March 13, 2024 |
Photo – Cowboys on the court – Courtesy gowyo.com
The Cowgirls are out. The Cowboys are in. The Wyoming women lost their opening round tournament game in Las Vegas Monday night. So the spotlight now shines on the Wyoming Cowboys who face Fresno State in opening-round men’s action.
Like a classic Western movie, the showdown is set for high noon today.
The big question headed into today’s matchup is whether Wyoming can pull a three-game sweep of the Bulldogs in one season. Wyoming looked well-oiled and ready to play in Saturday night’s 86-47 win on the coast.
The Cowboys were up by 16 points at the half and kept the pedal pressed to the floor throughout the second frame. They started with a 7-o run and dominated the rest the Bulldogs the rest of the way.
Was it a soul-crushing win or will Fresno State come out looking for revenge today?
Head Coach Jeff Linder was cautious in the post-game interview.
Earlier in the season on a Saturday afternoon in Laramie, the Cowboys eked out a 68-67 win.
Three seniors, Akuel Kot, Brendan Wenzel and Sam Griffin, combined for 41 of Wyoming’s points on Saturday. Freshman Mason Walters added another 14. The support players came through with buckets, as well.
Coach Linder did not make the trip to Las Vegas with the team last year. His father was ill in a hospital and died shortly after the Cowboys fell. The early elimination and last place conference finish led to eight players entering the portal at the end of the disastrous season. Linder had to start over this year from scratch.
The 15-16 season has not been easy as the pieced together Wyoming team has had to overcome injuries and learn to play together as a team.
Today, Wyoming is looking to advance to the quarter-finals with a third win over Fresno State this year. The winner of today’s matchup will advance to play #18 Utah State, the top-seeded team going into the tournament this week.
Tip is set for noon today in Wyoming’s conference opener. The pregame show starts at 11:30
