THE MATCHUP 

Teams: Tarleton (11-14, 6-6 WAC) vs. Utah Valley (16-8, 7-5 WAC) 

Date: 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Feb. 16 

Location: Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas 

TELEVISION: ESPN+ 

Kyle Youmans, Play-by-Play 

Mike Hardge, Analyst 

RADIO: Tarleton Sports Network, KTRL 90.5 FM 

Byron Anderson, Play-by-Play 

ABOUT THE MATCHUP 

• Tarleton and Utah Valley are meeting for the fourth time on the hardwood. The Wolverines own a 2-1 edge in the all-time series between the two programs. Each of the three previous meetings took place in Orem. UVU arrives in the Lone Star State as the most recent victor in the series, having defeated Tarleton 77-55 on Jan. 1. 

• UVU men's basketball will forever be associated with one of the seminal moments in Tarleton sports history. The Texans defeated the Wolverines 70-62 on Jan. 30 to earn the first Western Athletic Conference and Division I win in school history. 

• Wednesday's ballgame has been circled on Tarleton's calendar for the last six weeks. The Texans' 22-point loss on New Year's Day carries somewhat of an asterisk. Tarleton was without six players and two coaches due to COVID-19 protocols and preexisting injuries. Among the absences were a pair of two-year starters in Tahj Small (13.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Shakur Daniel, the latter of whom was lost for the season due to an injury he suffered against Air Force on Dec. 21. Tarleton dressed just 10 players in its visit to Orem. Two days prior, four players went the distance in an 83-69 victory at Dixie State. 

• Rematches tend to favor the Texans in the Billy Gillispie era. The program is 3-2 in such games since the veteran head coach took the reins in 2020.  

• Tarleton is 1-0 in rematches this season. Following a competitive 69-62 defeat at South Alabama on Dec. 14, the Texans knocked off the Jaguars 65-52 72 hours later in Wisdom Gym. 

• A win over the Wolverines would mark Tarleton's second victory over a team ranked in the top-120 in both the NCAA NET Rankings and Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings.  

• The Texans face the ultimate test on the boards on Wednesday in UVU's Fardaws Aimaq. The 6-11 center leads the NCAA in double-doubles (21) and defensive rebounds per game (10.1) and ranks second in rebounds per game (13.1). Aimaq finished with 21 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks in the teams' first meeting this season. Collectively, the Wolverines rank seventh nationally in rebounding margin (+7) and 21st in rebounds per game (40.04). 

• With a win on Wednesday, the Texans will improve to 7-6 in conference play. Their seventh win will set a school record for most WAC wins in a single season. 

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 

Fans can purchase single-game general admission tickets in one of three ways: online at TarletonSports.com/Tickets, in person at the Tarleton Athletic Ticket Office or by calling 254-968-1832. The Tarleton Athletic Ticket Office is located on the west side of Memorial Stadium and is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. A link to purchase tickets to all Tarleton men's basketball home games can be found on the team's schedule page at TarletonSports.com. Doors will open hone hour before tipoff at 6 p.m. 

A WIN OVER THE WOLVERINES WOULD... 

• Even the all-time series between Tarleton and UVU to 2-2 

• Make Tarleton 2-0 in rematches this season and 4-2 all-time under Gillispie 

• Move the Texans' conference record two games over .500 for the second time this season at 7-6 

• Boost the Texans' home record to 9-4 this season, 16-7 under Gillispie, and 208-39 over the last 15 years 

• Give Tarleton its second win this season over a team ranked in the top-120 in both KenPom and the NCAA NET Rankings (South Alabama) 

• Signify Tarleton's third victory this season over a team ranked higher in the WAC standings at tipoff time 

• Move Tarleton as high as a tie for sixth in the conference standings 

• Be the Texans' 14th true D1 win 

• Improve the Texans' all-time WAC record to 12-13 

• Spike Tarleton's record in February games to 7-3 in its D1 and WAC era 

• Make Tarleton 11-4 in games played inside the state of Texas this season 

• Increase the Texans' WAC home record to 5-6 all-time 

• Be Tarleton's 11th victory in its last 17 games 

• Give Gillispie his 170th career D1 win. 

TEXAN NOTABLES 

• The Texans connected at a season-low 29 percent (17-58) from the field while the Wolverines shot 50 percent combined and from behind the arc (8-16) in the team's most recent meeting. Utah Valley opened the game on an 11-0 run. Tarleton began the contest 0-9 from the field and was 4-23 through the game's first 14 minutes. 

