state, and three of the new guards were Utah State or Utah Tech players a year ago.
Why the Big West is a good fit
The Big West is a step up in basketball, with programs like UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State on the schedule every year. UVU joins as the conference's largest university and with its largest arena, the 8,500-seat UCCU Center, and it is the first Big West member in Utah since Utah State left in 2005. For fans, that means better opponents in Orem, and for the program it means a league where a WAC-champion roster can compete for an NCAA bid from the start.
Every home game
| Date | Opponent | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 2 | Western Colorado | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | San Jose State | 2 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Sacramento State* | 2 p.m. |
| Mon., Dec. 21 | Justice | 6 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | Cal State Bakersfield* | 2 p.m. |
| Sat., Jan. 2 | CSUN* | 2 p.m. |
| Thu., Jan. 14 | UC Santa Barbara* | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Jan. 16 | Cal Poly* | 2 p.m. |
| Thu., Jan. 21 | California Baptist* | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Jan. 23 | UC Riverside* | 2 p.m. |
| Thu., Feb. 11 | UC Irvine* | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 13 | UC San Diego* | 2 p.m. |
| Thu., Feb. 25 | Long Beach State* | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 27 | Cal State Fullerton* | 2 p.m. |
*Big West game. All home games are at the UCCU Center in Orem, and most stream on ESPN+, with radio on ESPN The Fan.
On the road: the October 17 exhibition at Utah Tech, Weber State (Nov. 7), Nevada (Nov. 14), the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands (Nov. 20-23, starting with East Carolina), Pacific (Dec. 12), Boise State (Dec. 16), and 11 Big West road games. The Big West Tournament is March 10-13 in Henderson, Nevada, and its champion goes to the NCAA Tournament.
A game against BYU is not on this year's schedule.
Going to a game at the UCCU Center
Students get free tickets through The Den, UVU's student section, but have to reserve them in advance. Parking is free in regular student and employee lots after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends, which covers every home game. Our UVU game-day guide explains how to reserve student tickets, where to sit and where to park, and the UVU guide covers the rest of campus. For food before tip-off, see the best restaurants in Orem.
The games to circle: Cal Baptist on January 21, the WAC final rematch; Sacramento State on December 5, the first Big West home game; and New Year's Eve against Cal State Bakersfield at 2 p.m., an easy afternoon out over the holidays.
The bottom line
UVU has won the regular season two years in a row, made two straight NITs and come within a shot of the NCAA Tournament. It now has to do it with a new roster in a better league. Phillips has rebuilt a roster before and won anyway, and the Big West gives this program its best path yet to that first NCAA bid.
For every UVU team, see UVU athletics, sport by sport. For the rest of UVU's first Big West year, see UVU women's soccer, unbeaten in league play so far and our look at UVU women's volleyball's first Big West season. For the other side of the valley, see the BYU basketball 2026-27 season preview and BYU vs. UVU.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- 2026-27 Men's Basketball Schedule, Utah Valley University Athletics. Checked October 13, 2026.
- 2026-27 Men's Basketball Roster, Utah Valley University Athletics. Checked October 13, 2026.
- Utah Valley's comeback comes up short in 79-78 NIT thriller, Utah Valley University Athletics. Checked October 13, 2026.
- Utah Valley signs Utah Tech transfer Tanner Davis, Utah Valley University Athletics. Checked October 13, 2026.
- Heartbreaker: Utah Valley comes up just short in securing first-ever NCAA Tournament bid with a 63-61 loss to Cal Baptist, Daily Herald. Checked October 13, 2026.
- UVU men's basketball clinches WAC regular-season title, Daily Herald. Checked October 13, 2026.
- Going down swinging: Utah Valley's comeback effort falls just short in a 79-78 loss to George Washington, Daily Herald. Checked October 13, 2026.
- UVU names Todd Phillips men's basketball coach, Deseret News. Checked October 13, 2026.
- After historic 2 years, Todd Phillips inks extension with Utah Valley, KSL. Checked October 13, 2026.
- Utah lands Utah Valley standout Jackson Holcombe, KSL Sports. Checked October 13, 2026.
- Utah Valley guard Trevan Leonhardt commits to Nebraska, Sports Illustrated. Checked October 13, 2026.
- On the move: Utah Valley joins Big West Conference, Daily Herald. Checked October 13, 2026.
