California Baptist University
Utah Valley University
MBB Preview: The Lancers Set to Face Utah Valley in First Round of WAC Tournament
3/11/2024 6:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team will open up the Western Athletic Conference Tournament with a first-round matchup with Utah Valley on Wednesday night at the Orleans Arena.
This will be the fourth trip in four years for the Lancers to WAC Vegas, where they have a 2-3 record. CBU has advanced past the first round in each of the last two seasons, including a 69-62 victory over Abilene Christian in the first round of last year's tournament. CBU will be looking for its first-ever victory in the Orleans Arena, as both of their previous wins came at the Michelob Ultra Arena, where the WAC held the First Round games the past two seasons.
The Lancers finished the season 15-16 overall and 8-12 in conference play, earning the eighth seed in the tournament. The Wolverines, meanwhile, finished 16-15 on the season with an 11-9 mark in conference play. The Wolverines are trending in the right direction entering the tournament, winning seven of their last eight heading into the tournament.
During the regular season, the Wolverines swept the Lancers in the two matchups. The first game was in Orem in early January, where the Wolverines bested the Lancers 65-58. The second and most recent matchup was in mid-February, where the Wolverines decisively beat the Lancers in Riverside 69-46. Utah Valley has had CBU's number over the past few seasons, winning each of the past five games against the Lancers. The last CBU win occurred in February of 2022 in Riverside. The Lancers will look to flip the script in the first-ever neutral site meeting between the two programs.
The Wolverines are led by first-year head coach Todd Phillips, who was previously the lead assistant with the Wolverines over the past few years under Mark Madsen, who left for Cal in the offseason. Phillips' squad has two double-figure scorers in Caleb Stone-Carrawell and Drake Allen, who combine to average over 23 per contest. Utah Valley is among the top 50 in the nation at protecting the rim, rejecting 4.5 shots per game. A large reason for their defensive prowess is the emergence of Trevin Dorius. Dorius is 43rd in the country in blocks per game, with nearly two per contest, and is 45th in total blocks, with 56 rejections on the season.
For the Lancers, the name of the game has been defense all season. CBU has hung its hat on the defensive end of the court, ranking 31st in the country in scoring defense and #1 in the conference. The Lancers hold their opposition to 66.2 points per game and have only surrendered an 80-point game twice this season. CBU has allowed 70 points only nine times this season and has held an opponent under 60 points seven times.
The defensive energy has translated to the glass for CBU as well, led by Hunter Goodrick and Yvan Ouedraogo, who are both top 60 in the country in rebounding at 53rd and 59th, respectively. The Lancers are one of two teams in the nation with two players in the top 70 in rebounding and have the fourth-best duo in the country in rebounding average behind Harrison Ingram and Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Jacob Crews and Issa Muhammad (UT Martin), and Aboubacar Traore and Lassina Traore of Long Beach State. Goodrick and Ouedraogo are 1st and 2nd in the WAC in rebounds per game and total rebounding, with Goodrick leading with 264.
On the national stage, CBU is 30th in rebounding margin at 5.5 per game. The Lancers have won the rebounding battle in 25 of the 31 games this season and have outrebounded their opposition by double-digits ten times.
MATCHUP INFORMATION:
WAC FIRST ROUND:
Opponent: Utah Valley
Date and Time: Wednesday, March 13, 6 PM PT
Location: Las Vegas, NV- Orleans Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: FOX AM 1350
Tickets: Here