• The turnover margin and charity stripe have been kind to Tarleton all season. January's foray to Orem was no different. Tarleton forced 17 Utah Valley giveaways and had 12 turnovers of their own. The Texans went 17-22 at the foul line. 

• Tarleton is 12-1 when leading at halftime in home games under Gillispie. The team has notched 18 wins in the Gillispie Era when leading at the half. 

• Tarleton limited its giveaways vs. ACU - which leads the nation in turnovers forced per game - to 15 on Saturday. The Texans 15 turnovers were the second-fewest in a game vs. the Wildcats this season. Overall, Tarleton has finished with a positive turnover differential in 10-of-12 WAC games. 

• The Texans rank second in the WAC in free throw percentage (74.4 percent). Tarleton has drained 15-or-more foul shots on 10 occasions this season and went 17-24 at the line in their win over UTRGV on Saturday. 

• The Texans knocked down 16-20 attempts at the foul line on Saturday and continue to rank second in the WAC in free throw percentage (74.7 percent). 

• Tarleton is tied for 15th nationally in turnover margin (+4.12) and is 22nd among all D1 teams in turnovers forced per game (16.4). The Texans are second, and third, respectively, in the WAC in both categories. 

• The Texans are 7-3 this season when knocking down at least six 3-point field goals. Tarleton drained a combined 23 shots from behind the arc over the course of its three-game WAC winning streak over Lamar, UTRGV and Chicago State from Jan. 26-Feb. 5. 

INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES 

• Shamir Bogues was a bright spot in a frustrating afternoon against UVU on Jan. 1 in Orem. The sophomore tallied a team-high 17 points in 37 minutes off the bench to pair with six rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

• Bogues is second in the WAC and tied for 43rd nationally in total steals with 47. 

• Bogues' has gone the distance in Tarleton's last two ballgames, averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. His 47.7 percent shooting clip is tops on the team. He's shot 50 percent-or-better in three of Tarleton's last four games and 12 times this season. 

• Montre Gipson ranks eighth in the WAC in scoring (15.3 ppg). He tallied a game-high 21 points in Saturday's loss vs. ACU. Gipson is averaging 17.5 points per game over his last two outings vs. UVU. 

• Gipson ranks in the top-15 in the WAC in five major statistical categories: minutes played (1st, 881), points per game (8th, 15.3 ppg), free throw percentage (9th, .795), steals per game (T-11th, 1.3 spg), and assists per game (13th, 2.9 apg). 

• Gipson hardly takes a breath once he steps onto the court. The senior leads the WAC in total minutes (881) and has played at least 38 minutes on 17 occasions this season. 

• Noah McDavid is averaging 10 points per game over the last month of WAC play and has scored in double figures in four of his last six games. McDavid has quietly been one of the best foul shooters in the WAC, connecting at a 90.2 percent clip at the line. 

• McDavid became the first player in Tarleton basketball history to receive multiple sets of WAC weekly accolades on Jan. 31. He was named the WAC Freshman of the Week for the second time in a four-week stretch after averaging 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in Tarleton's triumphs over Lamar and UTRGV. 

• Freddy Hicks has increased his scoring average (11.8 ppg) by 3.1 points since WAC play began. The 6-6 sophomore has registered four 20-point outings and scored in double figures in all-but-two of Tarleton's conference games. 

• Tahj Small leads Tarleton on the glass (5.8 rpg) and ranks second on the team in scoring (13.9 ppg). He tallied a game-high 14 points in the Texans' most recent victory over Chicago State on Feb. 5. 

'THE HARDEST SCHEDULE IN THE COUNTRY' 

The words spoken by Gillispie on Tarleton's Preseason WAC Media Day on Oct. 19 have never been more true. 

Tarleton was ranked first in the nation in strength of schedule in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings following its game at Gonzaga on Nov. 29. 

Six of their first seven games - all of which were on the road - came against teams ranked in the top-150 of the rankings. Three of the contests were against teams ranked in the top-10 at tipoff time. Gonzaga occupied the top spot when the teams squared off on Nov. 29, Kansas ranked No. 2 when the teams met at Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 12 and Michigan was eighth prior to the teams' game on Nov. 24. 

