Courtesy of UW Club Baseball

The Wyoming club baseball team continues to enjoy plenty of success on the diamond, as they return to the NCBA Division II World Series starting Friday in Columbus, Georgia. UW was second last year and has two other top six finishes since 2008.

The Cowboys are 20-8 on the season, which includes a 16-2 mark in their conference. They won the District VIII title for the fourth time in the past five seasons to qualify for the World Series.

This team possess’ some big-time offensive weapons. Statistically, Wyoming has six players in the top 10 of NCBA Division II in hits on the season. Jordan Mette leads the way with 34 hits, among them three home runs and three triples. Mette and teammate John Czerwinski are both hitting over .519 on the season, while Mette and teammate Matt Overton have driven in 25 and 24 runs on the season, respectively.

UW also has some quality pitching at the NCBA Division II level. Ryan Bunger is second in wins with seven on the season, while teammate Dustin Stallings is tied for third with five. Those two, along with Carlos Casas, rank in the top seven in innings pitched this season. Stallings and Casas are fifth and sixth in strikeouts with 54 and 44, respectively. Nicholas Barker leads the division with six saves on the year.

Now it’s time to focus on the action. Seeded fourth, the Cowboys play the first game of the NCBA Division II World Series, Friday at 8 am Mountain time, against Illinois.

Wyoming’s player-coach Skyler Joy joined David Settle and Kari Eakins on Sportsline Live May 14th. He talked about the season, broke down the club and previewed the upcoming NCBA Division II World Series.

Photo from Flickr via kulicki

The University of Wyoming Men’s Golf Team is in Arizona this weekend, where they will be competing in the 2012 Mountain West Conference Championship.

The championship will be played at the OMNI Tucson National Golf Club on the Catalina Course, which as only a par-71, measures at over 7,100 yards. Trying to tame the lengthy beast for Wyoming, will be five-homegrown Cowboys: Seniors Mike May and Casey Ruff from Big Piney and Buffalo respectively, Junior Clinton Boutelle of Cody, Sophomore and Laramie native Eric Parish and a Redshirt Freshman from Jackson Hole, Eddie Stewart.

Alongside David Settle on Sportsline Live this week, I was able to meet with Wyoming’s Director of Men’s and Women’s Golf and men’s head coach Joe Jensen. In discussion of the course, the talent on the course and the expectations for the championship, Jensen provided a great deal of insight:

For great interviews and banter like this, be sure to tune in to Sportsline Live every weeknight from 5:30-7.

(courtesy University of Wyoming)

Cowboy basketball coach Larry Shyatt finished off the 2012-13 recruiting class on Wednesday when Derek Cooke signed a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Wyoming. The 6’9″ forward will transfer to UW from Cloud County Community College and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

“He is not the typical prospect who has only two years left,” Shyatt said. “He also has far less behind him than ahead of him and he hasn’t been dirtied, like so many young players nowadays, and poisoned by the process. Every day that I spent learning more about Derek and watching him play more, I have great confidence in our coaching staff, and they were quite certain he was the best available player in the country with what he to offer and what time he has to develop.”

A football player in high school, Cooke did not play organized basketball until joining the team at Cloud. While there was no doubt Cooke was an athlete, his junior college coach, Chad Eshbaugh admitted that it was rough at the start.

“Basically every rep he got was the very rep he’d ever had before,” Eshbaugh said. “His first practice of his entire life was his first practice here, the first game he ever played in with officials was the first game he played here this year. The basics you sometimes just assume, we couldn’t assume anything with Derek. So from day one we kind of started from scratch and it’s been a really good experience for me and hopefully for Derek, his time here at Cloud, because I’ve just watched him grow as much as I’ve seen any player grow in a two year period of time.”

After his redshirt year, Cooke helped the Thunderbirds to a 25-8 overall record during the 2011-12 campaign. Cloud County went 11-5 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and advanced to the semifinals of the NJCAA Division I Region VI Tournament. Cooke notched team highs of 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 55 percent from the floor to go with 6.0 points and nearly one steal per game.

