# Utah Valley Wolverines men's basketball

The Utah Valley Wolverines men's basketball team is a team that represents Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, United States. The team is currently coached by Todd Phillips. The school's team currently competes in the Western Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball. Its home games are played in the UCCU Center on the school's Orem, Utah campus. The Wolverines have yet to appear in the NCAA tournament since moving to Division I. The Wolverines joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 2013 as part of the early-2010s NCAA conference realignment.

## Overview and history

Utah Valley University basketball began in the 1984–85 season. The Wolverines competed in the Scenic West Athletic Conference of the National Junior College Athletic Association until the 2003–04 season, when they moved up to Division I (provisional status) and the Great West Conference. They are the only team in NCAA history to move directly to Division I from the NJCAA. Utah Valley was granted full Division I status in July of 2009. After spending five seasons in the Great West, the Wolverines moved to the Western Athletic Conference, with the rest of Utah Valley University's intercollegiate sports teams. They reached their first conference tournament final in the WAC in 2025.

## Seasons

Statistics overview :
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
| Utah Valley State College (Independent) (2003–2008) ||||||
| 2003–04 | Dick Hunsaker | 23–5 | | | |
| 2004–05 | Dick Hunsaker | 16–12 | | | |
| 2005–06 | Dick Hunsaker | 16–13 | | | |
| 2006–07 | Dick Hunsaker | 22–7 | | | |
| 2007–08 | Dick Hunsaker | 15–14 | | | |
| Utah Valley (Great West Conference) (2008–2013) ||||||
| 2008–09 | Dick Hunsaker | 17–11 | | N/A | |
| 2009–10 | Dick Hunsaker | 12–18 | 5–7 | T-3rd | |
| 2010–11 | Dick Hunsaker | 19–11 | 11–1 | 1st | |
| 2011–12 | Dick Hunsaker | 20–13 | 9–1 | 1st | CIT First Round |
| 2012–13 | Dick Hunsaker | 14–18 | 3–5 | T-3rd | |
| Utah Valley (Western Athletic Conference) (2013–present) ||||||
| 2013–14 | Dick Hunsaker | 20–12 | 13–3 | 1st | NIT First Round |
| 2014–15 | Dick Hunsaker | 11–19 | 5–9 | 6th | |
| 2015–16 | Mark Pope | 12–18 | 6–8 | 5th | |
| 2016–17 | Mark Pope | 17–17 | 6–8 | 5th | CBI Semifinals |
| 2017–18 | Mark Pope | 23–11 | 10–4 | 2nd | CBI Quarterfinals |
| 2018–19 | Mark Pope | 25–10 | 12–4 | 2nd | CBI Quarterfinals |
| 2019–20 | Mark Madsen | 11–19 | 5–10 | 8th | |
| 2020–21 | Mark Madsen | 11–11 | 9–4 | T-1st | |
| 2021–22 | Mark Madsen | 20–12 | 10–8 | 4th | |
| 2022–23 | Mark Madsen | 28–9 | 15–3 | 1st | NIT Semifinals |
| 2023–24 | Todd Phillips | 16–16 | 11–9 | T-4th | |
| 2024–25 | Todd Phillips | 25–8 | 15–1 | 1st | NIT |
| Total: | Total: | 393–284 (.581) | | | |
| National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||
* ^ Before 2003 Utah Valley State College was a Junior College. They received approval to begin transition to D1 status in Spring 2003. JC transitions to D1 require a 6-year transition period, meaning they weren't eligible for NCAA or NIT Tournament appearances until the 2009–10 season.
* ^ The Great West Conference announced the teams that were invited to join their conference during spring 2008. However most of the teams already had scheduled Independent schedules for the 2008–2009 season, so the conference held off on scheduling regular season matches and a conference tournament until 2009–10.

## Postseason results
### NIT results

The Wolverines have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) two times. Their combined record is 3–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2014 | First Round | California | L 64–77 |
| 2023 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | New Mexico Colorado Cincinnati UAB | W 83–69 W 81–69 W 74-68 L 86–88$^{OT}$ |
| 2025 | First Round | San Francisco | |

### CIT results

The Wolverines have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) one time. Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2012 | First round | Weber State | L 69–72 |

### CBI results

The Wolverines have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) three times. Their combined record is 4–3.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2017 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Georgia Southern Rice Wyoming | W 74–49 W 85–79 L 68–74 |
| 2018 | First round Quarterfinals | Eastern Washington San Francisco | W 87–65 L 73–78 |
| 2019 | First round Quarterfinals | Cal State Northridge South Florida | W 92–84 L 57–66 |

## Wolverines in the NBA

3 former Utah Valley players have played at least one game in the NBA.
| Name | Draft Year | Draft Team |
| Travis Hansen | 2003 | Atlanta Hawks |
| Michael McDonald | 1995 | Golden State Warriors |
| Ronnie Price | 2005 | Undrafted |