The Wyoming Cowboys might be shorthanded, but they aren?t waving the white flag.
With injuries and losses piling up as the Mountain West Conference Championships open today, it?d be easy for the Pokes to be looking to the end of a bleak season.
But they?re not simply going to go away and their fight to try and surge through the conference tournament begins in the play-in game today.
?We have guys that are hungry on this team,? UW junior Djibril Thiam said after a loss on Saturday at UNLV. ?And each game we step on the floor is a chance to make a statement. We?re working. We?ll take any chance, any day. We're going to make one last push.?
They might have to do it without their top point guard.
Sophomore captain JayDee Luster injured his groin in the loss to the Rebels and UW coach Heath Schroyer said Tuesday that he didn?t know if Luster would be able to play against the Falcons.
?I?m not overly optimistic,? Schroyer said. ?He?s a tough kid and a competitor but you could tell he was really hurting after the game.
?[Desmar Jackson] has played the point a lot this year. If JayDee can?t go, we won?t change anything. We?ll probably put a wrinkle in just for Dez to keep it simple for him, but nothing out of the ordinary.?
To advance into the quarterfinals against New Mexico, however, they may need a similar out-of-the-ordinary performance as the one they got against Air Force just one week ago today.
In that game, the Cowboys buried nine 3-pointers and were able to play stingy defense against the Falcons? methodical offense.
?If we?re able to make some shots, we have a better chance to have some success,? Schroyer said. ?They?re very hard to play, especially playing them a third time. We?re going to have to go there and try to take away their 3s and we're going to have to try to make some.?
UW provided Air Force its only victory over the past two seasons in MWC play, making today?s game a rubber match for the teams.
The Falcons were able to take advantage of the Pokes? injuries in the first meeting and should get some help playing against a team with just six fully healthy scholarship players.
?Our concerns are still pretty much the same that they?ve been,? Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said. ?We?ve got to control Desmar Jackson. It?s hard to really stop him, you just have to limit him as best you can.
?We?ve got to keep them off the board ? and then we have to play our tempo and our style.?
Whether the Cowboys can play at their higher tempo might be dictated on what they get out of their point guard spot.
Either way, both teams will be looking for a late-season bright spot to close out forgettable seasons.
?I think it?s very important for any team to continue to try and pick up as many wins as you can and try to continue to play,? Reynolds said.
One team will be playing again Thursday.
With injuries and losses piling up as the Mountain West Conference Championships open today, it?d be easy for the Pokes to be looking to the end of a bleak season.
But they?re not simply going to go away and their fight to try and surge through the conference tournament begins in the play-in game today.
?We have guys that are hungry on this team,? UW junior Djibril Thiam said after a loss on Saturday at UNLV. ?And each game we step on the floor is a chance to make a statement. We?re working. We?ll take any chance, any day. We're going to make one last push.?
They might have to do it without their top point guard.
Sophomore captain JayDee Luster injured his groin in the loss to the Rebels and UW coach Heath Schroyer said Tuesday that he didn?t know if Luster would be able to play against the Falcons.
?I?m not overly optimistic,? Schroyer said. ?He?s a tough kid and a competitor but you could tell he was really hurting after the game.
?[Desmar Jackson] has played the point a lot this year. If JayDee can?t go, we won?t change anything. We?ll probably put a wrinkle in just for Dez to keep it simple for him, but nothing out of the ordinary.?
To advance into the quarterfinals against New Mexico, however, they may need a similar out-of-the-ordinary performance as the one they got against Air Force just one week ago today.
In that game, the Cowboys buried nine 3-pointers and were able to play stingy defense against the Falcons? methodical offense.
?If we?re able to make some shots, we have a better chance to have some success,? Schroyer said. ?They?re very hard to play, especially playing them a third time. We?re going to have to go there and try to take away their 3s and we're going to have to try to make some.?
UW provided Air Force its only victory over the past two seasons in MWC play, making today?s game a rubber match for the teams.
The Falcons were able to take advantage of the Pokes? injuries in the first meeting and should get some help playing against a team with just six fully healthy scholarship players.
?Our concerns are still pretty much the same that they?ve been,? Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said. ?We?ve got to control Desmar Jackson. It?s hard to really stop him, you just have to limit him as best you can.
?We?ve got to keep them off the board ? and then we have to play our tempo and our style.?
Whether the Cowboys can play at their higher tempo might be dictated on what they get out of their point guard spot.
Either way, both teams will be looking for a late-season bright spot to close out forgettable seasons.
?I think it?s very important for any team to continue to try and pick up as many wins as you can and try to continue to play,? Reynolds said.
One team will be playing again Thursday.
