Fans will be in for a treat when they step foot in the renovated Arena-Auditorium on Friday evening for the Pokes' exhibition contest against Regis University slated for an 8:30 p.m. start. Not only will fans see the updated amenities the Arena-Auditorium has to offer, but they will see nine returning letterwinners and three starters back from the Cowboys College Basketball Invitational Championship team.
Prior to the Cowboys' contest will be an unveiling of the CBI Championship Banner.
Fans can watch the action with live video and stats on
GoWyo.com. The game will be broadcast live on radio over the affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network.
A Look at the Matchup
Head coach
Allen Edwards, who had the third-most wins amongst first year head coaches in the NCAA last season will welcome back three starters and nine letterwinners from a team that won the College Basketball Invitational. It was Wyoming's first postseason championship since 1943. The Pokes finished last season with a 23-15 overall record.
The Cowboys set a school and Mountain West record with 369 three-pointers last season. The Pokes also set a school record in points (2,961), rebounds (1,455) and assists (568). Additionally, UW also No. 19 in the nation in field goal percentage defense at 40.1.
The Rangers finished last season with a 20-9 overall record and a 14-8 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic conference. Head coach Brady Bergeson, who enters his second season welcomes back four starters and five overall letterwinners.
Each Team's Leaders
Wyoming's top returner is junior guard
Justin James. He was named to the Preseason All-MW team after averaging 16.0 points per game last season. Honorable Mention All-MW selection
Hayden Dalton returns, as he added 12.2 points per game and a team-best 8.3 rebounds. Both players came primarily off the bench a season ago.
Starters returning include senior forward
Alan Herndon, who averaged 11.1 points per game. He was second on the team in rebounds adding 6.0 per game. Fellow senior guards
Louis Adams added 7.6 points per game in 16 starts, while
Alexander Aka Gorski started 15 games for the Pokes adding 7.7 points per game and recorded 56 three pointers. Junior forward
Jordan Naughton averaged 4.4 points per game to go along with 2.8 rebounds in 26 starts. He shot 60 percent from the field going 89-of-138.
Other returners include sophomore guard
Cody Kelley, who scored 3.4 points per game and added 1.5 assists. Sophomore forward
Andrew Moemeka added 1.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard
Sam Averbuck added 0.7 points per game appearing in six games.
The returners will be joined by redshirt junior guard
Nyaires Redding, redshirt sophomore forward
Brodricks Jones and redshirt freshman forward
Austin Mueller. Newcomers in freshmen guards
Anthony Mack,
Hunter Maldonado and forward
Hunter Thompson will add depth for the Pokes.
The Rangers top scorer from last season Jarrett Brodbeck leads Regis. He was an All-RMAC selection and averaged 17 points per game. He shot 40 percent from behind the arc in 25 games. Dexter Sienko was second on the team in scoring last season at 15.4 points per game. He was also an All-RMAC selection. He led the team in rebounding at 6.5 per game.
About the Series
Wyoming is 8-2 all-time against Regis in a series that dates back to 1928. The Cowboys took the last meeting on Dec. 7, 2014 by a score of 70-35. The Pokes are 6-1 all-time against the Rangers in Laramie.
Up Next
The Pokes open the regular season by hosting Chattanooga on Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.
