WAC backs off tournament threat after Utah Valley puts $1 million in escrow

Utah Valley University‘s men’s and women’s basketball teams will be permitted to participate in this week’s Western Athletic Conference tournaments after the school made a $1 million deposit into a court-mandated escrow account Tuesday night. That concluded a contentious legal back-and-forth between the school and the league after the WAC threatened to bar both UVU teams from their respective conference tournaments, which begin Wednesday in Las Vegas.

“The Western Athletic Conference has been assured by the Utah court that the $1 million payment from Utah Valley University is in process, in accordance with the court’s directive, and will be completed in the morning, before tipoff of the first game (Wednesday)” the WAC announced late Tuesday night on X/Twitter. “Relying on this assurance, the WAC Board of Directors will allow Utah Valley to compete in the WAC Basketball Tournaments.”

Earlier Tuesday, the WAC issued a statement on social media demanding Utah Valley fulfill a court-mandated “order” to put $1 million in escrow by 5 pm MT or the league would overhaul this week’s tournament bracket to exclude both Wolverines basketball teams. UVU responded with a Tuesday court filing in which it explicitly says the school “expects to deposit the funds as directed” once it receives previously requested legal direction, while also arguing the WAC’s hostage-like ban “would be an overt violation” of a preliminary injunction granted Friday.

“Since the Fourth District Court granted Utah Valley University’s motion for injunctive relief, Utah Valley University (UVU) has been coordinating with the court on the proper way to deposit the requested funds,” UVU said in a statement released to On3. “No deposit deadline has been established by the Court, and UVU looks forward to competing in Las Vegas this week.”

The WAC originally sued Utah Valley on Feb. 2 in Texas to recoup a $1 million conference exit fee after the Wolverines opted to join the Big West Conference later this summer. Utah Valley accepted a bid to join the Big West in June 2025 and will make the formal move at the end of the current academic year.

Two weeks ago, a local Orem (Utah) judge granted Utah Valley a 14-day temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on Feb. 25 that allowed Wolverines student athletes to continue participating in WAC athletic competition — including postseason tournaments — according to KSL.com. On Friday, the same Orem court granted the university’s request to extend its injunction to allow UVU’s men’s and women’s basketball teams to play in this week’s WAC tournaments in Las Vegas, per KSL.com. But that extension included a directive, not an order, from the court that Utah Valley must submit a $1 million deposit into a court-controlled escrow account while the case is fully litigated.

The Utah Valley men’s basketball team claimed the No. 1 overall seed and was set to tip off against Utah Tech at 6 pm PT Thursday in the tournament quarterfinals after the Wolverines won a second consecutive regular-season conference championship at 24-7 overall and 14-4 in conference play. The Utah Valley women’s team is the No. 4 seed and scheduled to tip off against Tarleton State at 12 pm PT Thursday in the WAC women’s tournament quarterfinals. Both tournaments are being held inside the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.