Cooke attended Friendly High School in Washington, D.C., where he was a 6-2 wide receiver on the football team. An NCAA qualifier after graduating, he decided to take a year off from school and hit a growth spurt, before enrolling at Cloud County. Cooke is the son of Derek Sr. and Debbie Cooke-Slade. His stepdad is Tyrone Slade.

Shyatt said he does expect Cooke to be able to contribute to the team right away. He will train in Laramie this summer and go with the Cowboy basketball team on their trip to Canada. Cooke joins Nathan Sobey and Charles Hankerson, Jr. as players who signed during this signing period.

(Photo by Kent Gidley)

Charles Hankerson, Jr. is becoming a Cowboy. He will transfer to the University of Wyoming from the University of Alabama with two years of eligibility remaining after he sits out the 2012-13 season. Cowboy basketball coach Larry Shyatt made the announcement Monday.

“This is a great family and I think probably one of the strengths he brings to the table is his experience and his maturity. He’s got 15-16 months to not only display the leadership, but also really start to put our program in a position where we’re thinking down the road instead of a day-to-day timetable,” said Shyatt on what Hankerson will add to the Cowboys. “Of course he comes at a great time because one of our best players returning, Luke Martinez is in his last year and we’re gonna miss him. I would say Junior is a different kind of player but I would say also that we’re getting a high caliber player who’s going to play high quality minutes and he’s going to have to be in a position of leadership very soon.”

With the Crimson Tide, Hankerson averaged 3.0 points and 1.4 boards in just over 11 minutes of playing time per game. The 6’5″ guard hit a team-best 32.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc in his sophomore season.

“When I went for my visit I loved the campus, I loved the whole atmosphere and just the people,” commented Hankerson on his decision to transfer to UW. “Everybody seemed really into the university and the fact that the school is the only one in the state really factored into my decision. So I’m just really happy with this whole process and I’m happy to be a Cowboy.”

Hankerson also said his previous relationship with the coaching staff, of whom several tried to recruit him out of high school, was part of the reason why he chose Wyoming.

“Coach Shyatt, I knew him from back in the day when he was at Florida, he was recruiting me there and Coach Edwards and little Shyatt, I knew them at VCU.” said Hankerson. ”Everything just seemed to line up perfectly.”

According to Hankerson, the plan is for him to enroll in summer classes and be in Laramie in May so he can begin training with the team. Hankerson is the son of Charles Sr. and Cheryl Hankerson. His father played basketball at Hampton University and is second all-time in school history with 551 assists from 1979-1983. He is the second player to sign with the Cowboys during this late signing period.

“Nathan gives us everything we were looking for in one of our open perimeter positions, so we’re really excited to have him join the Cowboy basketball family,” Shyatt said. “With the losses of JayDee Luster and Francisco Cruz, this position was our most imperative to fill. We couldn’t be happier with the young man who we spent the most time with in the country.”

Sobey averaged 16.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game in the 2011-12 season to help Cochise go 25-6 overall and earn its sixth Arizona Community College Athletic Conference title. Sobey earned First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region honors while shooting 48 percent from the field and 32 percent beyond the arc.

In addition to thinking Wyoming was a good fit and liking the coaching staff, Sobey said that the chance to make an immediate impact also affected his decision to become a Cowboy, “I’ve got two years left of eligibility and I want to actually play for the two years, so that was another thing that was intriguing.”

The newest Cowboy recruit is planning on being in Laramie this summer, saying that he expects to begin training in early June with the rest of the team.

Wyoming now has two scholarships remaining for the 2012-13 season. Shyatt said they’d like to sign another interior player and that they’re on the look out for a transfer that could become a major contributor. He also said there was no update on Leonard Washington’s suspension.

(Ethan Miller, Getty Images)

Redshirt junior forward Leonard Washington has been suspended indefinitely from the University of Wyoming men’s basketball team. Head Coach Larry Shyatt made the announcement Wednesday afternoon.

“We have certain expectations and standards that members of our program must meet,” Shyatt said. “At this time, Leonard has not met those expectations and standards.”

The University said there would be no more comments on the big loss for the Cowboys.

