2017 CBI: Wyoming hosts Utah Valley

After a convincing win against UMKC, the Cowboys will play in a postseason semifinal for only the third time in their history.

Yeah, it’s in the CBI, but that doesn’t fit my narrative.

So let’s take a look at Utah Valley, shall we?

Utah Valley finished fifth in the WAC with a record of 17-16 (6-8). They do have two pretty big wins over BYU and New Mexico State, but they also lost to Chicago State, a team that won only six games all year.

They steamrolled Georgia Southern in the first round of the CBI. I honestly thought it was a typo. Final score: 74-49.

The Wolverines, like the Cowboys, have a high-scoring offense without one guy who carries the scoring. Four of their starters average 10 or more points per game.

They also have a ball hawk in Isaac Nielson. The 6’11 forward averages nine (!) rebounds a game. If he kept up that pace during a 40 minute game, he’d average 16.4 rebounds per game.

RPI says that the Wolverines have one of the best offenses in their conference, scoring 3.6 more points than the average team. Their defense, however, almost perfectly offsets it, allowing 3.7 more points than average.

BPI has a more favorable view of UVU, ranking them third in the conference instead of fifth. It also gives Wyoming a 65% chance to win.

I agree.

Pokes by five.

Stream the game here: