Predicting Wyoming Basketball’s 2019-20 Non-Conference Schedule
Predicting Wyoming’s 2019-20 Non-Conference Record
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Can Wyoming capitalize on their early season schedule and improve on last year’s 8-win campaign?
Wyoming is coming off of a very disappointing season in which they were only able to eke out eight wins. To their credit, they did give Justin James enough work on offense to let him earn a selection in the NBA Draft. Aside from that, it’s hard to find too many nice things to say about 2018-19.
But now it’s a new year. But will the results be much different this time around? Here’s a look at who the Cowboys will be facing in the non-conference portion of their schedule. I’ve predicted the results for each game, as well.
11/5 Idaho State
The Bengals finished tenth in the Big Sky last year and lost three of its top four scorers from last season to transfers. Balint Mocsan is the only one of that quartet coming back after last year. A new crop of JUCO transfers will give ISU’s roster a new feel, but they will likely take a few lumps as they develop chemistry. Wyoming should provide that first lump, coasting to a relatively easy win to start things off at home.
Prediction: Win
11/10 @ South Carolina
Frank Martin’s teams never lack for toughness and this year’s team should be no different. Losing Chris Silva will hurt the Gamecocks, but they do return AJ Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant, both of whom are coming off impressive freshman campaigns. UNC grad transfer Seventh Woods is also in the fold now. South Carolina should prove to be Wyoming’s first truly formidable foe, especially on the road.
Prediction: Loss
11/13 CS Fullerton
Despite a second-place finish in the Big West, it’s hard to see Fullerton’s 16-18 record from last season as anything other than a disappointment. Now that Khalil Ahmad and Kyle Allman are gone, coach Dedrique Taylor will try again with a core of Jackson Rowe (11.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Austen Awosika (3.5 apg). They’ll be joined by High Point grad transfer Brandon Kamga, who scored nearly 14 points per contest in 2018-19.
Prediction: Loss
11/16 Oregon State
The Beavers dodged a couple bullets when early-entry draft candidates Tres Tinkle and Ethan Thompson withdrew their names. Now, they return to join resident shot-swatter Kylor Kelley as Oregon State looks to reprise its top-4 finish from a year ago. Wayne Tinkle also has a few new faces in the squad, including Jarod Lucas and Dearon Tucker – but it’s the coach’s son who ultimately runs this squad.
Prediction: Loss
11/19 Detroit Mercy
Last season, Antoine Davis turned heads as he chased down three-point shooting records, scoring in bunches night in and night out. Unfortunately for Davis – not to mention his head coach and father, Mike Davis – the Titans sputtered to just 11 wins. Could another coach’s son – grad transfer Brad Calipari – help right the ship for Detroit? Possibly, but it’ll be Davis who will be the bellwether for Detroit’s success this year.
Prediction: Win
11/21 Louisiana
Gone from the Cajuns’ roster are Jakeenan Gant and Marcus Stroman, two of the program’s best players from the past decade. In fact, four of the six players who played over 500 minutes last year are now out of the program, leaving returning guards Cedric Russell and PJ Hardy as the team’s de facto leaders. It’s hard to imagine that Louisiana wouldn’t take a considerable step backwards, which should benefit Wyoming.
Prediction: Win
11/24 Colorado (MGM Main Event, Las Vegas)
Lots of smart basketball minds are high on the Buffs coming into 2019-20 and it’s hard to disagree. Tad Boyle’s squad returns just about everybody from last season’s 23-win team which got better as the year went along. Colorado won 12 of its final 16 games, with two of those coming against Washington. If they can ride that momentum into this season, then this is a team that could contend to win the Pac-12 title.
Prediction: Loss
11/26 Clemson or TCU (MGM Main Event, Las Vegas)
My guess is that Wyoming will be taking on the loser of the other MGM Main Event matchup, but who will that be? Could it be Clemson, who will need to replace a lot of scoring from last year? The Tigers lost a lot, but former Texas and Alabama standout Tevin Mack joins the squad as a grad transfer. Or will it be TCU, who bring back a likely All-Big 12 selection in Desmond Bane? Jamie Dixon’s team flamed out at the end of last season, but there’s still a lot of talent there. Regardless of which team ends up here, Wyoming will struggle.
Prediction: Loss
12/14 Northern Colorado
The good news for Wyoming? Last season’s Big Sky Player of the Year, Jordan Davis, is no longer around to cause headaches. The bad news? The league’s runners-up return nearly everyone else from a 21-win team. Sophomore Bodie Hume stood out during his first season in Greeley, but it’s a stretch to see him filling the massive void caused by Davis’ graduation. They still shouldn’t be overlooked as a sure thing, though.
Prediction: Win
12/18 Utah Valley
The Wolverines won 25 games in 2018-19 on its way to the CBI, but that success led to a coup of sorts, as head coach Mark Pope departed for BYU. In the wake of that loss, top returning scorers Jake Toolson and Baylee Steele bolted from Orem. Those departures open the door for Isaiah White and TJ Washington to step into larger roles, but it’s very reasonable to expect a big regression from Utah Valley under new head coach Mark Madsen this season.
Prediction: Win
12/21 @ Denver
Last season was something of a disaster for the Pioneers, as they stumbled to an 8-22 record and won just three games in the Sun Belt. Ade Murkey is the top returning scorer, while big man David Nzekwezi will try to build on a solid freshman campaign. The beefy 6’9” sophomore will need to improve his rebounding, though, after averaging just three boards per game. It’s hard to see a path to much success for Denver this season.
Prediction: Win
12/28 Nebraska Wesleyan (Division III)
Yes, this is a D3 team, but if there’s a squad that knows how to win basketball games, it’s Nebraska Wesleyan. The Prairie Wolves were 27-2 last season, spent most of the season as the #1 team in the division, and have won their league in each of the past three years. So, while NWU may profile as a cupcake if you just look at their division, they wouldn’t be the craziest pick to pull off a huge upset over a D1 foe.
Prediction: Win
Projected Non-Conference Record: 7-5
Wyoming scheduled a pretty good non-conference slate for themselves, with four guaranteed games against Power 5 opponents and a smattering of decent mid-majors. It’s still difficult to imagine the Cowboys making much noise in the Mountain West this year, so a winning record in non-conference games may simply be lipstick on a pig. But snagging a few extra wins could go a long way to building the confidence necessary to drag this program back up from the basement.
Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.