A Second Team All-Mountain West selection, Washington averaged 12.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks in 32 starts for the Cowboys last season. He ranked in the Top 10 of six MW statistical categories, including leading the conference in blocks (1.0) and field goal percentage (56.0). He scored in double figures in 22 games and notched six double-doubles.

Photo from Otto Kitsinger III, Getty Images

Brett Smith the starting quarterback for the Wyoming Cowboys football team, the 2011 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, a two-time MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, a Manning Award Player of the Week winner, First Team Freshman All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com, Second Team Freshman All-American by Yahoo! Sports, yet perhaps the greatest bullet point on the resume of this budding star may now be his incredible debut as a guest on Sportsline Live.

On Wednesday (March 28), the standout quarterback was bombarded with a few questions about spring football, his first year on campus and his movie preferences during a Sportsline Live interview with David Settle and Wesley Kempton, you can listen below:

Larry Nance Jr. Dunk of the Year

In a recent online fan survey to find the best college basketball dunk of the year, Wyoming’s Larry Nance Jr.’s dunk against San Diego State on January 24 emerged as one of the best throw-downs of the past season.

From the humble beginnings of the play, a simple fast break, to a liftoff about 18 inches inside the free throw line, Nance soared to heights rarely seen at the Arena Auditorium, elevation 7220 feet, and kept soaring across television and computer screens world wide.

The dunk certainly had popularity, and through multiple rounds of voting, Nance secured a spot in the finals of the competition, and after even more voting the results are in… the only catch is- they haven’t been announced yet. In an hour long special on Monday night, 3/26 at 9 MT, the results of the national voting will be announced, and Larry Nance Jr.’s spot in college basketball may be secured… We don’t know if he will win, or if he will not, all we really know right now is that the special will open with this:

The only bit of prospective I can gather from this show open, is that DJ Steve Porter will have a hand in it, meaning there will be a very awesome video pieced together from sound bites and video bits across this past season. You can enjoy the DJ Steve Porter video below if you wish, but either way, be sure to enjoy the Dunk of the Year Special on Monday Night.

(TSM Photo)

Behind 22 points and 11 rebounds from Leonard Washington, the Wyoming Cowboys beat the North Dakota State Bison 78-75 in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Wednesday night at the Arena-Auditorium. It was UW’s first post-season win since an NIT victory over Eastern Washington on March 20, 2003.

Wyoming (21-11) held on down the stretch for their 21st win of the season. Up by one with 4 minutes left, a mini 5-0 spurt highlighted by an Adam Waddell jam gave the Pokes the breathing room they needed. Washington made a huge 3-point play with 18.5 seconds remaining, but the Cowboys still needed three free throws in the final 8 seconds to seal the victory. Wyoming finished 29-of-41 at the foul line.

Washington recorded his sixth double-double this season. He also had two blocked shots and a steal. Francisco Cruz added 14 points and Waddell scored 13. Luke Martinez contributed 9 points and 10 rebounds, all on the defensive end. UW hit 54 percent (22/41) of their shots from the floor and 26 percent (5/19) from beyond the arc.

North Dakota State (17-14) had five players score in double figures. They were led by TrayVonn Wright with 15 points. The Bison shot 47 percent (27/57) from the field and 41 percent (7/17) from 3-point range.

After each team settled in, the first half was a game of runs. It featured 6 lead changes and 4 ties. UW trailed 9-5 less than three minutes into action, when they went on a 15-4 run and gained a 20-13 lead. The Bison responded with a 13-5 spurt of their own and rallied for a 32-28 edge with 4:28 left in the half. The Pokes answered with 8 points from Larry Nance, Jr. and eventually went to the break tied at 37. Washington’s 70-footer at the buzzer glanced off the front of the rim.

The Cowboys opened the second half on a 12-2 run and seemed to take control at 49-39 with 16:08 remaining. The lead reached 11 points, at 55-44, but the Bison steadily chipped away. A 15-6 burst pulled them even with Wyoming at 61-all with 7:39 left. However, they never regained a lead, and UW held on.

