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1986-87 Sweet Sixteen Team compared to this years team

seattlecowboy

seattlecowboy

Well-known member
Someone on the other Wyoming board made a quick post about this so I decided to bring the whole schedule up from that year.

As he pointed out this Wyoming team in 1986-87 was the one that went to the sweet sixteen and finished the year 24-10.
They finished in 4th place during the regular season and had to win the WAC tournament to get into the NCAA tournament. If you notice they played a lot of close games that year as well. Losing 9 regular season games but none by double digits. They lost one by 8 and one by 7 and one by 4 and the other 6 were all lost by one possession of 3 or less.
Sounds very familiar to this team in that way. They lost the last 3 regular season games and then won all 3 games in the WAC tournament and went onto beat Virginia and UCLA in the NCAA tournament to reach the sweet sixteen.

I feel this Wyoming team can make some noise in the MWC tournament and have a decent shot at winning the thing. It won't be easy of course but it wouldn't shock me and this is a team nobody wants to face.
Like was said on the other board, this team doesn't have a Dembo or Leckner but they play really well as a team and while I won't sit here and say they are as good as the 1986-87 team they are starting to play really well and no one blows them out.
Maybe something similar could happen this year if we get a lucky charm up our asses! :thumb:

I have posted the 1986-87 teams schedule below.




Date Opponent Result
Nov 29, 1986 vs Weber State W 71 - 54
Dec 5, 1986 vs Idaho State W 56 - 37
Dec 6, 1986 vs Colorado W 55 - 42
Dec 11, 1986 at Texas Tech L 61 - 69
Dec 13, 1986 at Hardin-Simmons L 53 - 60
Dec 20, 1986 at Nebraska L 61 - 62
Dec 22, 1986 at Drake W 70 - 65
Dec 27, 1986 vs Northern Illinois (neutral location) W 83 - 78
Dec 28, 1986 vs Lamar (neutral location) W 77 - 68
Jan 2, 1987 at Utah W 61 - 56
Jan 3, 1987 at BYU L 74 - 77
Jan 6, 1987 vs Colorado State L 71 - 74
Jan 8, 1987 vs Hawaii W 76 - 67
Jan 10, 1987 vs Louisville L 64 - 67
Jan 15, 1987 vs New Mexico W 78 - 66
Jan 17, 1987 vs UTEP W 79 - 74
Jan 22, 1987 at San Diego State W 79 - 70
Jan 24, 1987 at Hawaii W 66 - 61
Jan 29, 1987 at Air Force W 74 - 68
Jan 31, 1987 vs Utah W 72 - 55
Feb 6, 1987 vs Chicago State W 75 - 64
Feb 12, 1987 vs Air Force W 72 - 46
Feb 14, 1987 at Colorado State W 81 - 78
Feb 19, 1987 vs San Diego State W 85 - 73
Feb 21, 1987 vs BYU L 63 - 67
Feb 26, 1987 at New Mexico L 89 - 92
Feb 28, 1987 at UTEP L 72 - 74
Mar 6, 1987 vs Utah (neutral location) W 56 - 54
Mar 7, 1987 vs UTEP (neutral location) W 77 - 74
Mar 8, 1987 at New Mexico W 64 - 62
NCAA First Round
Mar 12, 1987 vs Virginia (neutral location) W 64 - 60
NCAA Second Round
Mar 14, 1987 vs UCLA (neutral location) W 78 - 68
NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Mar 20, 1987 vs UNLV (neutral location) L 78 - 92



Go Pokes!
 
There is no Fennis Dembo or Leckner but there is a Josh Adams and Larry Nance.

I know Fennis Dembo belongs up with Kenny Sailors and Marcus Bailey in terms of the magical Wyo players...but let me ask this question...Was the player Fennis Dembo the same as the legend Fennis Dembo before that Sweet 16 run?
Was the player Marcus Bailey the same as the legend Marcus Bailey before that NCAA Tourney?

If Wyo, who is more than capable of a MWC Tourney run, then happens to make the Sweet 16 like the 87-88 team, Larry Nance won't just be Larry Nance anymore, he will be a legend.

You don't get that mythical status before you do something amazing before you get to the Big Dance.

