2017 CBI Championship: Wyoming vs. Coastal Carolina, part one

Wyoming is in a postseason final! Best of three series vs. Coastal Carolina. First game tips at 5:30 p.m. MT on ESPNU.

(insert josiah-hall-safety-dance.gif)

Or this GIF from football is applicable.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s discuss this for a bit. Does this mean Wyoming is the best basketball team in the Mountain West?

I think yes, unequivocally. Look at it this way: Wyoming is the only team to make a postseason final.

Nevada made the Big Dance, sure, but are they in the final? I don’t think so.

Anyway, Wyoming has a chance to win the CBI! That’s good for them. Who are they playing? The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers?

Well, I’ll be damned if we lose to a team named after a chicken who has a dream of his own death and uses it as a vehicle for human perception.

The Chants are currently 19-17 (10-8) and finished 6th place in the Sun Belt.

One number immediately jumps off the screen when talking about CCU: 40.4. That’s how many rebounds per game they get, seventh in the country. 12.2 of those are offensive boards. For context, Wyoming has had 18 offensive rebounds this entire tournament. And these guys pull down 12 a game.

Their best player seems to be guard Jaylen Shaw. He currently leads the team in minutes, PPG, and assists per game. Center Demario Beck is their ball hawk, grabbing 8.0 boards a game. However, they also have six players who pull down more than three rebounds a game.

RPI doesn’t like the Chants very much, giving them a below average offense and a slightly below average defense. A middle of the road team, all around.

They’ve steamrolled through the tournament so far, winning by an average of 12 points per game, including an 83-67 win over an overmatched Hampton.

BPI doesn’t like CCU nearly as much as RPI does, but still gives them a 60% chance to beat Wyoming.

You know what I say to that? I say, screw the nerds! I don’t need no nerds telling me who’s going to win games!

Pokes by ten, baby.

See you next time.