Following a victorious game against their rivals Utah Tech University, the Southern Utah University men’s basketball team is preparing for their final two games of the season. The T-Birds will face off against Utah Valley University on Thursday, March 5. That game will be followed up with a match against California Baptist University on Saturday, March 7.
Both games will take place in the America First Event Center in Cedar City at 6:30 p.m., and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds have an overall record of 10-19 and a conference record of 6-10, placing them at No. 5 in the conference standings.
After two away-game losses, SUU pulled off a triumphant victory against Utah Tech on Saturday, beating out the Trailblazers 81-67.
SUU’s strength this season has been in Cedar City, with their home game record being 7-4. With these next two games, the Thunderbirds have the potential to end the season on a positive note. If SUU wins their last two games and the University of Texas at Arlington doesn’t, they could move to the No. 4 spot in the conference.
Utah Valley
The Wolverines have had a strong season. They hold an overall record of 22-7 and a conference record of 12-4, placing them in the top spot in the WAC.
The Wolverines have won their last four games, with their most recent being a seven-point triumph against Abilene Christian University. However, the last time they took on the Thunderbirds was a home game in which they lost 84-70. If the Thunderbirds can adapt to the way the Wolverines play the game, we could be looking at a similar story on Thursday.
Despite a lawsuit that threatened to block UVU from the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, a temporary injunction will allow them to play in Las Vegas next week. SUU will need to play well against the reigning WAC champs in order to have hope in the tournament.
California Baptist
The Lancers currently hold an overall record of 21-8 with a conference record of 11-5, placing them just below the Wolverines in the WAC standings.
California Baptist is also coming off of a win, beating Tarleton State 82-67. After a short two-game losing streak, CBU has now won 11 of their last 13.
The Lancers have beaten the Thunderbirds the past two times they have faced off. However, with this being the last game of the season, the T-Birds are going to put up a fight.
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Author: Conner Dean
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