So, we don't have a Dembo or Leckner, but we have a Nance and an Adams, who are very close to hitting that elite status in terms of "legends" that can carry the team to a win anywhere.
 
seattlecowboy said:
Like was said on the other board, this team doesn't have a Dembo or Leckner but they play really well as a team and while I won't sit here and say they are as good as the 1986-87 team they are starting to play really well and no one blows them out.
Click to expand...

And this I believe is ultimately the difference. I actually feel like we have some decent talent on our current team, but it's not the same level of talent. Dembo, Leckner, and even Dent are probably top 15 in all Wyoming basketball history. And in my opinion, both teams have/had good coaching too. I mean they were in the NIT semifinals the year before the Sweet 16 run, and won the conference again and made the big dance again the year after. As interesting as it is to see how close that Sweet 16 team was to not even making the big dance, I don't think we can really compare the two teams.
 
BeaverPoke said:
There is no Fennis Dembo or Leckner but there is a Josh Adams and Larry Nance.

I know Fennis Dembo belongs up with Kenny Sailors and Marcus Bailey in terms of the magical Wyo players...but let me ask this question...Was the player Fennis Dembo the same as the legend Fennis Dembo before that Sweet 16 run?
Was the player Marcus Bailey the same as the legend Marcus Bailey before that NCAA Tourney?

If Wyo, who is more than capable of a MWC Tourney run, then happens to make the Sweet 16 like the 87-88 team, Larry Nance won't just be Larry Nance anymore, he will be a legend.

You don't get that mythical status before you do something amazing before you get to the Big Dance.

So, we don't have a Dembo or Leckner, but we have a Nance and an Adams, who are very close to hitting that elite status in terms of "legends" that can carry the team to a win anywhere.
Click to expand...

I see what you're saying, but part of Fennis's legend was also his charisma, trash-talking, back to back conference championships, final 4 of NIT, all-time leading scorer in Wyoming basketball history, and only Wyoming athlete to be on the cover of SI. The sweet 16 was a nice addition, but he is still a legend without it.

Marcus Bailey also was a legend without the Big Dance. Truth was, he was actually played terrible in the tourney, maybe only 4 points vs Gonzaga, and 12 or so vs Arizona. His legend was more due to back to back reg season conference champs, the clinching game vs Utah to end the season, the clutch performance in the AF game in the 1st round of the conference tourney, and the fact that he should've won conference player of the year as a junior.

I'm sorry, but Nance and Adams just aren't in the same category.
 
Give it a few more weeks before you say they aren't close.
Nance has a great chance to solidify himself as a legend in the next few weeks.
Adams? He has over 2 years to do it.
Not to mention that IF (big IF) Wyo makes a surprising run this season, and next season, Adams will be a huge part to it, and then will be the ONLY returning starter his senior year, in a year where everyone in Laramie, the state of Wyo, the MWC, and the country is expecting us to have a big drop. If Wyo does something special that year, then he will easily be in that legend conversation.
 
This team is as good as in any the league and as bad as the worst. At least this is the first team in years I have some hope of winning the conference tourney and fear first round exit. Sure beats pigtail.
 
As far as I'm concerned - this team is still young. Sure, there are juniors running around on the team and all. But the leadership last year was lost (and it was likely a good loss from what I understand - those were Schroyers recruits). This year, they are just discovering who they are. Who are the leaders. How are they going to play. The gel is forming now.

Shyatt is definetely building and a good coach. I wouldn't count us out of a conference championship in the next 5 years. I just think they are too unexperienced today to do it.
 
The biggest difference between the two teams is this: 1986/7 was the 7th year for the head coach. Brandy had built a program and had depth coming up on that team on the court and on the bench.

Shyatt isn't going to get those results, yet. But please, please prove me wrong, coach!
 
Fennis was a GOD, what a player, the only thing we're missing from that years team was a truly dominant big man down low, as Lecker was, yet another God at UW!!! Those were truly the fun, fun years!!! but it is eerily ironic and similar how we're playing to the same level on close games etc....next year may be the breakout year, we can hope, but this is a fun comparisson!!!!!
 
Fennis was a legend way before the Sweet 16. He was making noise as a true freshman. He led the Pokes to the NIT finals his sophomore year. Between his junior and senior year he was on the USA Pan Am team.

Fennis was an inside/outside player. He could shoot the 3, but could also throw down with the best of them.

Leckner was pretty good too.
 
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