OREM — Utah Valley is going on the offensive as the Wolverines prepare to open the postseason the the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament in Las Vegas.
The university released a rare public statement Wednesday related to its ongoing $1 million lawsuit with the WAC, which alleged an unpaid exit fee on the departing school's way to the Big West in a lawsuit filed Feb. 3 in Texas court.
Since then, the school has received two preliminary injunctions/temporary restraining orders from Utah's Fourth District Court allowing the Wolverines to participate in the WAC postseason in a variety of sports, including the men's and women's basketball tournaments.
UVU women's basketball will open the WAC tournament as the No. 4 seed Thursday against fifth-seeded Tarleton State (1 p.m. MT, ESPN+), while the top-seeded Utah Valley men's team will open in Friday's semifinals against the winner of No. 4 UT Arlington and No. 4 Southern Utah (7 p.m. MT, ESPN+).
But the WAC made a seemingly last-ditch effort to bar the programs from the postseason Tuesday, claiming the university had not complied with what it said was a court order to deposit $1 million into an escrow account for the duration of the litigation.
Part of Utah Valley's defense against the conference's allegations was a counter-argument alleging the WAC's "failure to UVU approximately $2.3 million which amount includes NCAA distributions" earned by Utah Valley teams, according to the university and its legal counsel.
"These funds are vital to support and administer athletics at the university," the statement read.
Statement on Utah Valley University WAC Litigation
— UVU Wolverines (@GoUVU) March 12, 2026
1/9 pic.twitter.com/OieKucK0Kd
The school has also challenged the jurisdiction of the Texas court in Tarrant County in which the conference filed the lawsuit, seeking to move the suit to a Utah court.
The first counter-suit included a temporary restraining order against the conference, in which Judge Denise M. Porter wrote in an 11-page court filing detailing her decision that she believed "the Court is persuaded that careful review of the motion pleadings, exhibits and papers show that UVU will likely prevail upon its claims and is entitled to the equitable remedy of a restraining order as relief to reinstate their participation in the conference while the fee issue is litigated to prevent irreparable harm."
A second 14-day injunction was later sought, and received March 6 that allowed the Wolverines to participate in the basketball tournament in Las Vegas.
The injunction also ordered the WAC to "immediately reinstate UVU to all WAC-sponsored media broadcasts," as well as permitting all teams and athletes to participate in conference and NcAA postseason tournaments and/or championships and be eligible for postseason award considerations.
The $1 million escrow payment as directed by the court was not a settlement or exit fee to the WAC, the university explained. Instead, it was an attempt to bar the school's basketball teams from the postseason as a result of the "unilateral declaration and self-imposed deadline" imposed by the conference that violated the court's order.
"While litigation is pending, and as part of the legal proceedings, UVU has agreed to place $1 million in an escrow account overseen by the Utah Court," the school said. "If UVU prevails in the litigation, that $1 million will be returned to UVU.
"UVU will continue to defend its student-athletes' rights to compete and looks forward to a speedy resolution to the matter," the statement added.
