Cowboys have tall task at BYU

The Wyoming Cowboys hit the road Wednesday night, as they travel to Provo, Utah, to take on No. 14/13 ranked BYU. The game will begin at 6 p.m. from BYU’s Marriott Center, where the Cougars have won 16 consecutive home games.

Wednesday’s game will be televised by The Mtn. with Tim Neverett doing play-by-play and Joe Cravens providing color commentary. The game can also be heard via radio on the 25-station Cowboy Sports Network.

The Cowboys (8-10 overall, 1-3 in the Mountain West Conference) will be looking to snap a two-game skid. After posting a 17-point comeback win over San Diego State on Jan. 9, the Pokes have dropped two straight to TCU and New Mexico.

In MWC games, Wyoming is led by Afam Muojeke and his 18.8 points per game average. Adam Waddell is also playing very well and is averaging 12.5 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. UW’s point guard, JayDee Luster, has increased his scoring average to 10.3 ppg and his assist average to 5.8 apg.

BYU (18-1, 3-0 in the MWC) is currently riding a 13-game winning streak that dates back to their only loss of the season at Utah State on Dec. 2. This week, the Cougars reached their highest national rankings of the season and are currently No. 14 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Those mark their highest national rankings since the 1987-88 season.

BYU is led by junior guard Jimmer Fredette, who is leading the MWC with 19.9 points a game. Three other Cougars are scoring in double figures including junior guard Jackson Emery (12.9), freshman guard Tyler Haws (11.5) and senior forward Jonathan Tavernari (10.3). BYU is coached by Dave Rose, who has posted a 115-35 (.641) record in his five years with the Cougars.
Wyoming, BYU series

The Wyoming-BYU series is a long and rich one. The two schools first played each other in basketball on Dec. 16, 1929, in Provo. This season marks the 81st anniversary of that first meeting.

Wednesday’s meeting will be the 171st meeting in basketball, with Wyoming trailing in the series 69-101. In games played in Provo, BYU leads 65-14. The last time the Cowboys won in Provo was during the 2004-05 season.
Stealing the ball

In this week’s NCAA statistics, the Wyoming Cowboys are ranked No. 13 in the nation with 9.8 steals per game. That average is the best in the Mountain West Conference.

Muojeke second in scoring in MWC

Afam Muojeke is currently ranked second in the Mountain West Conference in scoring with a 17.9 points per game average.
Double figures

Thus far this season, nine different Cowboys have scored in double-figures -- Muojeke (13), Waddell (9), A.J. Davis (8), Djibril Thiam (8), Desmar Jackson (7), Ryan Dermody (3), Luster (2), Arthur Bouedo (1) and Daylen Harrison (1).
Up Next

The Cowboys will not return to action until Jan. 27 when they host Utah. The Pokes and Utes will tip off at 7 p.m. on in the Arena-Auditorium. This coming weekend will be UW’s first one off since taking six days off during the Christmas Holiday.