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UVU fans cheer on head coach Todd Phillips as he walks in front of the bench after the WAC championship game against Grand Canyon at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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UVU players celebrate with senior Tahlia White (center) after a big play during the WAC quarterfinal game against Abilene Christian at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday, March 13, 2025.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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UVU players celebrate after the quarterfinal game against Utah Tech in the WAC Tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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UVU fans cheer on their team during the WAC championship game against Grand Canyon at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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UVU head coach Dan Nielson directs his team during the WAC game against Cal Baptist at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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UVU sophomore Tanner Toolson celebrates with the fans during the WAC game against Seattle at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb, 22, 2025.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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After a historic season, which included a 15-1 record in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play and a first-ever appearance in the WAC Tournament championship game, Utah Valley has earned an automatic bid to the 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

The Wolverines (25-8) will travel to San Francisco to take on the Dons (24-9) in the first round on Wednesday, March 19, at 8 p.m. PT/9 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

This marks Utah Valley’s third appearance in the NIT. In 2014, UVU fell at Cal in the first round, but in the team’s last NIT appearance in 2023, the Wolverines made a historic run to the Final Four, securing wins over New Mexico, Colorado, and Cincinnati before narrowly losing in overtime to UAB in the semifinals.

The Wolverines and the Dons have met three times in history, with UVU holding a 1-2 record against San Francisco. UVU’s lone victory came in 2007, when the Wolverines defeated the Dons 73-61 in Orem. The two teams last faced off in 2018 in the second round of the College Basketball Invitational, where UVU fell 78-73. UVU is 0-2 in games played at San Francisco.

San Francisco is making its second consecutive appearance in the NIT. The Dons finished the regular season with a 24-9 overall record and a 13-5 West Coast Conference mark, securing a third-place finish in the league. Under the guidance of third-year head coach Chris Gerlufsen, San Francisco reached the semifinals of the WCC Championship and will host its first-round game on campus for the first time in over a decade.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU. Fans can also tune into the radio broadcast on the Wolverine Sports Network and ESPN The Fan.

The winner of the Utah Valley-San Francisco matchup will face the winner of the San José State vs. Loyola Chicago game in the second round. The 2025 NIT will culminate with the semifinals and championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

On the strength of a record-setting season, the Utah Valley University women’s basketball team has been selected to participate in the 27th annual Postseason WNIT, powered by Triple Crown Sports.

The Wolverines will open the 2025 Postseason WNIT at Air Force on Friday at 6:30 p.m. MT at Clune Arena. The game is a rematch of an Air Force win, also in Colorado, from last December 4.

The winner of Friday’s game is slated to travel to Washington State, with the exact date and time to be announced within the game held between March 23-26.

The WNIT invite marks just the second time Utah Valley will compete in the postseason in its NCAA Division I era. The Wolverines were also the WAC’s representative in the 2021 NCAA Tournament when regular season and tournament champion California Baptist was not yet eligible due to its transition from Division II. That year, UVU was tasked with eventual national champion Stanford.

The Wolverines, at 18-12 overall, have set a program record for wins at the NCAA DI level this season, improving on the 2008-09 squad’s 17-win season. Utah Valley tied for fourth in the WAC regular season, going 9-7 in league play. UVU’s 18 wins represent an 8-game improvement from last season and a 12-game difference from the 2022-23 season.