The Pokes will travel to Pullman, Washington to take on Washington State on Monday, March 19. It will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 2005-2006 season. The Cougars beat San Francisco 89-75 on Tuesday night. Game time is at 8 pm, Mountain Time with coverage on KCGY (FM 95.1) starting at 7:30 pm. Cowboy Talk with David Settle will follow the game broadcast.

“I’ve been proud of this team’s hunger and edge since day one, so we look forward to adding another game in the Double A to this season,” UW head coach Larry Shyatt said. “This is a great opportunity for our Wyoming fans to support the program’s first 20-win team in nine years and a well-earned reward for our six seniors this season.”

Wyoming went 20-11 with Shyatt at the helm once again. They placed sixth in the Mountain West Conference after going 6-8 in league play before falling to UNLV in the conference tournament. NDSU is 17-13 on the season and finished tied for fourth in the Summit League with a 9-9 mark. Both the Cowboys and Bison are making their first postseason appearance since 2009 when NDSU went 0-1 in the NCAA Tournament and UW went 0-1 in the CBI.

Common opponents include Green Bay and South Dakota. Wyoming lost at Green Bay 52-44 early in the season while North Dakota State beat Green Bay at home 65-61. Both teams beat South Dakota, with UW taking them down 67-56 in Laramie and NDSU defeating them twice in conference play, 82-59 in Fargo and 82-71 in Vermillion.

The game will not be televised, so the only way to see it will be in person. Tickets are $16 for adults, $8 for youth (3-18) and $5 for UW students. If you are a season ticket holder you need to either call the ticket office or visit it in person to reserve your seat by noon on Wednesday.

2012 CBI Bracket

UNLV's Mike Moser drives against Wyoming's Leonard Washington (Ethan Miller, Getty Images)

The Wyoming Cowboys were unable to recover from their worst first half of the season and lost to the UNLV Rebels 58-46 in a quarterfinal game of the 2012 Conoco Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championships on Thursday.

Mike Moser scored points for UNLV as they pestered Wyoming throughout the first half, allowing hardly any uncontested shots. As a result, the Cowboys struggled from the field, making only three buckets in the first half on their way to just 11 points, which is the lowest in the history of the MW tournament.

After coming out of halftime down 28-11, the Cowboys did their best to keep pace with UNLV for the first five minutes of the half. When Oscar Bellfield converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play that put the Rebels up 42-20, it seemed as though the night could be over.

Instead, UW buckled down on defense and kept UNLV from making another basket for ten minutes. Luke Martinez finally found his shot and Leonard Washington found opportunities in the paint to help the Cowboys on a 19-4 that had Wyoming down just 46-39 with 6:32 to go. But the Pokes could not convert on the next three possessions and Washington picked up his fourth foul with just under five minutes to play.

As the minutes ticked down, Martinez hit another big trey that was followed shortly by a 3-point shot from Francisco Cruz with had the Cowboys down by six points with one minute left. UNLV hit 5-of-6 free throws to keep UW at a distance, eventually advancing to the semifinals with the 56-48.

Wyoming (20-11) was led by Leonard Washington with his fifth double-double of the season in 11 points and 10 rebounds. Luke Martinez also put up 11 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds. The Cowboys shot 29 percent (17/58) from the floor, 28 percent (7/25) from three, and 58 percent (7/12) from the foul line.

Moser finished the night with 22 points and 14 boards for the Rebels (26-7)who shot 40 percent (20/50) from the field, 28 percent (4/14) from beyond the arc, and 63 percent (12/19) from the charity stripe. UNLV outrebounded Wyoming 56-48 and earned a 9-6 advantage in assists. Both teams turned the ball over 14 times.

The Cowboys now wait until Sunday to see if they get a postseason berth.

The College Basketball Player of the Year in 1943 and 1946, Sailors led UW to their only National Championship in Basketball in 1943, and is the only three-time All-American basketball player in the history of University of Wyoming basketball. Sailors is also the oldest-living Most Outstanding Player from the NCAA Tournament (born January 14, 1921), earning the honor in the 1943 campaign. Despite all of these accolades, Sailors may best be known as the inventor of the modern jump shot.

Some people think I’m as old as Methuselah.  The only thing Methuselah didn’t have that I do is the jump shot.  I think the jump shot has done more to keep me in front of the people who select these type of honors than anything.”

