Sundance Wicks said in his post game presser after the loss in the MW Tournament that the Cowboys would play in any post season tournament that would have them. He even posted a tweet Sunday afternoon, tagging the NIT and saying they were more than willing. That wish came true a short time later when Wyoming was announced as a participant in the Tulsa region. They will play the Wichita State Shockers on Saint Patrick's Day at 5:00 PM Mountain Time. You'll be able to catch the action on ESPNU.
The Mountain West tournament didn't end up the way the Pokes had hoped. After an absolutely dismal shooting performance in the first half (32% from the floor, 12% from 3), Wyoming came roaring back in the 2nd half to make it interesting against UNLV. The players were visibly heartbroken at the press conference after the game. This squad has fought hard all season. I'm really happy they'll get another chance to play.
Wichita State was the #2 seed in the American this season, meaning they got a bye all the way to the semifinal games. They beat the #3 seed Tulsa 81-63 before getting smoked by #1 seed USF 70-55. They are lead by 1st team all conference player Kenyon Giles and AAC 6th Man of the Year Will Berg.
Giles paced the Shockers this season with 19.2 points per game. Over half of his shot attempts came from behind the arc, where he sank shots at a 37.8% clip. Berg was the leading rebounder on the team with 8.2 per game. The 7'2" Junior transfer from Purdue also paced the team with 1.4 blocks per game.
Paul Mills' squad had a very good season this year. The Shockers went 6-7 in quad 1 & 2 games, compared to 2-12 for Wyoming. Wichita State has hung their hat on tough defense, and, much like Wyoming, is prone to offensive lapses. That being said, they won 8 of their last 10 games this year. Their 2 losses over that stretch both came via conference champion USF.
This will be a tough matchup for a Wyoming team that only won 3 times on the road this season. The Shockers are #22 in the country in rebounding margin this year at +6.9. Big teams like that have been a matchup problem for the Pokes all season. On the plus side, they don't shoot well from the charity stripe, only making 69% of their freebies. This is good news for a Wyoming team that fouls at the 11th worst rate in the country.
This game opened with a spread of Wyoming +6.5 and an over/under of 147.5. All-in-all this is a pretty even matchup on paper. Here's to hoping that we'll see Wyoming win this one and get a chance to play again!
WyoNation Score Prediction: Wyoming 78-Wichita State 75
The Mountain West tournament didn't end up the way the Pokes had hoped. After an absolutely dismal shooting performance in the first half (32% from the floor, 12% from 3), Wyoming came roaring back in the 2nd half to make it interesting against UNLV. The players were visibly heartbroken at the press conference after the game. This squad has fought hard all season. I'm really happy they'll get another chance to play.
Wichita State was the #2 seed in the American this season, meaning they got a bye all the way to the semifinal games. They beat the #3 seed Tulsa 81-63 before getting smoked by #1 seed USF 70-55. They are lead by 1st team all conference player Kenyon Giles and AAC 6th Man of the Year Will Berg.
Giles paced the Shockers this season with 19.2 points per game. Over half of his shot attempts came from behind the arc, where he sank shots at a 37.8% clip. Berg was the leading rebounder on the team with 8.2 per game. The 7'2" Junior transfer from Purdue also paced the team with 1.4 blocks per game.
Paul Mills' squad had a very good season this year. The Shockers went 6-7 in quad 1 & 2 games, compared to 2-12 for Wyoming. Wichita State has hung their hat on tough defense, and, much like Wyoming, is prone to offensive lapses. That being said, they won 8 of their last 10 games this year. Their 2 losses over that stretch both came via conference champion USF.
This will be a tough matchup for a Wyoming team that only won 3 times on the road this season. The Shockers are #22 in the country in rebounding margin this year at +6.9. Big teams like that have been a matchup problem for the Pokes all season. On the plus side, they don't shoot well from the charity stripe, only making 69% of their freebies. This is good news for a Wyoming team that fouls at the 11th worst rate in the country.
This game opened with a spread of Wyoming +6.5 and an over/under of 147.5. All-in-all this is a pretty even matchup on paper. Here's to hoping that we'll see Wyoming win this one and get a chance to play again!
WyoNation Score Prediction: Wyoming 78-Wichita State 75
