Wyoming Cowboys
Mountain West (25-9, 11-7)
He only missed four games, but Wyoming’s season took a turn when star forward Larry Nance, Jr. was out with mononucleosis. The Cowboys lost two of those four games, but it didn’t end there. When Nance did come back, he could not find his shot and, despite playing 35 or more minutes, Nance and Wyoming lost back-to-back games upon his return. Those four losses were enough to put a huge damper on the season.
Big Wins: 1/7 at Colorado State (60-54), 1/10 Boise State (65-54), 2/4 Colorado State (59-48)
Bad Losses: 2/7 at Air Force (50-73), 2/25 Fresno State (59-64), 3/7 at New Mexico (49-52)
Coach: Larry Shyatt
Why They Can Surprise:
When Nance is on the top of his game, he is a double-double machine and extremely difficult to contain. Not only is he a great interior scorer and a strong rebounder, but Nance can find his open teammates once the opposition starts collapsing in the paint. This is a smart team that will work the offense through Nance. They share the ball amazingly well and Nance and the starting backcourt deserve the credit for that. Josh Adams leads the team in assists and keeps the squad under control. Riley Grabau and Charles Hankerson are both decent scorers too, but they both can pass too.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Even with Nance playing well, the Cowboys offense can be stagnant. But most of their offensive woes come when Nance is not a major threat in the paint. At times the opposition can double Nance and not have to worry much about the rest of the team. Players like Adams, Grabu and Hankerson must knock down open looks from the perimeter and they should get plenty of open opportunities. A surprising issue with this team is on the glass. Derek Cooke does a decent job beside Nance, but the rest of the team does not help out too much. Wyoming cannot afford to get beat in the rebounding department if they want to win a postseason game.
Probable Starters:
Josh Adams, Junior, Guard, 13.1 ppg, 3.5 apg
Riley Grabau, Senior, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 1.4 apg
Charles Hankerson, Senior, Guard, 6.6 ppg, 1.1 apg
Derek Cooke, Senior, Forward, 8.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Larry Nance, Senior, Forward, 16.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Alan Herndon, Freshman, Forward, 3.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Jason McManamen, Sophomore, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 1.0 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 61.7 (304th in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 55.8 (8, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.4 (53, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.3 (65, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.8 (227, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.0 (268, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.4 (122, 2)
Rebound Margin: 0.4 (185, 6)
Assists Per Game: 14.6 (49, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.2 (51, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 CBI First Round loss to Texas A&M
2013 CBI First Round win over Lehigh
2013 CBI Quarterfinal loss to Western Michigan
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
1999 NIT First round win over USC
1999 NIT Second round loss to Oregon
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
