Wyoming doesn?t need any reminder of how much of a challenge Tuesday?s game against New Mexico (7 p.m., AT&T SportsNet) will be. The Lobos defeated Wyoming 75-66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the teams? first meeting this season.
But the Lobos have put the rest of the league on notice, too. After going 5-8 in non-conference play under first-year coach Paul Weir, New Mexico is one of three teams tied for fourth place in the Mountain West with an 8-6 conference record, a group that includes Wyoming.
?I think it?s more of just them gelling,? Wyoming head coach Allen Edwards said. ?Even the first time around, watching them, we were still unsure of who was who in the sense of productivity, who they lean on a little bit more than others. ... Not the style of play, but roles, so to speak. Who?s the scorers? Who?s the shooters? Who?s the drivers? And sometimes, that can get mixed up early on in the year, because everybody?s trying to figure it out.?
The Lobos? identity has been no secret. New Mexico employs a high-pressure defense that gave Wyoming issues, especially in the second half of last month?s game, when the Cowboys had 11 turnovers.
?I thought we turned it over a lot in the second half because we tried to make home-run plays,? Edwards said. ?And the biggest thing I hit our guys with, in baseball terminology, let?s go for singles, instead of trying to hit the home runs. Obviously, what that means is just make the simple play. And I thought we got out of character, playing off of one foot, instead of playing off of two.?
The Lobos won that first game despite being without Sam Logwood, who was out with a shoulder injury, and Troy Simons, who was suspended. Logwood, a senior, is averaging 12.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while Simons averages 8.4 points and 1.8 steals.
?Logwood is a veteran kid, and he?s an athlete,? Edwards said. ?And I think he?s great at the top of the press. He?s great for what they?re doing. He?s physical enough to guard bigger guys, and he?s quick enough to guard smaller guys in the press. So he brings a different (dynamic). And offensively, he?s an athlete and he can attack you off the dribble. Doesn?t shoot it well, but it?s another body, too, at the end of the day, as far as them going 10, 11 deep within their system.
?And then the kid Simons, he?s a big guard. He?s about 6-3. More than capable (as) a 3-point shooter, within what they do. And again, even with his size, I think he can play multiple positions. Very physical. And then, as you watch this team, I think he?s just done a great job with just the buy-in. They just fly around. They don?t seem to get tired. And then obviously when they do, they do a great job of bringing kids off the bench. It?s an added bonus for them, because it?s two more bodies they can bring at you.
Edwards knows something about being a new coach trying to implement an up-tempo system.
?I think the best part about when you?re coming in with a new culture, a new system, whatever you may call it, when you?re losing, it?s tough to keep kids on board,? he said. ?When kids start to see the success and reap the benefits of working that hard, you can get more buy-in. So you can just see why they?re playing (with) tremendous emotion, guys? willingness to get on the floor, guys? willingness to sprint, guys? willingness to defend, rebounds. You?ve seen it all come together, because of the success they?ve had within conference play.?
Adams hopes to return
Wyomings senior Lou Adams said he expects to play Tuesday after missing Wyoming?s last two games with an ankle injury suffered during a shoot-around last week in San Diego. He practiced Sunday, but the team did not hold a very physical practice, Edwards said.
In the standings
Along with Wyoming and New Mexico, UNLV also has an 8-6 record this season in the Mountain West. Fresno State sits in third at 9-5, while Boise State is 11-4 and Nevada is 12-2. The top five teams in the conference get a first-round bye in next month?s Mountain West tournament. Wyoming?s remaining games are against New Mexico, at Fresno State, against Air Force and at Boise State.
But the Lobos have put the rest of the league on notice, too. After going 5-8 in non-conference play under first-year coach Paul Weir, New Mexico is one of three teams tied for fourth place in the Mountain West with an 8-6 conference record, a group that includes Wyoming.
?I think it?s more of just them gelling,? Wyoming head coach Allen Edwards said. ?Even the first time around, watching them, we were still unsure of who was who in the sense of productivity, who they lean on a little bit more than others. ... Not the style of play, but roles, so to speak. Who?s the scorers? Who?s the shooters? Who?s the drivers? And sometimes, that can get mixed up early on in the year, because everybody?s trying to figure it out.?
The Lobos? identity has been no secret. New Mexico employs a high-pressure defense that gave Wyoming issues, especially in the second half of last month?s game, when the Cowboys had 11 turnovers.
?I thought we turned it over a lot in the second half because we tried to make home-run plays,? Edwards said. ?And the biggest thing I hit our guys with, in baseball terminology, let?s go for singles, instead of trying to hit the home runs. Obviously, what that means is just make the simple play. And I thought we got out of character, playing off of one foot, instead of playing off of two.?
The Lobos won that first game despite being without Sam Logwood, who was out with a shoulder injury, and Troy Simons, who was suspended. Logwood, a senior, is averaging 12.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while Simons averages 8.4 points and 1.8 steals.
?Logwood is a veteran kid, and he?s an athlete,? Edwards said. ?And I think he?s great at the top of the press. He?s great for what they?re doing. He?s physical enough to guard bigger guys, and he?s quick enough to guard smaller guys in the press. So he brings a different (dynamic). And offensively, he?s an athlete and he can attack you off the dribble. Doesn?t shoot it well, but it?s another body, too, at the end of the day, as far as them going 10, 11 deep within their system.
?And then the kid Simons, he?s a big guard. He?s about 6-3. More than capable (as) a 3-point shooter, within what they do. And again, even with his size, I think he can play multiple positions. Very physical. And then, as you watch this team, I think he?s just done a great job with just the buy-in. They just fly around. They don?t seem to get tired. And then obviously when they do, they do a great job of bringing kids off the bench. It?s an added bonus for them, because it?s two more bodies they can bring at you.
Edwards knows something about being a new coach trying to implement an up-tempo system.
?I think the best part about when you?re coming in with a new culture, a new system, whatever you may call it, when you?re losing, it?s tough to keep kids on board,? he said. ?When kids start to see the success and reap the benefits of working that hard, you can get more buy-in. So you can just see why they?re playing (with) tremendous emotion, guys? willingness to get on the floor, guys? willingness to sprint, guys? willingness to defend, rebounds. You?ve seen it all come together, because of the success they?ve had within conference play.?
Adams hopes to return
Wyomings senior Lou Adams said he expects to play Tuesday after missing Wyoming?s last two games with an ankle injury suffered during a shoot-around last week in San Diego. He practiced Sunday, but the team did not hold a very physical practice, Edwards said.
In the standings
Along with Wyoming and New Mexico, UNLV also has an 8-6 record this season in the Mountain West. Fresno State sits in third at 9-5, while Boise State is 11-4 and Nevada is 12-2. The top five teams in the conference get a first-round bye in next month?s Mountain West tournament. Wyoming?s remaining games are against New Mexico, at Fresno State, against Air Force and at Boise State.
