Just when we needed it most, along came Wyoming Cowgirl basketball.
It's been a year like no other. The State of Wyoming needed something to feel good about, something that would bring it together.
And, then, the Cowgirls pulled off the improbable.
One of the beautiful aspects of collegiate athletics is the underdog creating the unexpected. What the Cowgirls accomplished in Las Vegas last week doesn't happen very often. . .like never in the case of the Mountain West Tournament.
Wyoming was seeded seventh in the tournament. In four amazing days, the Cowgirls strung together four perfect games to become the lowest-seeded team ever to win the tournament title and earn a spot in the NCAA's Dance.
What an opportunity they created for themselves next week. The Cowgirls enter the tournament as a number 14 seed. They will now take on a number three seeded, UCLA, Monday (March 22) at the University of Texas' Frank Erwin Center in Austin. Game time is 8 p.m. mountain time. The Cowgirls carry a six-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament, and will be one of the tourney's darlings. All of Wyoming will be watching and listening.
Last week's Mountain West Tournament was one of those magical times when hard work, nearly flawless play and outstanding coaching came together. First it was Utah State, an expected victory. Then the two seed (UNLV), followed by the six seed (Boise State) and finally the four seed (Fresno State) in the championship game. All fell to that seventh seed in the Brown and Gold.
As the week progressed, the Cowgirls' confidence increased. It got to that wondrous point when they believed they were going to win. No, they KNEW they were going to win.
Along the way they reached lofty heights. They set a tournament record with 15 made three-pointers in their quarterfinal victory over UNLV. The 28-point victory over Utah State, a game in which they shot 51.8 percent from the field, was their largest margin of victory in their tournament history. They held Boise State to 38 points, Boise's lowest point total in 19 seasons. Junior guard Tommi Olson's nine steals in the semfinal game against the Broncos was a tournament record.
Sophomore McKinley Bradshaw and junior Quinn Weidemann made 16 of 21 shots from the field against Utah State, including 10 for 13 from three-point range!
Both Weidemann and Olson were named to the All-Tournament team and Weidemann was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
It was fun to watch, and I feel extremely fortunate to have seen the final two victories.
Sadly the Wyoming fan base was not there. Nobody was, not even player families. I can only imagine what the Thomas and Mack would have been like had this been a normal year. I saw it in '15 when the Cowboys surprised everyone by going all the way. With each victory more of the Wyoming faithful made their way to Las Vegas. Like Wyoming usually does, it made a foreign court a home court by the championship game. I have no doubt that would have happened again. But COVID would not allow our fans to come.
It didn't matter to the Cowgirls. They won anyway. Their stifling defense and timely shooting, especially from the arc, was too much for the Mountain West.
"I'm happy for the team, the program and all of Wyoming," said Head Coach Gerald Mattinson who, with his staff, turned in a superior coaching job all season long. "Because our fans are so devoted and care so much, it made it even more special. As a Wyoming person, I can't tell you what it feels like to represent my staff and this program and this state.
Making the run more improbable was the fact the Cowgirls entered the tournament having not played in three weeks! Opponents' COVID issues, and the league not seeing fit to provide them with a rescheduled game during the week prior to the tournament, left Mattinson and his staff wondering just how the Cowgirls would respond to that unprecedented layoff.
"I really don't know how this is going to go," Gerald would say prior to the tournament. "But what I do know is that these kids will play hard like they have all year."
They played hard alright. Defense is all about hard work, and Wyoming outworked the field. In retrospect, maybe the layoff was a blessing in disguise and allowed the Cowgirls to have fresher legs than their opponents. Regardless, nobody wants to go three weeks without playing a game!
The Cowgirls played great defense all season long. Shutting people down is what they hung their hats on. Then, somewhere near the final quarter of the regular season, against San Diego State specifically, they hit their stride offensively as well. The motion offense began to click because they began to hit shots, especially from the arc.
Even though nobody had seen them play in three weeks, nobody in the tournament wanted to face that lethal combination. "When we combine the two," Gerald says, "we are somebody who's hard to beat."
The beauty of this team is that it IS a team. Bradshaw leads the team in scoring at 11.7, Weidemann is right behind at 11 per contest and junior Alba Sanchez Ramos rounds out the double figures scorers carrying a 10.1 average. Olsen averages just under double figures at 9.1. But there's no "star", there's a team of stars.
Without question, it was defense that carried the Cowgirls to their second NCAA appearance in school history (the first came in 2008). They have limited opponents to a remarkable 57.3 points per game. Outside of an early loss to nationally-ranked Gonzaga, they never were beaten by more than eight points. No matter how things were going offensively, great defense kept them close.
While they posted an average of 61.8 points per game for the season, during their current six-game winning streak, they are averaging five points per game more. The offense and the shooting eye have improved appreciably.
In UCLA, Wyoming meets a talented and physical basketball team from the PAC-12. The Bruins finished the year with a 16-5 mark, and a 12-4 conference record. They will be making their 17th appearance in the National Tournament and is one of only eight programs in the country to have made the Sweet 16 in each of the last four Tournaments. Currently they are ranked ninth in the country and had been as high as fifth at one point during the season.
The Bruins' top player is senior forward Michaela Onyenwere who averages 18.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Charisma Osborne follows at 17 points per game and 5.7 rebounds. Senior guard Natalie Chou checks in at 10 points per game. As a team UCLLA averages 72 points per game while giving up 58.1.
So that's challenge awaiting the Cowgirls in Austin. They have beaten the odds all-year long. I wouldn't count them out against the Bruins. But no matter what happens, Gerald and his Cowgirls have given us a terrific ray of sunshine and hope.