In only the seventh class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, Sailors will be inducted alongside such greats as Georgetown center Patrick Ewing; Kansas center Clyde Lovellette; North Carolina guard Phil Ford; Winston-Salem State guard Earl Monroe; Grambling center Willis Reed; Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall; Virginia Union coach Dave Robbins; and contributors Jim Host, founder of Host Communications, and Joe Dean, of Converse and LSU.

In his enshrinement, Sailors will join such greats as James Naismith, John Wooden and his former coach, Everett Shelton.

I’m honored to be selected, even though I am a little late in years, and I’m honored to be joining Coach (Everett) Shelton in the Hall.”

After leading Wyoming to the 1943 National Championship under Shelton, Sailors enlisted in the Marines and served in the South Pacific, before lacing up once again for Wyoming’s 1945-1946 season, where he would again be named an All-American and the College Basketball Player of the Year.

The chair of the Hall of Fame selection panel, Reggie Minton said in a statement, “The Class of 2012 has incredible roots in the game of college basketball – from the player who introduced the jump shot at Wyoming to the domination of a 7-footer at Georgetown. This group of coaches, players and contributors will no doubt bring back memories of national championships, All-American performances and the tremendous growth of the sport throughout the years.”

The induction ceremony will be held on November 18, 2012 at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City.

Of course, this is not the only recent recognition of Kenny Sailors, a recent book by local author Ryan Thorburn chronicled the success of Wyoming basketball and Sailors in particular.

Photo Courtesy of Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Following a rough couple of seasons on the basketball court for the Wyoming Cowboys and with the addition of several new faces (coaches among them), expectations for the 2011-2012 Cowboys were not as high as in years past. This may be why some have said that the purpose of expectations is for them to be surpassed.

After a 20-win campaign, yielding numerous of highlight reel plays, several individual accolades and thousands of fans in the seats; most any expectation for the 2011-2012 Wyoming Cowboys basketball team in the regular season were certainly surpassed.

Though the postseason still holds the potential for greater success, which regular season victory for the Cowboys stands out to you as the biggest and best of the season?

We want to reward you just for answering this poll! Enter your answer to this poll in the Mighty 1290 Club for your chance to win some great prizes like gift certificates, DVDs, a Kindle Fire, a Kuerig Coffee Maker and more…

Have a local “Survey of the Day” question you want to ask about? Let us know! Survey results will be read one week after the survey start date on the Laramie Live Radio Show, so listen in to KOWB 1290 AM weekday mornings at 8:05 a.m.

(courtesy Troy Babbitt, Wyoming Athletics Media Relations)

Basketball great John Wooden said, “Never make excuses. You’re friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.”

At a height of just 5-9 it would have been pretty easy for senior Wyoming point guard JayDee Luster to make excuses for himself. But he never did and that’s part of why he was chosen as the 2011-12 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.

Head Coach Larry Shyatt repeatedly tasked Luster with guarding top scorers in the conference such as Wes Eikmeier and Chase Tapley and for good reason. He held the opposing MW player he guarded to below their season scoring average in 10 of 14 games.

Offensively, Luster ranked fifth in the league in assist average (3.7) and contributed 5.1 points per game. As the court general he goes by the mantra, ”hit singles, not home runs” which was given to him by the coaching staff. So he’s not going to be that flashy. He won’t draw too many gasps from the crowd. He’s just going to frustrate the heck out of the other team while doing all he can to get the win for the Pokes.

Luster was also named to the All-Defensive Team and Honorable Mention All-MW as selected by the league’s head coaches and a select media panel. Teammate Leonard Washington was picked Second-Team All-MW and Pako Cruz joined Luster on the Honorable Mention List. Wyoming opens play at the 2012 Conoco MW Championships against UNLV on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Three members of the Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team garnered postseason honors. Junior Chaundra Sewell was a Second Team All-MW selection and named to the All-Defensive Team after being named Honorable Mention All-Conference a year ago. In addition, true freshman Kayla Woodward earned Third Team All-Conference, while junior Ashley Sickles was named Honorable Mention All-MW. The Cowgirls open up play at the Mountain West Conference Tournament Wednesday, March 7, in Las Vegas. Their first-round game will be against TCU at 3:30 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Ethan Miller (Getty Images)

In a prelude to a rematch next Thursday in the first round of the Mountain West Championships, the Wyoming Cowboys fell short against the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 74-63 Saturday night in Las Vegas. The Rebels pulled away down the stretch for their 25th win of the season.

