Unbeaten K-State up next
CHEYENNE - Despite being in the same state, University of Wyoming men's basketball coach considers today's matchup with Kansas State at the Casper Events Center a road game.
"In my mind, it's a road game, but we only play there once a year," he said. "We have to get on a bus and leave Friday. A home game is something you play at home and don't travel for."
For Kansas State, it's the first and only road game of the non-conference season no matter how you slice it. The Wildcats are 5-0 after a non-conference opening slate that features a pair of UW's opponents. Nonetheless, the Wildcats have yet to play a game away from Bramlage Coliseum and, after today, will not play away from Manhattan until the Big 12 Conference opener at Nebraska on Jan. 8.
"(KSU coach) Jim (Wooldridge) definitely is in a year at Kansas State where how he put that schedule together, I'll never know," McClain said. "I need to ask him, because for this to be their only road game of the whole (non-conference season) is a good deal for them."
The Wildcats defeated Division I neophyte North Dakota State 70-61 to open the season, and then disposed of Denver and Washington State, teams UW will face down the road. Since then they've defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluffs and Oakland (Mich.).
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are playing in the state of Wyoming for the first time since Nov. 27, an 86-79 win over Texas-Arlington. McClain said he doesn't regret scheduling No. 15 Arizona and perennial NCAA Tournament team Dayton on the road, though he acknowledges there are two different ways to schedule a team in the early going.
"You can go on the road and play in some tough environments like we have, and hopefully when you get into league play it'll make you a better team," he said. "The other thought is you don't play any road games and you try to be 12-0 when league starts and have so much confidence hopefully when you go on the road, it'll work the other way for you."
Certainly McClain has never shied away from scheduling tough opponents on the road, whether those opponents return the visit to Laramie or not. The Cowboys have played at Arizona, Kansas and Indiana during the regular season, and then played a National Invitation Tournament game at North Carolina in March of 2003.
Following the 98-70 loss at Arizona Nov. 30, both McClain and senior guard Jay Straight said games like that will make the Cowboys better down the road - for example, when they take on hostile environments at Utah, Brigham Young and New Mexico, among others.
"I've always thought those were games that made our program better, so hopefully that environment at Dayton . that was as good of an environment as you could walk a team into," he said. "It was a learning experience, and I think all those things are going to make us better come January and February."
A year ago.
The two teams met at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan on Dec. 3, 2003, and the Wildcats won 80-67. They outrebounded the Cowboys 49-27, and all 11 Wildcat players grabbed at least one rebound. The two teams are quite a bit different, as the Cowboys have just four players back from that team, and the Wildcats return just one of their starters.
But KSU returns several players who excelled in that game, including senior forward Jeremiah Massey. Massey had seven points and six rebounds and is leading the Wildcats with 17.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Cartier Martin made his collegiate debut against UW with 10 points.
Straight led the Cowboys with 17 points, five assists and three steals, while senior center Alex Dunn added 10 points but no rebounds. Senior guard Dion Sherrell, who is expected to start for the first time this season, made a strong return to Manhattan last year. He played at Bramlage when he was a freshman at Wichita State before transferring to Schoolcraft (Mich.) Community College; last year he had 13 points at KSU.
CHEYENNE - Despite being in the same state, University of Wyoming men's basketball coach considers today's matchup with Kansas State at the Casper Events Center a road game.
"In my mind, it's a road game, but we only play there once a year," he said. "We have to get on a bus and leave Friday. A home game is something you play at home and don't travel for."
For Kansas State, it's the first and only road game of the non-conference season no matter how you slice it. The Wildcats are 5-0 after a non-conference opening slate that features a pair of UW's opponents. Nonetheless, the Wildcats have yet to play a game away from Bramlage Coliseum and, after today, will not play away from Manhattan until the Big 12 Conference opener at Nebraska on Jan. 8.
"(KSU coach) Jim (Wooldridge) definitely is in a year at Kansas State where how he put that schedule together, I'll never know," McClain said. "I need to ask him, because for this to be their only road game of the whole (non-conference season) is a good deal for them."
The Wildcats defeated Division I neophyte North Dakota State 70-61 to open the season, and then disposed of Denver and Washington State, teams UW will face down the road. Since then they've defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluffs and Oakland (Mich.).
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are playing in the state of Wyoming for the first time since Nov. 27, an 86-79 win over Texas-Arlington. McClain said he doesn't regret scheduling No. 15 Arizona and perennial NCAA Tournament team Dayton on the road, though he acknowledges there are two different ways to schedule a team in the early going.
"You can go on the road and play in some tough environments like we have, and hopefully when you get into league play it'll make you a better team," he said. "The other thought is you don't play any road games and you try to be 12-0 when league starts and have so much confidence hopefully when you go on the road, it'll work the other way for you."
Certainly McClain has never shied away from scheduling tough opponents on the road, whether those opponents return the visit to Laramie or not. The Cowboys have played at Arizona, Kansas and Indiana during the regular season, and then played a National Invitation Tournament game at North Carolina in March of 2003.
Following the 98-70 loss at Arizona Nov. 30, both McClain and senior guard Jay Straight said games like that will make the Cowboys better down the road - for example, when they take on hostile environments at Utah, Brigham Young and New Mexico, among others.
"I've always thought those were games that made our program better, so hopefully that environment at Dayton . that was as good of an environment as you could walk a team into," he said. "It was a learning experience, and I think all those things are going to make us better come January and February."
A year ago.
The two teams met at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan on Dec. 3, 2003, and the Wildcats won 80-67. They outrebounded the Cowboys 49-27, and all 11 Wildcat players grabbed at least one rebound. The two teams are quite a bit different, as the Cowboys have just four players back from that team, and the Wildcats return just one of their starters.
But KSU returns several players who excelled in that game, including senior forward Jeremiah Massey. Massey had seven points and six rebounds and is leading the Wildcats with 17.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Cartier Martin made his collegiate debut against UW with 10 points.
Straight led the Cowboys with 17 points, five assists and three steals, while senior center Alex Dunn added 10 points but no rebounds. Senior guard Dion Sherrell, who is expected to start for the first time this season, made a strong return to Manhattan last year. He played at Bramlage when he was a freshman at Wichita State before transferring to Schoolcraft (Mich.) Community College; last year he had 13 points at KSU.
