Cowboys, Aztecs play for MW supremacy; Nance out for game, Herndon could play
Turnovers and rebounding are big in any basketball game.
But when the University of Wyoming Cowboys travel to San Diego State today with first place in the Mountain West on the line, those two stats won?t be big.
They?ll be huge.
The Aztecs (18-6 overall, 8-3 MW) used advantages in both categories to beat the UW (19-5, 8-3 MW) in Laramie in mid January. SDSU outscored Wyoming 16-2 in points off turnovers and 15-2 in second-chance points in a 60-52 win.
?There was a combination of three things,? UW coach Larry Shyatt said about the first meeting. ?Speed and length certainly on the defensive end. And on the offensive end for San Diego State, their enormous ability to go get balls above the rim.
?That?s going to present itself again.?
Rebounding will be especially important with the news late Tuesday that senior forward Larry Nance Jr. did not accompany UW to San Diego and will miss a second-straight game with mononucleosis. But redshirt freshman Alan Herndon ? also battling mono ? did travel and should be available for tonight?s game at Viejas Arena.
The Cowboys certainly need all the length inside they can get against a tall, athletic SDSU front court.
The Aztecs start four players 6-foot-6 or better and bring two off the bench who are 6-9 or taller. SDSU used that advantage for a 34-26 edge in the glass in the earlier game. That included a 13-5 advantage on offensive rebounds.
?The first eight, nine minutes, it was a one-possession game, and we probably got more rebounds from our (smaller players),? Shyatt said. ?You have gang rebound and you have to have everybody do their job.?
Without Nance and Herndon last Saturday, UW was outrebounded by Air Force 32-26.
?We?ve just got to battle for every rebound,? redshirt sophomore Jason McManamen said.
He made his second career start on Saturday and scored 10 points to go with two rebounds.
?(SDSU is) a tough team, one of the best teams in the conference if not the nation, he added. ?They play really tough defensively and don?t make a lot of mistakes.?
On offense, the Cowboys likely will face a San Diego State team that will force them to score most of their points from the outside.
UW shot just 25 percent in the second half against Air Force (6 of 24) and was 8 of 30 on 3-pointers for the game. The Falcons used mainly a zone defense in the second half.
?People are really homing in on the lane when we pass the ball or dribble the ball,? Shyatt said. ?There are usually at least four players defending the lane.
?What you have to do is when you do pass in the lane or when you drive it to the lane is stop and make good decisions inside out for kick-outs.
Added McManamen: ?We?ve got to move the ball and make plays for each other. It?s what we?ve been doing all season. We?re a very unselfish team, and we set each other up for a lot of plays. That?s what we do best.?
Free throws
Today?s game matches two of the top defensive teams in the nation. SDSU is third nationally, giving up 53.8 points a game; UW is fourth at 54.4 points. ? A Wyoming win today would give the program 20 wins for the 21st time. It would also tie the team for the fifth-fastest start to 20 wins in program history. ? UW leads the series with San Diego State 39-36. But the Aztecs have gone 8-3 against UW since 2009.
Turnovers and rebounding are big in any basketball game.
But when the University of Wyoming Cowboys travel to San Diego State today with first place in the Mountain West on the line, those two stats won?t be big.
They?ll be huge.
The Aztecs (18-6 overall, 8-3 MW) used advantages in both categories to beat the UW (19-5, 8-3 MW) in Laramie in mid January. SDSU outscored Wyoming 16-2 in points off turnovers and 15-2 in second-chance points in a 60-52 win.
?There was a combination of three things,? UW coach Larry Shyatt said about the first meeting. ?Speed and length certainly on the defensive end. And on the offensive end for San Diego State, their enormous ability to go get balls above the rim.
?That?s going to present itself again.?
Rebounding will be especially important with the news late Tuesday that senior forward Larry Nance Jr. did not accompany UW to San Diego and will miss a second-straight game with mononucleosis. But redshirt freshman Alan Herndon ? also battling mono ? did travel and should be available for tonight?s game at Viejas Arena.
The Cowboys certainly need all the length inside they can get against a tall, athletic SDSU front court.
The Aztecs start four players 6-foot-6 or better and bring two off the bench who are 6-9 or taller. SDSU used that advantage for a 34-26 edge in the glass in the earlier game. That included a 13-5 advantage on offensive rebounds.
?The first eight, nine minutes, it was a one-possession game, and we probably got more rebounds from our (smaller players),? Shyatt said. ?You have gang rebound and you have to have everybody do their job.?
Without Nance and Herndon last Saturday, UW was outrebounded by Air Force 32-26.
?We?ve just got to battle for every rebound,? redshirt sophomore Jason McManamen said.
He made his second career start on Saturday and scored 10 points to go with two rebounds.
?(SDSU is) a tough team, one of the best teams in the conference if not the nation, he added. ?They play really tough defensively and don?t make a lot of mistakes.?
On offense, the Cowboys likely will face a San Diego State team that will force them to score most of their points from the outside.
UW shot just 25 percent in the second half against Air Force (6 of 24) and was 8 of 30 on 3-pointers for the game. The Falcons used mainly a zone defense in the second half.
?People are really homing in on the lane when we pass the ball or dribble the ball,? Shyatt said. ?There are usually at least four players defending the lane.
?What you have to do is when you do pass in the lane or when you drive it to the lane is stop and make good decisions inside out for kick-outs.
Added McManamen: ?We?ve got to move the ball and make plays for each other. It?s what we?ve been doing all season. We?re a very unselfish team, and we set each other up for a lot of plays. That?s what we do best.?
Free throws
Today?s game matches two of the top defensive teams in the nation. SDSU is third nationally, giving up 53.8 points a game; UW is fourth at 54.4 points. ? A Wyoming win today would give the program 20 wins for the 21st time. It would also tie the team for the fifth-fastest start to 20 wins in program history. ? UW leads the series with San Diego State 39-36. But the Aztecs have gone 8-3 against UW since 2009.