In total, 14 of the Texans' games are opposite teams currently ranked inside the top-150 while the team will play 10 top- 130 programs and draw seven foes listed in the top-100. Tarleton has already squared off with No. 82 Wichita State and No. 89 Stanford along with five conference foes in New Mexico State (No. 91), Grand Canyon (No. 98), Utah Valley (No. 116), Stephen F. Austin (No. 119) and Seattle U (No. 126). North Dakota State was ranked 146th at tipoff time on Nov. 22.  

This season, Tarleton will play three teams ranked in the top-10 of the Preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll, draw six opponents who made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and face 14 opponents who posted winning records last season. Abilene Christian, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon and Michigan earned automatic berths to the Big Dance in March as conference regular season and tournament champions while Kansas and Wichita State secured at-large invitations. 

ACROSS THE RANKINGS 

NCAA NET Rankings  

Tarleton sits at No. 204 ahead of Wednesday's ballgame vs. Utah Valley. The Wildcats rank No. 115 - third out of 13 teams in the WAC. 

The Texans have faced off with seven teams currently ranked inside the top-100 of the rankings in No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 8 Kansas, No. 35 Michigan, No. 75 Wichita State, No. 84 New Mexico State and No. 91 Stanford and No. 98 Grand Canyon 

South Alabama was ranked 79th when Tarleton defeated the Jaguars 65-52 inside Wisdom Gym for its first win over a top-100 team. 

NET Rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to help set the 64-team field. The NET utilizes two factors in ranking teams: Team Value Index (factors in results, quality of opponent and location) and the team's NET efficiency (metrics scaled for quality of opponent and location). The rankings do not include games played against non-Division I opponents. 

Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings 

The Texans sit at No. 193 in the rankings as of Feb. 14. 

Tarleton is rated eighth among its conference peers. New Mexico State, UVU, GCU, Seattle U, SFA, Sam Houston (No. 160) and ACU (No. 163) are ahead of the Texans. 

The Texans are slotted in front of California Baptist (No. 221), UTRGV (No. 272), Dixie State (No. 277), Chicago State (No. 337) and Lamar (No. 347). 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING 

"That was tough. Billy did a great job. We saw that - how they played Michigan. Even their KU game was tough deep into the second half. On short prep, we tried to get the guys ready for that and it was harder than it looked on film. We just did a great job of surviving it. Intense, pressure on the basketball, and they front, they rake you in the lane, and they reach, and poke, and grab, and they do a good job with it."  - Mark Few, Gonzaga head coach 

"You've got a chance to have a good team. A really good team. You've got interchangeable parts, everybody's about the same size, and as you get into the season, that will become much harder to score against because you guys are tough. You won't let bigs be bigs because you're tough." - Bill Self, Kansas head coach 

"Coach told us going in it was going to be a tough game, and they were going to pressure us a lot. That's something we didn't see against Michigan State, it was pretty much the opposite. Coach told us it was going to be a dog fight the whole time." - Christian Braun, Kansas guard 

"Tarleton is very good at getting into passing lanes, being active with their hands, feet, and their energy." - Juwan Howard, Michigan head coach 

"We got what we signed up for. They're scrappy. They play incredibly hard. They're arguably one of the hardest-playing teams in the country. They're really well-coached. Coach Gillispie is a great coach. I'm from Kentucky. I remember when he coached at Kentucky, Texas A&M and UTEP. He's done this for a long time. He's got a scrappy group. We saw it when they went to Gonzaga, we saw it when they went to Michigan, we've seen it every game they've played. They made us uncomfortable." - Richie Riley, South Alabama head coach 

"Billy Gillispie's teams really get after you defensively." - Isaac Brown, Wichita State head coach 

"The pressure certainly bothered us. Their game plan was really, really good, and they executed it very, very well." - Jerod Haase, Stanford head coach 

TAHJ SMALL, NOAH MCDAVID SWEEP WAC WEEKLY AWARDS 

Tahj Small was named the TicketSmarter WAC Player of the Week for Jan. 3-9 after leading Tarleton to home victories over Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin on Jan. 6-8. Additionally, Noah McDavid was chosen as the WAC Freshman of the Week for his efforts in helping the Texans secure the wins.  

A 6-4 guard, Small becomes the second player in program history to receive WAC Player of the Week honors. He joins position-mate Montre Gipson, who received the recognition on March 8 at the conclusion of the 2020-21 campaign.  

