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OREM — A 20-game conference schedule is a grind.
Even with some conferences playing two of their 20 games in early December to reduce congestion and adding single-game bye weeks, it doesn't make the schedule any easier. So when an extended break comes, it can be beneficial, especially when the break comes after two emotional games.
"It's huge," Utah Valley Wolverines men's basketball head coach Todd Phillips said. "Our roadtrips are long and brutal; it's nice to have extra time to prepare."
They will need it this week, as Utah Valley travels to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle U Redhawks in a nationally-televised game Friday (7 p.m. MST, ESPNU).
Wolverines guard Drake Allen, a transfer from Southern Utah, said being locked in on defense will be key. The Redhawks' high-powered offense averages 75.7 points per game this season, including a 45% field goal shooting percentage.
It's also home to one of the most hostile crowds in the Western Athletic Conference. The Redhawk Center, though it seats only 1,000 fans, has been near capacity every home game this season for Seattle men's basketball. Allen said Utah Valley has learned its lesson from being in another unfriendly environment at Grand Canyon last week.
"You have to maintain your emotions, even when the crowd gets into it," Allen said.
More importantly, this game marks the de facto halfway point of the WAC schedule. The Wolverines sit tied for fourth with UT Arlington at 4-4 in the WAC standings heading into Friday's game at Seattle U.
"We've been up and down, like all young teams have," Phillips said. "Every game is going to be a battle."
For a team that has 11 transfers, that's especially true. But Phillips said having a leader like Allen in the locker room has been big for the team; it has not come without setbacks, though. Allen missed a few games with an injury earlier this season, and he admits he hasn't been shooting up to his standard since. But it hasn't stopped his ability to be vocal with his teammates.
"I pride myself on being a leader," Allen said. "At the same time, the guys are starting to understand the game and define their roles, which takes a lot of pressure off of me."
Another issue the Wolverines have faced this season is trying to string complete games together. The Wolverines got off to a hot start and had to hang on against Utah Tech on Saturday, but the opposite happened at Grand Canyon — Utah Valley started slow and was able to battle back before falling to the Lopes.
Phillips said that kind of fight to claw back, like the Wolverines did against Grand Canyon, is what they need more of heading down the stretch of conference play.
"Good things happen when you do that," Phillips said. "We had a tendency to hang our heads instead of staying within the game plan when bad things happened, but we're getting better at moving past them and just fighting to the end."
Allen also has his sights set on playing in a postseason tournament, and he wants Saturday's win against Utah Tech to be a springboard to the rest of the Wolverines' season.
"Our numbers don't show how good a team we really are," he said. "I'm proud of the guys for finding ways to win. The way I see it, we've got 40 more minutes to bring it home on Friday."
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Alex Tumalip
