Wyoming heads to Indiana State

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Wyoming heads to Indiana State for Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge



If Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt had it his way, he might put college basketball on more of a football-type schedule, with a week of practice to prepare for each game.

So UW?s upcoming slate of games, with three in the next six days, is far from ideal for him.

?It?s always good for the guys. The guys like games. Papa Shy likes practice,? Shyatt said. ?That?s just how the schedule reads.?

The first of those three games tips off at 5 p.m. Monday, with the Pokes facing a road test at Indiana State as part of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge.

It will mark the first road game for four UW newcomers: freshmen Justin James and Jordan Naughton, sophomore Hayden Dalton and junior Morris Marshall.

This season, UW (1-0) will play a combined six road or neutral-court games during nonconference play ? twice as many as 2014-15.

?All but two coaches in our league refused to go on the road (for the first year of the newly resumed MW-MVC Challenge),? Shyatt said. ?With this new team, I figured why not? Let?s load the gun. If it?s Indiana State, let?s go.

?Now that?s one of the reasons why we scheduled (a closed-door scrimmage at) Nebraska a few weeks back ? to give them at least a taste of the road uniforms and a taste of what it?s like to go on the road.?

Next season, Wyoming expects to host a home game in the MW-MVC Challenge ? an event the Cowboys coach isn?t entirely satisfied with.


Few Power Five or high mid-major teams have visited the Arena-Auditorium during nonconference play in recent years, and Shyatt would like to receive more assistance from the conference leadership.

?We wanted (a challenge with) other leagues,? Shyatt said. ?Our commissioner tried and we fell short.

?This is still a good thing because it?s a better game than that which we would?ve scheduled otherwise probably.?

In the least, this meeting with Indiana State should help boost Wyoming?s ratings percentage index over the long haul.

The Sycamores, who return three of five starters, tied for third in the Missouri Valley last season, going 11-7 in league play. They lost to IUPUI on Friday in their season opener.

All-Missouri Valley guard Devonte Brown averaged a team-high 11.9 points per game in 2014-15. He?s joined in the backcourt by Brenton Scott, who poured in 11.4 points per game en route to winning the league?s freshman of the year award.

Once UW completes its game in Terre Haute, it?ll return to Laramie for a home game Thursday against New Mexico Highlands, an NCAA Division II program, before traveling to Billings, Montana, for a neutral-site game against Montana State on Saturday.

?It?s going to be a great test for us, our first road game of the season,? UW junior wing Jason McManamen said. ?I?m sure they?re a good team. We?re going to prepare for them just like we would for anyone else and we?re going to be ready on Monday.?

 

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SCOUTING THE SYCAMORES: Indiana State return three of five starters, including All-Missouri Valley Conference guard Devonte Brown, who scored a team-high 11.9 points per game. Brenton Scott, who made the league?s freshman of the year, chipped in 11.4 ppg.

HE SAID IT: ?It?s going to be a great test for us, our first road game of the season. I?m sure they?re a good team. We?re going to prepare for them just like we would for anyone else and we?re going to be ready on Monday.? ?UW junior wing Jason McManamen

 

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ISU seeks to cement bonds and improve as Wyoming visits




There were obvious, statistical reasons why Indiana State's men's basketball team suffered a disappointing 72-70 loss in its opener against IUPUI last Friday ? missed free throws, inconsistent shooting, poor defending. All were reflected in the box score.

What isn't reflected is the lack of cohesiveness that seemed to come over the Sycamores, especially when new players took their place on the floor. To a degree, in game one, that's to be expected given that ISU is working in several new players. However, as ISU works to improve its game on the floor, ISU coach Greg Lansing knows that to truly improve, the team needs to learn to trust one another.

"We talked about that in the locker room [after ISU's loss on Friday] and that's why I want to be more of the voice. I think how competitive and how important it is to Khristian [Smith] and Devonte [Brown] they can easily get frustrated and they need to let me get frustrated," Lansing said. "Our chemistry has to be good, we have to support each other and let me be the critical one. Our guys have to have confidence [in each other] to be a good team."

ISU (0-1) is banking on the fact that veteran Brenton Scott will have a better day from the field after a 4-for-18 performance against the Jaguars. It's also hoping forward Matt Van Scyoc can put a dismal, scoreless debut behind him.

"Matt is a very good player. He's not doing what he needs to do now, but he will. Coach Lou [Gudino] says he's a lot like Aaron Carter and he is. He's a hard-driving guy who's going to make mistakes. Aaron had a good career here for us," Lansing said. "We have to help Matt. We have to help him a lot. Brenton is a better player than what he showed tonight. Those two guys are important to us, and if they don't play well, we don't have a chance to win."

Brandon Murphy, who started at center despite having an ankle injury, will have to stay out of foul trouble. One issue that hampered ISU against IUPUI was post defense and the bigs ISU will see from this point forward will be equal to or far better than what IUPUI threw at ISU on Fridau.
Wyoming (1-0) travels to Hulman Center fresh off of its 2015 Mountain West Conference championship. The Cowboys made the NCAA Tournament, but many of the players who led them there no longer ply their trade for the Laramie, Wyo. school. Four starters departed.

However, the one starter the Cowboys return ? guard Josh Adams ? is a standout. He averaged 12.8 points and 3.6 assists, but saved his best for the MWC Tournament, in which he has MVP after Wyoming conquered a rugged field. He is Wyoming's lone senior.

Wyoming, coached by Larry Shyatt in his second go-around at the school, has some size and could be a challenge for ISU's post players. Six-foot-10 Jonathan Barnes and 6-9 Alan Herndon are the Cowboys' most experienced inside personnel.