Tarleton returns to site of first-ever WAC win to face Utah Valley on New Year's Day

THE MATCHUP

Teams: Tarleton (6-8) at Utah Valley (9-4)

Date: 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 1

Location: UCCU Center in Orem, Utah

TELEVISION: ESPN+

RADIO: Tarleton Sports Network, KTRL 90.5 FM

Casey Hogan, Play-by-Play

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

The UCCU Events Center embodies a quintessential location for Tarleton to spend the New Year's Day holiday, which is rooted in the celebration of new beginnings, luck and prosperity.

Tarleton's first game of 2022 takes place at the site of one of the most significant wins in 2021 and school history and one that symbolized its arrival at the highest level of amateur athletics.

The Texans earned the university's first Western Athletic Conference victory with a 70-62 win over Utah Valley on Jan. 29 in Orem.

Since then, Tarleton has earned nine Division I wins and gone 5-2 against its conference counterparts, including its 83-69 triumph over Dixie State on Thursday.

Now, the Texans are tasked with carrying on a surging finish to 2021 in their return to northern Utah. Tarleton closed December by winning five of its last six ballgames and has notched four straight WAC wins – three of which have come on the road – dating back to last season.

And a second consecutive win over the Wolverines undoubtedly represents a clarion ring to the new year.

A WIN OVER UTAH VALLEY WOULD

Give Tarleton its sixth win in its last seven outings
Extend Tarleton's WAC winning streak to five games dating back to last season
Give the Texans their fourth straight WAC road win
Be Tarleton's sixth WAC road victory
Improve the Texans' WAC road record to 6-7
Signify Tarleton's second straight win over the Wolverines and make the all-time series 2-1 in favor of the Texans
Boost Tarleton's record in January games to 4-6 as a D1 program
Be the Texans' ninth true D1 victory
Mark Tarleton's second road win of the season
Send Tarleton to its first 2-0 start in conference play since the 2016-17 season
Make Tarleton's all-time record in games played in Utah 4-2
Spike Gillispie's road record at Tarleton to 6-7
Give Gillispie his 165th career D1 victory

TEXAN NOTABLES

Tarleton earned its 14-point win over the Trailblazers despite missing five players and two coaches due to COVID-19 protocols. The Texans entered just six players - four of whom played the entire game.
The Texans enjoyed their best 3-point shooting performance of the winter in St. George, knocking down a season-high 10-20 attempts from downtown. Tarleton also shot 50 percent (29-58) from the field.
The Texans continue to lead the WAC in free throw percentage (74.4). They rank second in turnover margin (+4.64) and third in scoring defense (62.4 ppg).
The team's turnover margin is which is tied for 25th nationally with Kansas and Vanderbilt and leads all reclassifying teams. The Texans have finished with a positive turnover differential in 12-of-14 games this year.
Tarleton has knocked down 32 three-pointers over its last three games. Since starting the season 34-137 (19.6 percent) from downtown, The Texans have connected on 45 percent of their 3-pointers.
The Texans have outscored their opponents by a combined 50 points in the first half this season. They have led at the intermission in six straight games and are 5-1 in that stretch.
Tarleton has limited opponents to 57 points per game over the course of its four-game WAC winning streak. Dixie State was the first team to eclipse 60 points in that span.
Tarleton's 83 points scored vs. the Trailblazers were its most ever vs. a D1 opponent.
Tarleton is one of just two teams in the WAC with a pair of top-15 scorers in Gipson (14.7 ppg) and Tahj Small (14.4 ppg). They rank seventh and 11th, respectively.

INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES

Freddy Hicks scored a game, season and career-high 27 points on 9-18 shooting in Tarleton's win on Thursday. His 27 points scored were tied for the second-most in a single game by any Texan this season.
Hicks increased his scoring average from 8.1 points per game to 9.4 points per game following his performance on Thursday. He has delivered his best performances in Purple and White in conference road games. All three of his double-doubles in 2021 came away from Stephenville. Hicks' 27 points against Dixie State on Thursday were the most in a true D1 road game by any Texan.
Javontae Hopkins (18 points), Noah McDavid (17 points) and Montre Gipson (13 points) joined Hicks in double figures. All four players went the full 40 minutes. Hopkins' 18 points were a D1 career high.
Hopkins picked as good a night as any to deliver his best D1 performance with the Texans shorthanded. Hopkins went 7-9 (78 percent) from the field. He scored seven unanswered points early in the second half to keep Tarleton ahead by double figures at 55-43 with 14:00 to go.
Hopkins, McDavid and Jayshawn Moore earned their first career starts in St. George. Moore played 22 minutes.
Gipson leads Tarleton in scoring at 14.7 points per outing. He canned a game-high 24 points in the Texans' victory over UVU last season on the strength of a 10-10 mark at the foul line. Gipson's 10 made free throws were an individual game high in the WAC last season.
Gipson is four points shy of becoming the first player in Tarleton's D1 era to reach 500 points. He is averaging 19.2 points per game over Tarleton's last five outings. The 5-11 senior has scored in double figures in 10 of Tarleton's 13 WAC affairs.
For the first time all season, Shamir Bogues did not record a steal on Thursday vs. the Trailblazers. He still resides among the nation's elite on-ball defenders. Only 10 more players in have more steals than Bogues (29). He is tied for 30th among all D1 players in steals per game (2.17). Bogues ranks is second in the WAC in both categories. His three-steal effort in Tarleton's victory over Air Force marked his sixth multi-steal game this season and 16th of his career.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES

The game is the third-ever meeting between the two schools and first of two this season. UVU will make its first visit to the Lone Star State when it returns the trip to Stephenville on Feb. 16.
With a 9-4 record, UVU is off to its best start to a season since its inaugural D1 campaign in 2003-04. The Wolverines suffered their first home loss of the year in an 80-76 defeat at the hands of Abilene Christian on Thursday. UVU is 4-1 inside the UCCU Center thus far.
6-11 junior Fardaws Aimaq is one of the top post players in the WAC and nationally. He leads the nation in double-doubles (11) and defensive rebounds per game (10.2). Aimaq ranks first in the conference in scoring (19.5 ppg) and rebounding (13.4).
The Wolverines are ranked 20th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll and 88th in the NCAA NET Rankings. A win over UVU would be Tarleton's first-ever against a team featured in the CIT rankings and second over a team listed in the top-100 of the NCAA NET Rankings. The Texans upset then-No. 79 South Alabama 65-52 on Dec. 17 in Stephenville.
Four of the Wolverines' 13 games have needed extra time to decide a victor. UVU is 4-0 in overtime games, including a 72-65 upset of No. 12 BYU on Dec. 1.
UVU will be one of the toughest teams Tarleton will battle on the glass all season. The Wolverines rank 22nd nationally in defensive rebounds per game (29.2) and rebounding margin (+8.4) and 26th in rebounds per game (41.2).
The Wolverines are 48-14 (77.4 percent) inside the UCCU Center over the past five seasons.

GAME COVERAGE

Fans can access a live stream to the game at Plus.ESPN.com. Links to the video broadcast as well as live stats can be found on the men's basketball schedule page at TarletonSports.com. A complete radio broadcast of the game can be heard on the Tarleton Sports Network at TarletonSports.com/Watch and on the flagship station of Tarleton athletics – KTRL 90.5 FM in Stephenville. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tipoff.

ATTENDING THE GAME

For Utahns or Tarleton fans alike interested in making the trip to Orem, single game tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com or by calling the UCCU Events Center Box Office at 801-863-7469. Reserved seats are $10 apiece.

UP NEXT: SAM HOUSTON

Tarleton welcomes the Bearkats to Stephenville for its WAC home-opener on Jan. 6 inside Wisdom Gym. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Sam Houston (6-8) began conference play with a 77-64 home victory over Lamar on Thursday.

Bearkats head coach Jason Hooten served as an assistant coach at Tarleton under current Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lonn Reisman from 1993-2004, helping the Texans to a 204-111 overall record. Hooten also played two seasons for Reisman from 1989-1991.

Sam Houston owns a 15-3 edge in the all-time series between the two teams.

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