Two Rebels Seniors keyed UNLV in their home finale. Brice Massamba scored a career-high 15 points and Kendall Wallace added as season-high 14. Mike Moser ended up with his 14th double-double this season. He had 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Anthony Marshall chipped in 12 points.

Wyoming was led by Francisco Cruz with 16 points. Luke Martinez contributed 15.

UNLV (25-7, 9-5) went on an early 14-5 run that put the Runnin’ Rebels ahead 19-10, but Wyoming fought back with a 13-7 spurt and closed within two points, at 28-26, with 4:24 left in the first half. The Cowboys found themselves down by only four points, 36-32, at halftime, despite 10 first half turnovers.

UW (20-10, 6-8) kept hanging around in the second half until Kendall Wallace hit two key 3-pointers, which included a 4-point play on a foul, that put UNLV up 57-47 with 10:47 left. Wyoming closed within five points on a Luke Martinez 3, 60-55, at the 6:05 mark.

The Rebels responded with a key 14-4 run in the final four minutes, as they pulled away for the 11-point victory. UNLV finished 17-0 in home games.

Wyoming shot 44 percent from the field (19-43) and were 7-18 (39 percent) on 3′s. They were 18-25 (72 percent) at the foul line.

UNLV shot 49 percent (23-47) and were also 7-18 from beyond the arc. The Rebels went 21-of-29 (72.4 percent) from the charity stripe.

The Cowboys will rematch with UNLV in the first round of the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championships next Thursday. Game time is 9:30 pm, Mountain Time, from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Radio coverage on KCGY (FM 95.1) will begin at 9 pm. Kari Eakins will host a very late edition of Cowboy Talk following the game broadcast.

(TSM Photo)

Behind 23 points and 14 rebounds from Leonard Washington and 19 points and 5 assists from Francisco Cruz, the Wyoming Cowboys picked up their 20th victory of the season with a 71-59 win over the TCU Horned Frogs Tuesday night at the Arena-Auditorium. The five healthy seniors started and accounted for the first 15 points, as UW got its first 20-win season since 2002-2003.

Washington hit 9-0f-13 shots while Cruz made 8-of-11 as the hot shooting Cowboys shot better than 50 percent in both halves of the game. Adam Waddell also scored in double figures with 14. UW had 18 assists and committed a season-low 1 turnover while finding 44 points in the paint.

Wyoming (20-9, 6-7) jumped to an early 15-6 lead, as they hit seven of their first 9 shots from the field. That included Cruz, who made 4-of-5 shots and added 4 early assists. TCU (17-12, 7-6) pushed back within 8, at 32-24, on back-to-back baskets from Cadot. Then UW got six points from Cruz and a Waddell free throw in the last 3:15 for a 39-29 halftime lead.

The Horned Frogs mini 7-0 run cut the Cowboys lead to 47-42 with 15:51 to play, but Wyoming responded with six straight points highlighted by a Waddell to Washington alley-oop dunk. TCU never really threatened after that.

The Pokes shot 54 percent (28-52) from the field, 30 percent (3-10) from beyond the arc and 60 percent (12-20) from the foul line. Adam Waddell put up 14 points and JayDee Luster had 8 assists with no turnovers in 26 minutes.

TCU was held to 41 percent (21-51) shooting from the field, 27 percent (6-22) from trey and 58 percent (11-19) from the free throw line. The Horned Frogs were led by J.R. Cadot with 11 points.

The Cowboys will close conference play on Saturday with a trip to UNLV. Tip is set for 8 p.m. Coverage will start on KCGY-FM at 7:30 p.m. and Cowboy Talk will follow with David Settle.

