UVU in Michigan to face Summit League champs

ROCHESTER, Mich. — Utah Valley will play its final game of the early season Southwest Classic on Friday at Summit League champion Oakland University. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. EST and can be heard live on 960 AM the Zone.

The Wolverines (3-2) fell late at Arkansas on Tuesday in Fayetteville. UVU led by four with fewer than four minutes to go, but the Razorbacks came back to edge the Wolverines in their first game against an SEC opponent.

Geddes Robinson and Ben Aird both had double-doubles in the loss. Both finished with 12 points while Robinson hauled in 15 boards and Aird grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and blocked three shots. Keith Thompson led the team with 13 points.

UVU is 1-2 in the five-team Southwest Classic while Oakland, Houston and Arkansas are all 2-1 and Grambling State is 0-3.

Friday's game will mark the first meeting between UVU and Oakland and will be the home opener for OU. Oakland gave Houston its first loss of the season on Monday night, 76-74, with four different players reaching double figures. The Golden Grizzlies are back-to-back Summit League regular season and tournament champions and currently rank 25th in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll. UVU — the defending Great West Conference champion — is among others receiving votes in the poll.

"Oakland's playing really well right now. They're getting a very balanced attack. It seems like every game a new player steps up and has a big night," said UVU coach Dick Hunsaker. "(Reggie) Hamilton is a first-team All-Summit League player, and Coach Kampe is a hall-of-fame coach and always has his team well-prepared."

Following Friday's game, the Wolverines will return home to host Northern Illinois on Monday before traveling to Laramie to face Wyoming on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

Clint Burgi is the assistant athletic director for sports information at Utah Valley University. For more information on Wolverine athletics, visit http://www.WolverineGreen.com