Pokes Can Play Spoiler Tonight With Utah State in Town
* University of Wyoming press release contributed to this report
LARAMIE -- The Wyoming Cowboys welcome the Utah State Aggies to the Arena-Auditorium on Tuesday evening. It is the second matchup between the two schools and marks the second to last home game this season.
To secure your seat in the Arena-Auditorium, purchase your tickets TODAY by calling the Wyoming Athletics Ticket Office at (307) 766-7220 or visit Gowyo.com/tickets.
The contest on CBS Sports Network will feature Rich Waltz on the call and Dan Dickau as the color analyst.
Fans can listen to the contest, as well as follow stats on GoWyo.com. The game will be broadcast live on radio over the 26 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, as Keith Kelley will have the call with Kevin McKinney on color.
About The Teams
The Cowboys enter the contest with a 8-18 overall record and a 3-11 mark in conference play after falling to Air Force by a score of 75-69 on Friday night inside the Arena-Auditorium.
The Pokes are shooting 45 percent from the field this season and 35 percent from behind the arc. Wyoming is hitting 8.6 threes per game to rank second in the MW and No. 53 in the nation. Opponents are shooting 46 percent from the field and 37 percent from behind the arc.
Utah State is battling for a top-three seed in the upcoming Mountain West Conference Tournament.
The Aggies were picked to finish eighth in the preseason conference poll. USU averages 78.9 points per game on 48 percent shooting, which includes 40.5 percent from 3-point range. Utah State’s foes score 70.6 points per contest on 43.1 percent accuracy and 36.1 percent from deep.
"We expect a good game with them coming off a really emotional win over Nevada," Wyoming head coach Jeff Linder said. "We look forward to the challenge."
About The Players
The Pokes are led in scoring this season by Hunter Maldonado at 14.7 points per game. He ranks 10th in the conference. He has scored over 20 points in back-to-back games and is two points away from passing Justin James for third all-time in career scoring at UW, a number that would make him fifth all-time in MW history.
Jeremiah Oden adds 8.6 points per game and scored a career-high 19 points against Air Force. Hunter Thompson leads the team in rebounding at 5.1 per game and he also adds 6.9 points per game.
Brendan Wenzel averaged more than eight points per game and is shooting better than 41 percent from deep. Xavier DuSell nets nearly seven points per outing and is the only Cowboy to appear in all 26 games this season.
Utah State enjoys a balanced scoring attack led by Steven Ashworth. He pours in 15.8 points per game to go alongside a team-high 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds per contest.
Taylor Funk adds 13.4 points per game. Dan Akin leads the charge on the glass, collecting a team-best 7.1 rebounds to go with his 12.1 points per contest, while Max Shulga and Sean Bairstow chip in 11.9 and 10.8 points, respectively.
Shulga was named the Mountain West Player of the Week after netting 29 points in a victory over Air Force and landing a double-double against Nevada.
"Offensively, you know, they are one of the better teams in the country," Linder said. "They really spread you out and have the ability to shoot it from one through four and put pressure on the rim with their fives.
"They're a tough challenge in the fact that they can push it on you and create shots in transition."
About The Series
Wyoming has had its way with Utah State in the all-time series, sporting a 53-34 lead. However, the Aggies have gotten the better of the two of late, winning seven of the last 10 meetings. That includes an 83-63 victory in Logan last month.
Up Next
The Cowboys take to the road Friday. They travel south to their rival Colorado State for a 7 p.m. contest inside Moby Arena. Wyoming took the first matchup, 58-57, last month.
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