LARAMIE – The first step in solving a problem is to admit that you have a problem.
 
"Hi, my name is Sundance Wicks and I'm a sicko," Wyoming's head coach conceded on Tuesday night. "I haven't stopped thinking about this South Dakota game for a year."
 
On Dec. 10, 2024, Wicks and the Cowboys suffered an excruciating 82-81 loss in Vermillion, S.D.
 
UW finished with 19 turnovers that led to 17 points for the Coyotes. After a timeout with a chance mask the problem by stealing the road win, the Pokes instead turned the ball over with 14 seconds remaining without getting a shot off.
 
It was quite a different story in the rematch as UW finished with 21 assists while shooting a season-best 62.5% from the field during a 106-79 victory over South Dakota at the Arena-Auditorium.
 
The visitors scored nine points off 11 turnovers and had only four fast break points while shooting 43.4%.
 
"I never wanted to lose a game because we couldn't handle pressure and we couldn't take care of the basketball," Wicks said. "This was a masterclass for our guys in a lot of ways of taking care of the basketball and not turning it over against the press and giving them the runs they usually get and the kill shots they usually get."
 
Something else has been eating at Wicks since his first season as the program's head coach.
 
In the aftermath of a humbling Border War loss at home, in which Colorado State had 17 assists and UW only four assists, former Cowgirls head coach Gerald Mattinson mentioned that he enjoyed watching the Rams play because of the unselfish nature of their team.
 
"I know what that means," Wicks said of the comment. "You've got to go play the right way. You've got to recruit the right way so you can play the right way. You've got to go get guys who care and can share. …
 
"I want Gerald Mattinson sitting up there saying, 'I like watching you guys play because you share the basketball.'"
 
Mattinson and the rest of the crowd of 3,422 on Tuesday night are starting to buy into the notion that this can be a special season in the Arena-Auditorium.
 
Leland Walker (18 points), Adam Harakow (16 points) and Khaden Bennett (14 points, five steals) led UW in the 93-80 victory over Dartmouth last Saturday.
 
South Dakota had no answer for Nasir (Naz) Meyer (career-high 26 points) or Damarion Dennis (career-high 21 points), who were a combined 18-for-24 (75%) from the field.
 
"We play for each other," Meyer said. "I feel like that's why we get so many assists, because we're not selfish. We say all the time: 'It's not my shot; it's the team's shot.'"
 
Wicks is never satisfied. He finds teachable moments to intensely harp on with players throughout a game, including late in lopsided wins.
 
UW's current weakness is committing too many fouls, including 25 against South Dakota. The visitors went 25-for-33 at the free throw line while the Pokes finished 17-for-21.
 
"I'm not going to be happy until we can defend without fouling because that's going to lose us a game that I don't want to lose because teams are just going to go to the free throw line," Wicks said. "And the collateral damage of all this is that if we foul every 30 seconds we cannot play at pace, we cannot use the altitude to our advantage. Period. End of story. It's a rest timeout every time we foul, every time they get to go to the free throw line and shoot two shots. It's rest."

Wicks will not rest until the problem is solved. Right now, the return of the Dome of Doom is a problem for visiting teams.
 
The Cowboys (8-2), who are 8-0 at home, are preparing to finish non-conference play against South Dakota State at 6 p.m. next Monday in Sioux Falls, S.D. UW will open MW play against Grand Canyon at 2 p.m. on Dec. 20 at the Arena-Auditorium.
 
"It's hard to schedule games, it's hard to get people here, but I want that to be a point of pride for us in the state of Wyoming that we defend the Dome," Wicks said. "Now we've got to go do it against some men coming up here in the Mountain West and that's the next step for our program is to go win home games against really good teams in this league and really keep this a hard place to play moving forward in the new Mountain West and this Mountain West. That's what we want, so it's very important."
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
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