The Cowboys head to Las Vegas to take on UNLV in the Quarterfinals of the 2022 Mountain West Championship. The Cowboys are the fourth seed in the tournament with the Runnin’ Rebels as the fifth seed. The contest played at the Thomas & Mack Center is set for a 3:30 p.m. MT start on Thursday on CBS Sports Network.
Fans can listen to the contest, as well as follow stats on GoWyo.com. The contest will be broadcast live on radio over the 26 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, as Reece Monaco will have the call with Kevin McKinney on color.
About The Teams
The Pokes head into the tournament with a 24-7 overall record and finished 13-5 in conference play. It is the most regular season wins since having 25 during the 1951-52 season. The 13 wins in conference are also the most in the MW era of Cowboy basketball.
The Pokes led the conference and ranked No. 39 in the nation recording 450 made free throws. Wyoming held opponents to 41.5 percent from the field to rank fourth in the MW this season. The Cowboys shot 46.2 percent from the field to rank third in the conference. Wyoming recorded 10.7 turnovers per game to rank second in the conference and No. 36 in the nation.
The Rebels closed the regular season strong, winning four of their final six games. UNLV resides in the middle of the league in both scoring (70.3 points per game) and points allowed (65.8 points per contest).
The Rebels connect on 42.7 percent of their field-goal attempts, which ranks second worst in the league, however, they hold foes to 41.1 percent shooting and that’s third-best in the conference. UNLV hits on 34.1 percent of its 3-point attempts and holds opponents to 31.5 percent shooting from deep.
About The Players
Wyoming is led by scoring this season by Graham Ike at 19.9 per game to rank second in the league and No. 21 in the nation. He also leads the team in rebounds at 9.6 per game for second in the MW and No. 20 in the nation.
He is one of three players in the nation to average over 199 points per game and nine or more rebounds. Hunter Maldonado adds 18.7 points per game to rank fifth in the MW. He ranks second in the conference and ranks fifth in the nation with 6.4 assists per game.
He recorded a triple-double against SDSU for the first one by a Cowboy since 2006 and became the single season assists leader with 192. Drake Jeffries adds 10.4 points per night and ranks No. 22 in the nation shooting 42 percent from behind the arc.
The Rebels are led by Bryce Hamilton who pours in a Mountain West Conference-best 31.8 points per game, which also ranks sixth nationally. Hamilton adds 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest.
Donovan Williams represents the only other Rebel who averages double figures, as he chips in 12.4 points per game. Royce Hamm Jr. leads UNLV, grabbing 9.3 rebounds per contest, which ranks third in the MWC, while Jordan McCabe dishes out a team-best 4.9 assists per game.
About The Series
UNLV has dominated the all-time series, 42-19, in a series that dates back to 1966. The Rebels have won seven of the last 10 meetings and that includes a 64-57 victory on March 2 of this season.
Up Next
If Wyoming wins, the Cowboys will play the winner of a game between top-seeded Boise State and No. 8-seeded Nevada/No. 9-seeded New Mexico.