Small averaged 23 points per game in Tarleton's home sweep of its east Texas rivals. The Durham, North Carolina native delivered the best all-around performance of his two-year Texan career in Tarleton's wire-to-wire 75-64 defeat of the Bearkats on Jan. 6. The senior racked up a game and career high 28 points on 11-14 shooting in the Texans' win. 

His 28 points scored were an individual game high in true Division I games for Tarleton this season. Small was as efficient and aggressive as he's been offensively in the first half. He scored 16 of Tarleton's first 25 points behind a 4-4 mark from downtown and ended the half with 18 points scored to stake the Texans to a 42-31 lead.  

Defensively, recorded a game, season and career high four steals. He played the full 40 minutes and did so despite missing Tarleton's previous two games due to COVID-19 protocols.  

Small followed up his career night with an 18-point, five rebound effort in a come-from-behind 77-71 overtime victory over SFA two days later. He scored on two of Tarleton's first three possessions in overtime to give the Texans a 68-66 lead they never relinquished. Small was 6-6 from the foul line in the victory.  

McDavid's accolade is equally significant. He is the first player in Tarleton basketball history to receive WAC Freshman of the Week honors.  

The 6-5 guard was instrumental in helping Tarleton upset the Lumberjacks on Saturday. McDavid played 40 minutes for the first time in his career, finishing with six points along with career-highs in rebounds (five) and steals (three).  

His lone field goal of the night was one of the biggest buckets of the evening. With Tarleton nursing a 68-67 lead with under 3:00 to play in overtime, McDavid attempted a 3-pointer from the left baseline. The shot clanged off the front iron, but McDavid curled right around two Lumberjack defenders, secured his own rebound and converted a contested second-chance layup to keep Tarleton in front 70-67 with 2:20 to play.  

The Texans closed the game on a 9-4 run beginning with McDavid's layup.  

Two days prior, McDavid scored nine points on the strength of three makes from downtown in 37 minutes of action in the Texans' win over the Bearkats. McDavid was a part of Tarleton's best shooting night of the season. The Texans shot a season-high 59 percent (30-51) from the field and were 8-13 from long range in the first half. 

MCDAVID EARNS SECOND SET OF WAC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONORS 

The 6-5 guard was named the TicketSmarter WAC Freshman of the Week for Jan. 24-30 after helping Tarleton notch consecutive road victories over Lamar and UTRGV.  

McDavid started in both contests and averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He also connected on 5-12 attempts from long range.   

Three of his makes from behind the arc came in the Texans' 62-57 win over the Cardinals on Wednesday as a part of an 11-point, four-rebound and three-assist performance. McDavid played the full 40 minutes in the victory.  

McDavid's points vs. UTRGV came at key junctures of the Texans' 79-64 victory on Saturday. He connected on his first of two 3-pointers with 13:33 remaining in the first half to give Tarleton its first double-digit lead of the evening at 17-7 and force the Vaqueros to burn a timeout. McDavid then scored five straight points behind a pair of free throws and 3-pointer from the right key to increase the Texans' edge to 72-53 with 4:40 remaining and effectively ice the game.  

He is the first athlete in Tarleton basketball history to receive multiple sets of WAC weekly accolades. 

BOTHERSOME BOGUES 

Few players have been as big of a thorn in the side of opponents defensively than sophomore Shamir Bogues. 

The 6-5 guard ranks second in the WAC and is tied for 43rd in the nation in total steals with 47 as of Feb. 15. He is tied for second amongst his conference peers in steals per game (1.9). 

His two-swipe effort vs. Chicago State on Jan. 20 was his 23rd multi-steal game in his two-year Texan career and 11th this season. Bogues' seven steals at South Alabama were a conference single-game high.  

For his career, Bogues has recorded four-or-more steals on six occasions and reached three steals in 16 of his 43 games in Purple and White. 

He is Tarleton's active leader in career steals with 85. 

Bogues averaged four steals per contest as a senior at Killeen Ellison High School. 

GIPSON RACKING UP THE ALL-WAC ACCOLADES 

On Oct. 19, the 5-11 senior made history when he became the first basketball player in Tarleton's WAC and D1 era to receive Preseason All-WAC first team honors as voted on by the conference media. Gipson was one of just eight players to receive the distinction. He was also named to the Preseason Coaches' All-WAC Second Team. 

The accolade continued Gipson's inceptive two-year run at Tarleton. In April 2020, he became the first-ever Division I basketball signee in Tarleton sports history when he followed Gillispie from Ranger College to Stephenville. Following a standout 2020-21 campaign, Gipson was named to the All-WAC Newcomer and Honorable mention teams. He was also the first men's or women's player in school history to receive TicketSmarter WAC Player of the Week recognition after picking up the honor for March 1-7. 