Jamie Squire, Getty Images

Top-ranked Kentucky and No. 2 Syracuse enter the final week of the regular season on extended win streaks and with just one loss each. Both teams figure to be in position for No. 1 regional seeds for the upcoming NCAA tournament. Here’s what’s happening in college basketball:

Team on the Rise: No. 19 Wichita State Shockers

Victories against Illinois St. on Wednesday and Drake on Saturday gave Wichita State (26-4, 16-2 MVC) an eight-game winning streak heading into the Missouri Valley Conference tournament in St. Louis this week. Though it was playing without guard Joe Ragland, the team’s second-leading scorer, coach Gregg Marshall’s team still demolished Drake by 23 points. A conference championship this weekend might mean a No. 4 seed for the Shockers in the NCAA tournament.

Team on the Decline: No. 3 Missouri Tigers

After playing so well for most of the season, No. 3 Missouri (25-4, 12-4 Big 12) stumbled last week with a 78-68 home loss to unranked Kansas State and a 87-86 overtime defeat at No. 4 Kansas. Coach Frank Haith’s team gave up a 19-point lead in the loss to Kansas. Seniors Kim English and Ricardo Ratliffe must provide leadership for the Tigers to see that this losing streak doesn’t carry into March.

Player on the Rise: Thomas Robinson, Kansas Jayhawks

Thomas Robinson further established himself as a national player of the year candidate in leading No. 4 Kansas (24-5, 14-2 Big 12) to wins over Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Missouri in an eight-day stretch. Robinson averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds during the three games, with 28 points and 12 rebounds coming in the Missouri game alone.

Player on the Decline: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State Buckeyes

After scoring in double figures in 24 of his first 25 games, Jared Sullinger was held to nine and eight points respectively as No. 8 Ohio State (23-6, 11-5 Big 10) defeated Illinois on Tuesday and lost to No. 16 Wisconsin on Sunday. A sophomore forward, Sullinger must produce numbers closer to his seasonal per game averages of 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds if the Buckeyes are going to advance deep into the NCAA tournament.

Coach on the Hot Seat: Bill Carmody, Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern (17-11, 7-9 Big Ten) is often mentioned as the only school from the “Big Six” conferences never to play in the NCAA tournament. No one knows that fact better than coach Bill Carmody, whose Wildcats seemed certain to land a bid this year. The Wildcats ‘ narrow 67-66 win over Penn State on Saturday might have the selection committee examining Northwestern more closely. Northwestern finishes its season with No. 8 Ohio State on Wednesday and Iowa on Saturday. They may need a split to lock up a bid.

Bizarre Stat of the Week: Anthony Davis, Kentucky Wildcats

Forward Anthony Davis has blocked at least five shots in a game 14 times this season for No. 1 Kentucky (28-1, 14-0 SEC), including six during the Wildcats’ 83-74 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Pistol Pete Flag, photo by Adam Porter

Saturday in Laramie, the Wyoming Cowboys will play for more than a win against the Boise State Broncos.

In what they hope to become an annual event, the University of Wyoming will host a “Cowboys vs. Cancer” game Saturday, to create awareness for cancer research and raise money for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

For the event, fans are encouraged to wear white, and part of the fund raising for The V Foundation will come from official “Cowboys vs. Cancer” t-shirts which are available online, or at the Brown & Gold Outlet.

Of course- the basketball game will have some significance as well. Despite their stellar start to the season, the Cowboys are currently two games out of fourth place in MWC standings, and have lost four games consecutively and are 18-9 on the season.  BSU is a team going in the opposite direction however as they have won three of their last four games, despite starting MWC play with 7 straight losses.

The game will tip-off at 2:00 p.m., with coverage beginning on 95.1, KCGY at 1:30.

Cowboy players huddle

Three of the last four visits to San Diego by the Wyoming Cowboys were anything but pretty. Wednesday night the Pokes showed their resiliency, as they fought the 24th-ranked Aztecs to overtime. Unfortunately, San Diego State blitzed the Pokes in the extra period, as they out-scored Wyoming 12-3 and pulled away for 67-58 victory.

