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UVU's Jackson Holcombe again did it all for the Wolverine's on Thursday, scoring a team-high 23 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out five assists in an 89-72 win over Southern Utah. January 8, 2026

Courtesy UVU Photo

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UVU forward Isaac Hawkins throws down two of his 10 points scored during an 89-72 win over SUU on Thursday. January 8, 2026

Courtesy UVU Photo

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Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips is quick to credit the players, while those same players, namely Jackson Holcombe, is just as quick to heap most of the praise on the coaches.

And that, ironically, may just illustrate why Utah Valley men’s basketball has forged the success it has so far this season.

On Thursday the Wolverines defeated in-state rival Southern Utah 89-72 to push their record to 13-4 with the thick of WAC Conference play coming on the horizon. It’s significant considering last season, which saw Utah Valley standing in with a 10-7 mark at the same juncture, before finishing off the season with a 25-9 record, which included a WAC regular season championship.

On the tail end of last season UVU lost arguably its three top players to the transfer portal, which were Tanner Toolson, who transferred to TCU, Dominick Nelson (Iowa State) and Carter Welling (Clemson.) So one could easily assume this season to be at least a bit of a rebuilding year for the Wolverines, although their current status would attest otherwise.

“I think it says a lot about the guys who came back and the work they put in to develop,” Phillips said. “…And then it’s about what our staff’s done with recruiting. We’re not only finding really good players, but guys who fit and can play our style.”

But, as mentioned, at least one of Phillips’ top playerssomewhat disagrees with his primary assessment.

“A lot of credit goes to our coaching staff,” Holcombe provided as the main reason in his mind. “They put us in positions to succeed, and we go into every game knowing what (the opponent’s) tendencies are…and what we need to do to execute and be successful.”

Players, coaches, ball boys, cheerleaders, whatever — all of it has combined to set UVU on a successful and somewhat surprising course through 17 games played this season.

Recently the team returned home from a road trip to West Texas where it split games versus conference opponents Tarleton State and Abilene Christian. Of course two wins would have been preferable, but the result was otherwise positive, but perhaps more importantly, instructive.

“We learned real quick that you can’t take a night off in the WAC,” Holcombe said. “Everyone is trying to win and everyone is going to give you their best shot. So we went out there and played soft, and we lost that last game, which we shouldn’t have done.”

Phillips would agree.

“You go through those growing pains, as a team, and figure out which buttons you need to push,” he said. “…But we have some toughness on our team. We have some guys who are tough and compete. We have to manage that a bit because it’s a long season.”

On Thursday Phillips managed a convincing 17-point win from his players despite a bevy of 3-pointers made by the visiting Thunderbirds to keep things perhaps closer than anticipated through the first half. But the Wolverines took charge in the second half, led by Holcombe’s game-high 23 points scored with Tyler Hendricks adding 14, Noah Taitz adding 11 and Isaac Hawkins chipping in 10.

“It’s always good to get a win in conference. It’s definitely never easy to play an in-state rival,” Holcombe said. “Those guys want to win and you have a lot of guys from (nearby), so it’s going to be a battle every time we play them, and we have to play them two more times.”

The margin of victory, not to mention UVU playing without Sherman Weatherspoon, who sat out due to being sick, allowed Phillips to empty his bench with some of the more seldom-used players, such as AJ Riggs, Tyler Weaver and Jaxon Roberts able to showcase some of their abilities.

“Other than winning, that was probably the best thing tonight,” Holcombe said. “I see the work those guys put in every single day…So it’s awesome that everyone else gets to see what we see every day.”

So it’s all coming together nicely, although both Phillips and his players are cognizant of the need to improve with every game while recognizing the significant strides this year’s team has made despite everything that went against it in the offseason.

“I think it says a lot about the guys who came back and the work they put in to develop,” Phillips said. “…And then it’s about what our staff’s done with recruiting. We’re not only finding really good players, but guys who fit and can play our style.”

As mentioned, UVU improves to 13-4 on the season and will next take on UT-Arlington at home before heading back on the road for three straight.