Gipson earned his quartet of credentials on the strength of one of the best individual offensive seasons in the WAC last winter. He led Tarleton in points per game (15.3), assists per game (3.0) and free throw percentage (85.2) and his 50 percent mark on 3-pointers ranked first in the WAC. The 5-11 guard accounted for exactly 20 percent of Tarleton's field goals made with 106. His 290 points scored were tops on the team and represented 19.7 percent of the Texans' cumulative scoring. 

GIPSON STARS IN BIGGEST GAMES IN SCHOOL HISTORY 

The national stage and high-profile matchups have elevated the play of the Preseason All-WAC first team honoree.  

Gipson scored in double figures 11 times during nonconference play and led Tarleton in scoring five times. His 15 points vs. Stanford were a team high as were his 16 at Wichita State and 17 in Ann Arbor. 

Despite his listed height of 5-11, Gipson has been one of the Texans' most consistent rebounders in primetime. He tied for the game-high on the glass with seven boards at No. 20 Michigan, finished with six rebounds at North Dakota State and No. 3 Kansas. Gipson leads Tarleton in offensive rebounds with 31 and is third on the team in rebounds per game (5.1).  

Gipson was a pest at No. 3 Gonzaga. He led Tarleton with five assists and swiped the ball away a game-high three times. He then scored a season-high 29 points vs. SAGU on Dec. 8 and led all scorers with 27 points in Tarleton's 65- 52 victory over South Alabama on Dec. 17. 

SMALL PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF 

Small delivered one of the finest performances of Tarleton's D1 era against arguably the best team in the country, tallying a game-high 25 points at Gonzaga on Nov. 29. Small led all scorers, knocked down a game and career-high five attempts from long range and led Tarleton in rebounding with seven boards.  

He followed up the performance with a 24-point effort on 9-16 shooting to lead all scorers in Tarleton's first of two games against South Alabama on Dec. 14. Small then netted a game and career-high 28 points on 11-14 shooting to pace Tarleton to a 75-64 win over SHSU on Jan. 6.  

The Troy transfer has recorded two double-doubles this season. He scored 13 points and snagged 10 boards vs. Southwestern Assemblies of God on Dec. 8 and delivered a 16-point, 12-rebound performance vs. South Alabama on Dec. 17. 

The 6-5 guard has increased his scoring and rebounding averages considerably from 2020-21. He is tallying 13.9 points per game compared to 9.2 in his first year in Stephenville.  

FOUR ALL-WAC HONOREES IN FIRST OF FOUR D1 TRANSITION YEARS 

Hicks headlined Tarleton's list of award winners last season when he was named the conference's Freshman of the Year on March 9. The award was voted on by conference head coaches, who could not vote for their own players.  

No freshman in the conference enjoyed as strong a second half as the Searcy, Arkansas native. The 6-6 swingman led all WAC first-year players in scoring (8.2 ppg) and elevated his game as the schedule shifted to conference play, averaging 8.6 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game. Hicks led Tarleton with three double-doubles, all of which came on the road vs. conference opponents. He posted seven double-digit scoring games, including three in Tarleton's final five WAC games. 

Shakur Daniel and Small joined Gipson and Hicks atop the All-WAC pedestal, as they each were named to the All-Conference honorable mention team in March. Daniel was Tarleton's 'glue guy (7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.6 apg) while Small was Tarleton's leading rebounder (5.8 rpg) and ranked third in the WAC in 3-point field goal percentage (45.7). 

NO PLACE LIKE HOME 

Since 2007, Wisdom Gym has arguably been the toughest venue to play in over the state of Texas at any classification. Tarleton is 207-39 (.841) in home games over the last 15 years.  

The Texans were 6-3 at home in 2020-21. From 2007-2017, the Texans lost just 17 times at home. Tarleton posted a perfect 15-0 home record during the 2010-11 season. The program's 18 home victories against one defeat marked its most home wins in a single season.  

Under legendary head coach and current Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Lonn Reisman, Tarleton went an astounding 171-22 (.886) at home from 2007 through the 2017-18 season, when he stepped down as head coach and transitioned into a full-time Athletic Director role. Tarleton eclipsed two home losses just once in Reisman's final 11 years as the head man.