Wyoming clip Air Force’s wings, 83-74

After putting up four straight games where they couldn’t shoot for beans, the Cowboys’ offense came alive in Colorado Springs.

The Cowboys made more threes today than they have in their last two games combined. I wish I made that stat up.

Anyway, I had this whole bit where I was going to compare Allen Edwards talking to the team about finding their stroke to Obi-Wan asking Yoda to help him find Kamino, but that’s dumb. So we’re just going to move on to the takeaways from today’s game.

There’s nothing like playing against one of the worst teams in the conference.

AIR FORCE/SJSU/USU FANS STOP READING.

Wyoming had played 11 conference games so far this year. Four of their five conference wins has come against those three teams. They’ve played them four times.

Wyoming is sort of in limbo as a team right now. We can watch their games against the bottom three and think “wow, they’ll do well against (insert good team here)!” and then they play a clunker of a game.

My point is: Wyoming can, and now should, be able to turn on the offense against the Boise States and Nevadas of the world.

Justin James and Hayden Dalton should be starting.

Especially James.

Now, a quick disclaimer: James and Dalton both had some off-the-court issues last year. If you don’t live in Laramie or aren’t extremely well-connected within the university, you probably didn’t hear anything about this.

The general theory is that those issues are what’s keeping these two glued to the bench when they should be starting over Jordan Naughton and Alexander Aka Gorski.

Let me put it this way: yes, discipline of players is important. But what’s the point in not starting guys when you’re going to have them in more often than two of your starters, as James and Dalton did tonight?

James is leading the team in points and just dropped 26 points with seven assists. Dalton seven points and eleven rebounds. Naughton and Aka Gorski combined for five points and not much else.

Is it a pride thing? Probably. But the message just seems dumb when it’s over halfway through the season and those two guys are your most productive players.

Watch the Cowgirls.

This is a massive deviation from what I’d usually go over here, but hear me out.

The Cowgirls are second in the conference at 17-5 (9-2). They’re very good. They’ve destroyed nearly every Mountain West team, winning by an average of 15 points per game.

They’re an exciting team that could make a deep run in the conference tournament.

I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Anyway, the Cowboys rocked a not-very-good team today. They put up 47 in the first half, the most they’ve scored in the first half in Clune Arena since the Mountain West was formed. UW was up by as much as 22 at one point.

It’s very easy to look at this performance and think that they’ll do well the rest of the season. But remember that Chaos reigns and that this is a world where nothing in Mountain West basketball makes sense.

The Pokes travel to Fresno, while the Falcons stay at home to play New Mexico.

See you next time.

Go Pokes.