Wyoming Cowboys
Mountain West (19-13, 4-12)
Wyoming got off to a great start, winning their first 13 games out of the gate. That did include a win over Colorado and some other decent victories over teams like Illinois State and Denver. But then a couple things happened. For one, conference play started and the Mountain West has been a brutal conference where there are absolutely no days off. And secondly, the Cowboys lost Luke Martinez. Martinez was suspended after playing a dozen games and his scoring and shooting have been missed ever since.
Big Wins: 12/01 Colorado (76-69), 12/18 Denver (71-61), 1/19 San Diego State (58-45)
Bad Losses: 1/09 Boise State (61-63), 1/26 Air Force (48-57), 2/27 at Air Force (66-72)
Coach: Larry Shyatt (3 seasons at Wyoming)
Why They Can Surprise:
All things considered, Coach Larry Shyatt did a great job during conference play. The record may not be impressive, but Wyoming found the players to come in and help pick up the slack. Freshman Josh Adams stepped into the full-time starting job, but Riley Grabau and Derrious Gilmore also came into their own. Adams is not much of a shooter at this point in his career, but he is a talented freshman who is getting better with experience. Grabau did not get that experience as a freshman last season, but he is making up for it this year. Grabau has emerged as a decent ball handler and his offense is full of potential due to his ability to at least be a threat to shoot from long range. But it has been Gilmore who has taken over most of the scoring in the backcourt. The senior is now the go-to-shooter on the team, but he has also been more aggressive getting to the basket despite his 5-10 frame.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Wyoming plays tough defense and that will keep them in most games, but they really get beat on the glass. And it is not the fault of Leonard Washington, Larry Nance or Derek Cook. Washington, who spent some time at USC, is averaging 12.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Nance cannot match those numbers, but he is not too far behind either. Wyoming has a very talented frontcourt when it comes to the starters. Cooke, a 6-9 sophomore, has filled in well at times, but Wyoming will run Washington and Nance well over 30 minutes per game if possible. Big rebounding numbers are nice, but they are inflated by the minutes. The team as a whole gets beat on the glass consistently and a little bit of foul trouble could quickly derail the Cowboys postseason.
Probable Starters:
Riley Grabau, Sophomore, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 2.5 apg
Derrious Gilmore, Senior, Guard, 12.0 ppg, 2.8 apg
Josh Adams, Freshman, Guard, 6.6 ppg, 1.5 apg
Leonard Washington, Senior, Forward, 12.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Larry Nance Jr., Sophomore, Forward, 10.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Derek Cooke, Sophomore, Forward, 3.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Nathan Sobey, Junior, Guard, 3.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 60.3 (313th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 57.6 (15, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.3 (227, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.5 (167, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.6 (124, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.9 (246, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.7 (220, 7)
Rebound Margin: -4.5 (316, 9)
Assists Per Game: 11.6 (262, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.1 (26, 2)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
2012 CBI First Round win over North Dakota State
2012 CBI Quarterfinal loss to Washington State
2009 CBI First Round loss to Northeastern
2003 NIT First round win over Eastern Washington
2003 NIT Second round loss to North Carolina
2002 NCAA Round of 64 win over Gonzaga
2002 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Arizona
2001 NIT First round loss to Pepperdine
*all team stats through 3/10
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
