Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, February 28
Dee Glenn Smith Spectrum • Logan, Utah
8 p.m.
Grand Canyon
at
Utah State
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Lopes look to back up home upset at Utah State
2/27/2026 6:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU tries to hold onto 4th at Spectrum, where Aggies are 12-1
With three games over eight days, Grand Canyon's first regular season in the Mountain West will end with nearly as many questions as when the conference season started in December.
The Lopes (18-10, 11-6 MW) have played elite basketball at times with a 3-0 record against the conference's top two teams and will go for a sweep at 8 p.m. Saturday at co-leader Utah State. The students began camping outside of the Spectrum on Tuesday night for the FS1 game, just to spite the Havocs' three-night campout before they stormed the court Jan. 17 for the Lopes' 84-74 upset of then-No. 23 Aggies.
Because of unexpected losses, GCU is fighting for fourth place and the last Mountain West Championship first-round bye. Meanwhile, Utah State (23-5, 13-4 MW) remains in a title chase despite coming off consecutive road losses to Nevada (80-77) and San Diego State (89-72) in the past week. The Aggies, who NET ranks 25th nationally, are 12-1 at the Spectrum with the lone loss coming Jan. 20 to UNLV (86-76).
"We're going to go into this Utah State game with nothing but confidence," GCU senior guard Jaden Henley said. "We're going to play with confidence. We're capable of beating everybody in this conference, so we're going to go in there with that mentality to get a win."
With March Madness nearly here, here are the current five Ws (who, what, when, where and why) to GCU basketball:
Statistically, few can. Henley, the 6-foot-7 native of Ontario, California, is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game this season. Only three other players in the nation are hitting those averages: Cameron Boozer of Duke, Dailyn Swain of Texas and Prophet Johnson of Sacramento State.
Henley, the Mountain West's No. 5 scorer, played one of his best games of the season in Saturday night's win against UNLV, coming within one of his career scoring high with 28 points and within two of his career rebounding high with 11 boards. His four career double-doubles have all come with GCU this season, with the first three happening on the road.
On Saturday, Henley went 3 for 3 from 3-point range, marking his first game with three made 3s since Opening Night. GCU head coach Bryce Drew noted how driving lanes open for Henley when his 3-point threat forces them to close out on him.
"I haven't been shooting the ball as well as I wanted to this year," said Henley, who is at 27% on 3s this season after shooting 35% last season. "You've just got to trust the reps. You can't get down on the shots. Drew gives me nothing but confidence: 'If you're open, knock it down.' "
"They're sensational anywhere and even better at home," Drew said.
The seats feel as if they are on top of the court, with a HURD student section that is the life of the building with chants and songs that begin with a "Welcome to hell" greeting after visiting team introductions.
The students go as far as to wear medical gloves at times to make their clapping louder.
"It's probably going to be pretty crazy," said Henley, who scored 16 points for UNLV in a 76-71 loss at Utah State last season. "We're going to go in there with a calm mind and be ready to get a win."
GCU's only previous visit to the Spectrum came in a 2012 exhibition game as a Division II program. Utah State won 76-44.
This is a two-game road swing with GCU following the Saturday night game at Utah State with a Tuesday night game at last-place Air Force.
The Lopes' regular-season and home finale will be the following Saturday, March 7, against Fresno State (12-16, 6-11 MW). The Bulldogs have stepped up in conference play for wins against UNLV and Colorado State.
Lope Nation will turn Las Vegas into Lopes Vegas but in a different venue this year. GCU's first participation in the Mountain West Championship will be at Thomas & Mack Center, where the tournament runs from March 11 to March 14.
As a No. 5 seed, GCU would play at 3:30 p.m. (Phoenix time) on March 11 with the winner playing in the same time slot (2:30 p.m. in Las Vegas) for the March 12 quarterfinals. As a No. 4 seed, that March 12 quarterfinal would be GCU's tournament opener.
That gives Nevada the head-to-head tiebreaker, necessitating GCU to have a better record over the final three games. The Wolf Pack also plays Air Force after games at UNLV and at Wyoming.
GCU's sweep of UNLV did help to get a firmer position to not fall below a No. 5 seed, which likely will have a first-round game against an Air Force team that is winless in Mountain West play. The Lopes lead UNLV and Fresno State by two games apiece and have not lost to either team.
For the eight teams playing in the first round of the Mountain West Championship at Thomas & Mack Center, a run of four wins in four days would be required to take the title and the conference's NCAA Tournament automatic berth.
Prior to the two road losses, Utah State had won its last two home games by 24 against Memphis and by 19 against Boise State.
GCU had the optimum two-way mix in the first win, shooting 51% and holding Utah State to 36%.
Offensively, the Lopes handled full-court pressure well and played patiently against the Aggies' matchup zone. The Lopes are 11-0 when they shoot 49% or better and are following a game in which Utah State allowed a season-high 89 points to San Diego State. The Aztecs reached the bonus situation early, a scenario GCU often thrives off doing, and frequently got to the rim.
Defensively, the energy and size wore Utah State down in its second-worst shooting game of the season. The Aggies, who were affected by San Diego State's size Wednesday, have shot 40.4% or worse in four of their five losses. Normally, Utah State is the ninth-best shooting team in the nation (50.6%) with the only pair of 15-point scorers in the conference in M.J. Collins and Mason Falslev, guards who shoot better than 50%.
GCU graduate guard Brian Moore Jr., who re-emerged Wednesday with a 17-point game, dogged and denied Collins defensively and scored a season-high 20 points in the first meeting.
"We're playing another great team," Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun said on his KVNU postgame show Wednesday while challenging his seniors to lead Saturday. "The league is very, very unforgiving. The league is brutal. You've got to be ready every single night."
The Lopes (18-10, 11-6 MW) have played elite basketball at times with a 3-0 record against the conference's top two teams and will go for a sweep at 8 p.m. Saturday at co-leader Utah State. The students began camping outside of the Spectrum on Tuesday night for the FS1 game, just to spite the Havocs' three-night campout before they stormed the court Jan. 17 for the Lopes' 84-74 upset of then-No. 23 Aggies.
Because of unexpected losses, GCU is fighting for fourth place and the last Mountain West Championship first-round bye. Meanwhile, Utah State (23-5, 13-4 MW) remains in a title chase despite coming off consecutive road losses to Nevada (80-77) and San Diego State (89-72) in the past week. The Aggies, who NET ranks 25th nationally, are 12-1 at the Spectrum with the lone loss coming Jan. 20 to UNLV (86-76).
"We're going to go into this Utah State game with nothing but confidence," GCU senior guard Jaden Henley said. "We're going to play with confidence. We're capable of beating everybody in this conference, so we're going to go in there with that mentality to get a win."
With March Madness nearly here, here are the current five Ws (who, what, when, where and why) to GCU basketball:
Who can hang with Henley?
Statistically, few can. Henley, the 6-foot-7 native of Ontario, California, is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game this season. Only three other players in the nation are hitting those averages: Cameron Boozer of Duke, Dailyn Swain of Texas and Prophet Johnson of Sacramento State.Henley, the Mountain West's No. 5 scorer, played one of his best games of the season in Saturday night's win against UNLV, coming within one of his career scoring high with 28 points and within two of his career rebounding high with 11 boards. His four career double-doubles have all come with GCU this season, with the first three happening on the road.
On Saturday, Henley went 3 for 3 from 3-point range, marking his first game with three made 3s since Opening Night. GCU head coach Bryce Drew noted how driving lanes open for Henley when his 3-point threat forces them to close out on him.
"I haven't been shooting the ball as well as I wanted to this year," said Henley, who is at 27% on 3s this season after shooting 35% last season. "You've just got to trust the reps. You can't get down on the shots. Drew gives me nothing but confidence: 'If you're open, knock it down.' "
What can GCU expect at the Spectrum?
