Wyoming’s Un-Sweet 16: No. 5 Larry Eustachy vs. No. 12 Joe Scott
LARAMIE -- There's a few things that can land you on a list like this one.
Beating Wyoming with regularity certainly makes you a thorn in the side. Making stupid decisions will also draw the ire of fans. Being an all-round jerk will do it, too.
This is our version of the Un-Sweet 16, pitting the biggest villains in Wyoming Cowboys basketball history against one another and eventually crowning the worst of the worst. This won't be our opinion, it's yours. You can vote for who will advance to the next round by clicking on the box at the bottom of this page.
We did our best to round up the ultimate enemy of the Cowboy State. We reached out to people in the know, from different decades of UW hoops. Don't be surprised to see plenty of rivals on this list.
Here's today's matchup:
No. 5 Larry Eustachy vs. No. 12 Joe Scott
Larry Eustachy coached at Utah, Utah State and Colorado State during his near four decades on the sidelines.
That alone will land you on this list.
Eustachy can coach. He won 523 games during his career and took USU, Iowa State, Southern Miss and CSU to the NCAA Tournament. He won numerous Coach of the Year Awards, too, including claiming the Mountain West version in 2017 when he led the Rams to a 24-12 overall record -- 13-5 in league play -- and berth in the National Invitational Tournament.
Eustachy knew what to do on gameday.
It was the other days of the week that made him a lightning rod.
In 2003, he was photographed kissing co-ed's at a party near the campus of the University of Missouri. If that wasn't bad enough, Eustasy's Cyclones had just lost to the Tigers just hours earlier. The Des Moines Register also reported Eustachy had done something similar in Manhattan, Kan., after a road loss at Kansas State.
The NCAA also cited the head coach for rules violations. He allegedly paid players for making free throws.
Iowa State wanted to drop the axe on Eustachy but he later resigned after apologizing and telling the world he had entered treatment for alcoholism.
Southern Miss obviously wasn't fazed. The school hired Eustachy a year later. After leading the Golden Eagles to the Big Dance in 2012, CSU poached the coach.
Trouble, once again, followed.
After a trip to the tourney in Year 1 -- mostly thanks to Tim Miles' recruits -- the Rams were an up-and-down program over a tumultuous five-year span. The local newspaper, The Coloradoan, revealed that in 2014, CSU launched an internal investigation into Eustachy for "creating a culture of fear and intimidation." Eustachy was required to undergo anger management and apologize to his team. There was also a new zero-tolerance policy included, meaning no cursing at players or throwing objects -- like Diet Coke cans, allegedly.
CSU placed Eustachy on administrative leave in February of 2018. Another inquiry was underway, again, because of the coach's behavior. He resigned at the end of the month.
Eustachy and the Cowboys faced off 12 times. Wyoming won six of those.
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Next time you're bored to death watching Air Force's version of the Princeton offense, take a gander at the Falcons' bench.
There you're sure to find a dark-haired man with a scowl. The rare times Joe Scott isn't pouting like his goldfish died, he is typically in full meltdown mode on the sideline, in search of any and every official who will hear him out. He flails his arms, stomps his feet and sulks when his words inevitably fall on deaf ears.
That happened during his first stint at the academy from 2000-04. Not much has changed since he returned in 2020.
Back to that Princeton offense.
Scott played at the New Jersey Ivy League institution and he coached there, too. His players are constantly in motion, and if you fall asleep chasing them around, the backdoor is sure to be open. If not, the Falcons lull you to sleep and pop a triple. Even the best Wyoming teams struggled mightily against this Air Force program.
Take the 2001-02 season for example.
Steve McClain's Cowboys claimed the Mountain West title and beat Gonzaga in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Scott's Falcons won just nine games. Still, the two regular-season meetings were way too close for comfort, including escaping with a four-overtime win in Laramie. UW won the road meeting by three points.
Wouldn't you know it, these two Front-Range rivals met once again in the conference tournament. That one also went to an extra frame thanks to a last-second three-pointer off the right hand of Marcus Bailey. Wyoming eventually pulled off the 69-67 victory inside the Thomas and Mack Center.
Scott lost his first nine games against the Pokes. Since, he's 3-3, including a season sweep a year ago.
WYOMING'S UN-SWEET 16 SERIES:
Monday: No. 1 Reid Family vs. No. 16 Paco Larsen (Reid Family moves on with 95.5% of the vote)
Tuesday: No. 2 Danny Ainge vs. No. 15 Antonio Davis (Ainge moves on with 93.4% of the vote)
Wednesday: No. 3 Rick Majerus vs. No. 14 David Turcotte (Majerus moves on with 92% of the vote)
Thursday: No. 4 Frank Arnold vs. No. 13 Lee Cummard (Arnold moves on with 74.8% of the vote)