Utah Valley will host George Washington in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) at the UCCU Center on Wednesday, March 18, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. Mountain Time.
The matchup is significant as Utah Valley enters the postseason with a strong record and a notable home winning streak. The Wolverines finished their regular season at 25-8 after reaching the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. They also secured their second consecutive outright WAC regular-season title and have achieved back-to-back seasons with more than 20 wins.
Utah Valley has excelled at home this year, maintaining a perfect 15-0 record at the UCCU Center and extending its home winning streak to 27 games, which is currently the fourth-longest such streak in the nation. Redshirt sophomore guard Jackson Holcombe leads the team with an average of 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Redshirt junior guard Trevan Leonhardt contributes an average of 12.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and six assists per game while leading the conference in total assists and assists per game.
Leonhardt recently broke Utah Valley’s single-season assists record for a second straight year and holds the program’s all-time steals record. Holcombe has also set a new school single-season steals record this season.
George Washington comes into Wednesday’s contest with an overall record of 18-15 after advancing to the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament before losing to top-seeded Saint Louis. This will be the first meeting between Utah Valley and George Washington.
The winner will move on to face either New Mexico or Sam Houston in the NIT second round, scheduled for March 21-22. Utah Valley is making its fourth appearance in the NIT and its second consecutive postseason showing in this tournament. Last year, they reached the Final Four before falling to UAB in overtime during semifinals play.