Utah State will be looking for some "Spectrum Magic," a phrase associated with the loud, rowdy environment of the 10,270-seat Dee Glen Smith Spectrum."They're sensational anywhere and even better at home," Drew said.
The seats feel as if they are on top of the court, with a HURD student section that is the life of the building with chants and songs that begin with a "Welcome to hell" greeting after visiting team introductions.
The students go as far as to wear medical gloves at times to make their clapping louder.
"It's probably going to be pretty crazy," said Henley, who scored 16 points for UNLV in a 76-71 loss at Utah State last season. "We're going to go in there with a calm mind and be ready to get a win."
GCU's only previous visit to the Spectrum came in a 2012 exhibition game as a Division II program. Utah State won 76-44.
When will Lope Nation see the team again?
This is a two-game road swing with GCU following the Saturday night game at Utah State with a Tuesday night game at last-place Air Force.The Lopes' regular-season and home finale will be the following Saturday, March 7, against Fresno State (12-16, 6-11 MW). The Bulldogs have stepped up in conference play for wins against UNLV and Colorado State.
Lope Nation will turn Las Vegas into Lopes Vegas but in a different venue this year. GCU's first participation in the Mountain West Championship will be at Thomas & Mack Center, where the tournament runs from March 11 to March 14.
As a No. 5 seed, GCU would play at 3:30 p.m. (Phoenix time) on March 11 with the winner playing in the same time slot (2:30 p.m. in Las Vegas) for the March 12 quarterfinals. As a No. 4 seed, that March 12 quarterfinal would be GCU's tournament opener.
Where does GCU stand for tourney seeding?
The Lopes do not control its destiny to get one of the Mountain West Championship's four first-round byes. GCU is tied with Nevada at 11-6 in conference play, but the Wolf Pack won the teams' only meeting when the Lopes' late lead in regulation slipped away to lead to an overtime loss in Reno.That gives Nevada the head-to-head tiebreaker, necessitating GCU to have a better record over the final three games. The Wolf Pack also plays Air Force after games at UNLV and at Wyoming.
GCU's sweep of UNLV did help to get a firmer position to not fall below a No. 5 seed, which likely will have a first-round game against an Air Force team that is winless in Mountain West play. The Lopes lead UNLV and Fresno State by two games apiece and have not lost to either team.
For the eight teams playing in the first round of the Mountain West Championship at Thomas & Mack Center, a run of four wins in four days would be required to take the title and the conference's NCAA Tournament automatic berth.
Why can the Lopes upset the Aggies again?
The path to repeating a win against Utah State gets tougher because of the road environment and the championship stakes for the Aggies.Prior to the two road losses, Utah State had won its last two home games by 24 against Memphis and by 19 against Boise State.GCU had the optimum two-way mix in the first win, shooting 51% and holding Utah State to 36%.
Offensively, the Lopes handled full-court pressure well and played patiently against the Aggies' matchup zone. The Lopes are 11-0 when they shoot 49% or better and are following a game in which Utah State allowed a season-high 89 points to San Diego State. The Aztecs reached the bonus situation early, a scenario GCU often thrives off doing, and frequently got to the rim.
Defensively, the energy and size wore Utah State down in its second-worst shooting game of the season. The Aggies, who were affected by San Diego State's size Wednesday, have shot 40.4% or worse in four of their five losses. Normally, Utah State is the ninth-best shooting team in the nation (50.6%) with the only pair of 15-point scorers in the conference in M.J. Collins and Mason Falslev, guards who shoot better than 50%.
GCU graduate guard Brian Moore Jr., who re-emerged Wednesday with a 17-point game, dogged and denied Collins defensively and scored a season-high 20 points in the first meeting.
"We're playing another great team," Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun said on his KVNU postgame show Wednesday while challenging his seniors to lead Saturday. "The league is very, very unforgiving. The league is brutal. You've got to be ready every single night."
Players Mentioned
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