Western Colorado vs Utah Valley prediction: Utah Valley opens its Big West era by rebuilding a gutted backcourt
A Monday exhibition against Western Colorado is the first look at who replaces the guards who drove last season's 25-9 team.
- Utah Valley should control an exhibition the hosts won 92-57 two Novembers ago; the real interest is rotation and minutes.
- Watch who handles the ball now that Trevan Leonhardt (6.0 assists per game last season) has left for Nebraska.
- No spread or total has been posted. Western Colorado's schedule lists this as an exhibition.
A tune-up with new stakes
Western Colorado's own schedule calls this an exhibition, and the tip time is still listed as TBA for Monday, Nov. 2, at the UCCU Center. The stakes are internal. Utah Valley is about to play its first season in the Big West, and the conference's media poll picked the Wolverines 4th, with 73 points from 11 voters.
Todd Phillips enters his fourth season after a 25-9 finish that ended without the WAC title, a 63-61 loss to California Baptist in the championship game. The series offers little suspense: Utah Valley won 81-73 in November 2023 and 92-57 in November 2024.
Who runs the offence now
The departures hit the backcourt hardest. Leonhardt played 34.5 minutes a night last season and is now at Nebraska. Tyler Hendricks, who shot 44.8% from three, is at Oklahoma. Jackson Holcombe, last season's 16.0-point leader, was listed on Utah's 2026-27 roster as of April.
Isaac Davis is the clearest holdover, an efficient forward with a 63.8% effective field goal percentage (a shooting mark that counts threes as 1.5 shots) last season. Noah Taitz, who hit 34.5% of his threes, and Braden Housley return in the guard group. The newcomers are where the minutes will be decided: transfers Jordy Barnes (Utah State), Tanner Davis (Utah Tech), Sebastian Muchitsch and fifth-year Dominick Nelson, plus international signees Modestas Babraitis and Jovan Nekic.
Chaos as an identity
Last season's Wolverines lived on extra possessions. They forced turnovers at a 22.5% rate, 6th of 365, and grabbed 36.5% of their own misses, 25th. The cost was carelessness: a 20.6% turnover rate ranked 354th.
With much of the backcourt gone, those team numbers are a loose guide. An exhibition is a chance to see whether the new guards keep the pressure and clean up the giveaways.
Key players
- Isaac Davis (Utah Valley): Started all 34 games last season and averaged 10.9 points on 62.3% shooting.
- Noah Taitz (Utah Valley): The returning perimeter threat, he made 30 threes at 34.5% last season.
- Braden Housley (Utah Valley): Made 19 starts last season, averaging 2.7 assists in 26.1 minutes.
Numbers that matter
| Forced turnover rate, last season | 22.5% | Ranked 6th nationally and was the engine of last season's defence. |
|---|---|---|
| Own turnover rate, last season | 354th | The weakness a reshuffled backcourt has to fix. |
| Big West media poll | 4th | Utah Valley's preseason slot in its first year in the league. |
| 2024 meeting | 92-57 | Utah Valley's most recent win over Western Colorado. |
Western Colorado vs Utah Valley: quick answers
When is Western Colorado vs Utah Valley?
Monday, November 2, 2026 at 12:00 AM ET.