By Staff – 31 July ’14
The University of Wyoming men’s basketball team announced the Cowboys’ 2014-15 slate Thursday. The Pokes will contest 11 games against teams that participated in the postseason last year, including 13 matchups versus teams with 20 or more wins and eight games with teams ranked in the nation’s top 30.
2014-2015 University of Wyoming Men’s Basketball Schedule
“When we returned three years ago we stated that as our program improved, so to would our schedule,” Shyatt said. “What we’ve tried to do is prepare a nonconference schedule of home and road games against some high-level programs that will help prepare us for the Mountain West. That includes traveling to Cal and SMU and hosting Colorado, New Mexico State and Denver. I especially appreciate [SMU coach] Larry Brown and [former Cal coach] Mike Montgomery giving us an opportunity to play a return game in Laramie, which is important for our loyal fans.”
Wyoming’s nonconference schedule includes 10 home games and features NCAA tournament participants Colorado and New Mexico State visiting Laramie on Saturday, Nov. 22 and Saturday, Nov. 29, respectively. The Pokes will open the newly renovated Arena-Auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 16 against Northern Colorado, which played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament last season. Front Range foe Denver visits on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Notable road games during the nonconference slate include at SMU on Friday, Dec. 5 and at California on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Both programs participated in the National Invitation Tournament last season, including a runner-up finish from SMU.
The Mountain West portion of the schedule features nine home contests, predominantly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Notable home games in the MW slate include opening against UNLV on New Year’s Eve and facing defending conference tournament champion New Mexico on Saturday, Jan. 24. San Diego State, which advanced to the NCAA’s Sweet 16 last season, visits Laramie on Wednesday, Jan. 14, while Fresno State, last season’s College Basketball Invitational runner-up, plays in the Arena-Auditorium on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
The Border War with Colorado State will continue in Laramie on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Wyoming’s one-time opponents for 2014-15 are Boise State and Air Force. The Cowboys will not travel to the Broncos or host the Falcons.
“When looking at our conference schedule, we’re pleased that this year we are scheduled twice to play some of the top finishers in the league over the last few seasons,” Shyatt said. “That can only help bolster our RPI as we are considered for postseason play.”
The Mountain West Championship will once again be hosted at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The first round features two games on Wednesday, March 11, while the four quarterfinal games will be on Thursday, March 12. The semifinals take place on Friday, March 13 and the championship game on Saturday, March 14.
