The tables could be turned in this Mountain West rematch.
The last time the Cowboys and Runnin’ Rebels played each other, UNLV took the game 81-75.
Now with the Rebels coming to Laramie, Coach Allen Edwards and Co. hope to even the score.
Wyoming currently owns a conference record of 3-4, tied with UNLV and SDSU. They’re two games behind the leaders. Those three conference wins are also against the three worst teams: Utah State, Air Force, and San Jose.
More than anything, UW needs a good conference win under their belt. What can they do to get it?
Stay strong in the second half
Wyoming has made a very bad habit recently of collapsing in the tail end of the second half. They nearly blew a 19 point lead against Utah State and have ended every conference on a cold streak.
The last UNLV game was tied at 59 all with just a little under eight minutes left. The Pokes couldn’t shoot for beans and found themselves in a nine point hole.
Basically what I’m getting at is that Wyoming needs to stop digging themselves into holes at the end of games.
Use home court to their advantage
This might seem ridiculous or counter-intuitive, but hear me out.
Home court in the Mountain West is huge. Mountain West teams are a combined 88-28 at home, while going 28-48 on the road.
That’s a massive advantage, and Wyoming has one of the biggest ones. They own the best home record in the conference (.909), which is also one of the best in the country.
Altitude aside, the AA is loud. Now that students are back from winter break, the Dome of Doom will be filled with energy, and the Pokes need to capitalize.
ESPN’s BPI and RPI both like Wyoming to win the game, and I do too. They need to avoid letting UNLV hang around towards the end of the game, but they’re a good team. They should pick up their fourth conference win tonight with some members of the Colorado Rockies in the stands.