Larry Shyatt knows it's a long shot.
"We're going to have to have the best at both ends," the Wyoming men's basketball coach said. "The starters and the subs are going to have to play at their very best just to give yourself a chance -- just a chance -- to win."
Near-perfection will be required for Wyoming (18-10, 4-10 Mountain West) to topple league-leading No. 14 New Mexico (24-4, 11-2) when the two teams play Saturday afternoon at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. Add in that the Lobos can clinch the Mountain West regular season conference championship with a win, along with the fact that it's the team's Senior Night, and the odds are against the Cowboys even more.
New Mexico is among the hottest times in the nation.
The Lobos have won four games in a row. In that stretch, they?ve stiff-armed the two teams most likely to knock them off their path for the league title: Colorado State and San Diego State. The team?s best player -- guard Kendall Williams -- is as confident as ever after a 46-point performance against the Rams last week.
Wyoming is a different story.
The Pokes, after a school-record with a 13-0 start, have struggled in the MW with a 4-10 record.
UW has been hobbled at various times, first by the suspension of key starter Luke Martinez, later by the injury and illnesses of a handful of others. The Cowboys have dropped three in a row heading into the meeting with New Mexico, the last regular-season road game of the year. The team?s star, forward Leonard Washington, played his first game back from a left ankle injury in a loss against Air Force on Tuesday. He turned in a double-double, but he?s not yet 100 percent. Same goes for some of his teammates.
"At the moment, I think everybody is available," Shyatt said. "I think everybody is improving, but I'm not naive enough to not think there's some fatigue. ... Those bumps and bruises aren't going to vanish by Saturday in Albuquerque."
Come Saturday, Wyoming will have to overcome New Mexico's momentum, its own pain (Washington?s ankle, sophomore guard Riley Grabau?s lower back, etc.) and illness (the unspecified bug that hospitalized sophomore forward Larry Nance Jr. and demanded two IVs before starting to relent) in order to stand a chance.
Shyatt knows what his team is up against. But he's not saying there's not a chance.
"The challenge is going to be great," he said. "But why wouldn't you want that? If you're 18-10, and you broke some records early, why wouldn't you want this kind of challenge at the end of the year.?
"We're going to have to have the best at both ends," the Wyoming men's basketball coach said. "The starters and the subs are going to have to play at their very best just to give yourself a chance -- just a chance -- to win."
Near-perfection will be required for Wyoming (18-10, 4-10 Mountain West) to topple league-leading No. 14 New Mexico (24-4, 11-2) when the two teams play Saturday afternoon at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. Add in that the Lobos can clinch the Mountain West regular season conference championship with a win, along with the fact that it's the team's Senior Night, and the odds are against the Cowboys even more.
New Mexico is among the hottest times in the nation.
The Lobos have won four games in a row. In that stretch, they?ve stiff-armed the two teams most likely to knock them off their path for the league title: Colorado State and San Diego State. The team?s best player -- guard Kendall Williams -- is as confident as ever after a 46-point performance against the Rams last week.
Wyoming is a different story.
The Pokes, after a school-record with a 13-0 start, have struggled in the MW with a 4-10 record.
UW has been hobbled at various times, first by the suspension of key starter Luke Martinez, later by the injury and illnesses of a handful of others. The Cowboys have dropped three in a row heading into the meeting with New Mexico, the last regular-season road game of the year. The team?s star, forward Leonard Washington, played his first game back from a left ankle injury in a loss against Air Force on Tuesday. He turned in a double-double, but he?s not yet 100 percent. Same goes for some of his teammates.
"At the moment, I think everybody is available," Shyatt said. "I think everybody is improving, but I'm not naive enough to not think there's some fatigue. ... Those bumps and bruises aren't going to vanish by Saturday in Albuquerque."
Come Saturday, Wyoming will have to overcome New Mexico's momentum, its own pain (Washington?s ankle, sophomore guard Riley Grabau?s lower back, etc.) and illness (the unspecified bug that hospitalized sophomore forward Larry Nance Jr. and demanded two IVs before starting to relent) in order to stand a chance.
Shyatt knows what his team is up against. But he's not saying there's not a chance.
"The challenge is going to be great," he said. "But why wouldn't you want that? If you're 18-10, and you broke some records early, why wouldn't you want this kind of challenge at the end of the year.?