The Aztecs scored the first seven points of OT and didn’t look back. They ended their 3-game losing streak and remained in a second place tie in the Mountain West standings with UNLV.

The loss extends the Cowboys losing skid to four straight games.

San Diego State (21-6, 7-4) had four players in double figures led by Garrett Green off the bench with 14 points. Jamaal Franklin scored 12, while Chase Tapley and Tim Shelton added 10 points apiece.

Wyoming (18-9, 4-7) was led by Arthur Bouedo with 11 points and Adam Waddell with 10 points.

It was a game of runs in the first half. An 11-2 spurt early gave Wyoming a 13-4 lead, but that was quickly trimmed to one after a San Diego State 8-0 run. Bouedo’s 3-pointer stemmed the tide, as the Cowboys regained a 21-14 advantage. Back came the Aztecs, as a 14-3 run gave them a 26-24 lead. UW closed the first half with a mini 6-0 burst and led 30-26 at half.

The second half saw Wyoming extend to a 44-35 lead with 11:14 left, but back came San Diego State. They tied it at 45 on a Green lay-up at the 4:39 mark. Green hit a pair of free throws with 41 seconds left, but a Luke Martinez 3-pointer with 29.2 seconds remaining tied it. Both teams had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but both came up empty.

San Diego State controlled the extra five minutes for the 9-point win.

One key for the Pokes was their increased bench production. Bouedo and Larry Nance, Jr. combined for 20 points in defeat, 13 in the first half alone.

The Aztecs shot 44 percent from the field and out-rebounded UW 33-23. They held a 36-to-4 edge in points in the paint.

The Cowboys shot 44.4 percent and 9 made 3-pointers (41 percent from the arc) kept them in it.

Wyoming returns home for its’ next two games. First up is the first annual “Coaches vs. Cancer” game against Boise State Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. Fans are encouraged to white to the game for a “white out.” Radio coverage begins at 1:30 pm on KCGY (FM 95.1), with Cowboy Talk to follow.

(TSM Photo)

Courtney Clements was a 1-woman wrecking crew Tuesday night in the Arena-Auditorium. She matched her season-high with 25 points and helped San Diego State clinch at least a share of the Mountain West regular-season title with the win over the Wyoming Cowgirls 68-55. It was the Aztecs first win in Laramie since 1997.

Clements scored 10 straight points during a stretch in the second half to keep the Aztecs in the lead. Her last basket put San Diego State ahead 51-46 with 7:48 left. Wyoming closed within two points on three different occasions, but couldn’t get over the top. The Aztecs knocked down 11-of-12 free throws in the last 6:15 to preserve the victory.

Wyoming failed to score in the final 3:17 of their home finale.

The first half was back-and-forth. The teams traded the lead 14 times, and there were two ties. Each team recorded a 7-0 run, but neither team led by more than five points. The Aztecs led at half, 30-29.

San Diego State (21-5, 11-1) opened the second half on a 9-4 spurt for a 39-33 lead with 13:07 remaining, but Wyoming hung tough. They answered with their own 9-4 run and closed within one point on a Kayla Woodward 3-point play, 42-43, at the 10:14 mark. Every time the Aztecs tried to get separation, Wyoming responded. They were within two points, at 55-57, on a pair of Chaundra Sewell free throws before the offense struggled down the stretch.

UW (11-14, 7-5) was led by Alison Gorrell with a career-high 16 points and 5 rebounds. Ashley Sickles added 11 points. Wyoming shot 38.5 percent (20-52) from the field, but was just 2-of-11 from 3.

Clements finished 8-of-15 on field goals, was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line. She also added 6 boards, 2 steals and committed zero turnovers in 35 minutes of action. Malia Nahinu was the only other Aztec in double figures with 12 points. San Diego State shot 44 percent (23-52) from the field, which included 4-0f-7 from 3. They went 18-0f-21 (86%) from the charity stripe. They out-rebounded the Cowgirls 38-to-27.

The Cowgirls will finish out the regular season on the road before heading to Las Vegas for the Mountain West Championships. They play at Boise State this Saturday, Feb. 25th. Tip is set for 2 p.m., coverage will start at 1:30 p.m. on KOWB.