The MWC Season Is Here

The Wyoming Cowboys will begin play in the Mountain West Conference tonight when they take on CSU in Ft. Collins.  What will the fate of the Cowboys be in the conference this season?

The Cowboys were originally picked to finish 8th and right now that looks about right.  Air Force is the only team picked to finish below Wyoming and they really haven't shown any significant reason why they shouldn't finish at the bottom of the conference.

Here's a breakdown of the preseason picks from Diamond Leung of ESPN.com:

Grading the preseason picks (based on official media poll)

1. San Diego State: Until the Aztecs lose, there's little reason to believe they still aren't the class of the conference.
2. BYU: Picking the Cougars second was about right, and the perennial conference title contenders are certainly capable of winning it again.
3. New Mexico: The defending regular-season champion Lobos are looking like a middle-of-the-road team now, but they should improve and continue to play well in the Pit.
4. UNLV: The Rebels have played like a contender for the conference title, and their defense is tough enough to get them there.
5. Colorado State: The Rams remain in this spot and are trying to break into the upper tier, but the gap is closing.
6. Utah: If the Diamond Head Classic results were any indication, this could be too high.
7. TCU: Some positive signs, including a win against USC, show the Horned Frogs could finish better than seventh.
8. Wyoming: If the Cowboys can get healthy, they could do better than eighth.
9. Air Force: The Falcons have nine wins and have bounced back after an embarrassing loss to a Division III school (Colorado College). Will it translate into a trip out of the cellar?

The unknowns for the Cowboys seem to come down to two things, injury and experience. 

Afam Muojeke and Adam Waddell have missed multiple games already and what their roles can be on the team during conference play is still uncertain as they both rehab from injury.  Their leadership on the court has been greatly missed.

This leaves Djibril Thiam as the only player with enough experience to really be a leader for Wyoming.  Younger players like Desmar Jackson and Amath M'Baye have had some impressive games, but are still inconsistent.  Same goes for transfers Francisco 'Paco' Cruz and Brian Gibson. 

None of them have been in a Cowboy uniform long enough to consistently produce the way Head Coach Heath Schroyer needs them to.  And boy, does he need them to.

Is the potential there? Certainly. But the results Cowboys fans want always seems to be further down the road. 

For more on MWC Men's basketball teams, go here.