LARAMIE, Wyo. (Dec. 15, 2020) – The Wyoming Cowboys wrap up non-conference play on Thursday hosting Omaha in the Arena-Auditorium at 7 p.m. The Cowboys have won four-straight contests heading into Thursday evening. It will be the third all-time meeting between the two schools and the first since 2015.
Tickets will not be sold for any other UW home athletic events through at least Jan. 8, which is the date the current public health orders are set to run through. Fans who purchased tickets to the men's basketball game on Thursday, Dec. 17 versus Omaha will receive refunds for those ticket purchases.
Fans can watch and listen to the contest as well as follow stats on GoWyo.com. The contest will be broadcast live on radio over the 26 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, as Reece Monaco will have the call with
Kevin McKinney on color.
A Look at the Matchup
The Cowboys head into Thursday's game winners of four-straight after downing Utah Valley 93-88 on the road on Saturday. The Pokes rank third in the MW in scoring this season at 86.2 points per game, as that number also ranks No. 37 in the nation. The Pokes are shooting 39 percent from behind the arc for the season, a number that ranks third in the MW. Wyoming adds 16.3 assists per game for second in the MW and No. 67 in the nation. Wyoming also leads the conference with only 10.7 turnovers per game to rank second in the MW and No. 26 in the nation.
The Mavericks come into the game with a 2-5 overall record. Omaha fell in their last game on the road at No. 5 Kansas by a score of 95-50. Omaha owns wins over Middle Tennessee State and SIU Edwardsville this season. The Mavericks are scoring 61.7 points per game for the season and allowing 77.1 per night. Omaha is shooting 38 percent from the field with opponents shooting at a 46 percent clip.
Each Team's Leaders
Wyoming is led in scoring by freshman
Marcus Williams at 18.3 points per game for the season. He is shooting 53 percent from the field and is second on the team with 5.3 assists per game, which also ranks third in the MW. Williams is fourth among freshman in scoring in the nation. Sophomore
Kenny Foster adds 15.8 points per game for the season shooting 67 percent from behind the arc going 10-of-15. Junior
Hunter Maldonado adds 15.5 points per game and is second in the MW in assists per game at 6.7. He also leads the Pokes grabbing 6.7 rebounds per night. He was named High Major National Player of the Week by College Sports Madness on Monday.
The Mavericks are led by Marlon Ruffin at 13.4 points per game. He is shooting 47 percent from the field and 96 percent from the free throw line in 19.4 minutes off the bench. Forward Matt Pile adds 9.7 points per game for the season and leads the team grabbing 8.9 rebounds per game. He is shooting 51 percent from the field for the season.
About The Series
Wyoming owns a 2-0 record all-time against Omaha in a series that dates back to 1956. The Cowboys won the most recent meeting downing the Mavericks at home on Dec. 19, 2015 by a score of 76-75.
Up Next
Wyoming opens Mountain West play on Sunday hosting UNLV in the Arena-Auditorium for a 2 p.m. start in a contest streamed on the Mountain West Network.
