LAS VEGAS – Sundance Wicks likes to say that you have to earn his tears.
 
March 8, 2023, was a particularly emotional day for the Gillette native.
 
Wicks filled in at the Mountain West Tournament for then-Wyoming head coach Jeff Linder, who stayed home on the Front Range to be with his ailing father.
 
Loyal program legend Hunter Maldonado finished his remarkable six-year run with the Pokes by scoring 36 points, but it wasn't enough as the Cowboys' frustrating season ended with an 87-76 loss to New Mexico in the opening round.
 
Wicks wore his heart on his sleeve during the post-game press conference before leaving his home state to become the head coach at Green Bay.
 
Two years later, Wicks returns to lead the ninth-seeded Cowboys against No. 8 San Jose State at noon Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The winner advances to face No. 1 New Mexico in the quarterfinal round.
 
"I think about that a lot because there could be a possible New Mexico matchup where you're sitting there again and it's kind of like a blink moment for me," Wicks said of the memory. "Life still happens. That's why it was emotional for me because I just thought about how much life was happening at that time. Not basketball but life. I'll never forget that.
 
"Just being able to sit up there, but knowing I've got a chance to coach those guys in those moments and then we're done. We spent so much time with them, man. They'll all tell you stories someday when you're having a cold beer with them about how crazy you were as an assistant. But those are the things you remember. You always remember the losses way more than you remember the wins, I know that."
 
UW will try to avenge two losses to the Spartans – 67-58 in San Jose and 82-73 in Laramie – from the regular season.
 
Latrell Davis scored 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting in the first meeting and Josh Uduje scored 29 points on 11-for-16 in the second meeting. Wicks described SJSU's dissection of UW's defense as simply being better at "manalytics."
 
Spartans head coach Tim Miles simply spread the Pokes out and let his dynamic backcourt get downhill. UW's guard will have to come up big in the rematch with the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Davis and the 6-5, 190-pound Uduje.
 
"I don't think we've played our best against San Jose. It has been a credit to those guys," Wicks said. "They've been able to take us to the basket and get in the paint physically. We're going to have to continue to find a new creative way."
 
However, the Cowboys did play one of their best games of the year at the Thomas & Mack Center when they made 14 3-pointers and snapped an 18-game road losing streak against UNLV with a 63-61 win on Jan. 21.
 
Obi Agbim scored 19 points, Jordan Nesbitt added 13 points, and UW held the Rebels to 39.7% shooting.
 
"I'd never seen our team more excited to be in a gym and guys going, we've got to learn to win on this floor, this is where we're going to be (for the conference tournament)," Wicks said. "I'd never seen my team more excited than when they were there and then they go out there and play with their hair on fire against UNLV. …
 
"I hold onto that memory. That's the type of belief I wanted to foster all year long."
 
Wicks wants his players' mindset to be focused on creating "one more day in Vegas" by executing for 40 minutes against SJSU.
 
This will be the last ride with the Cowboys for six seniors.
 
"This has been an incredible journey for me, and I want it to last as long as I can," forward Cole Henry said. "My family is going down to Vegas and the last thing I want is for them to fly in and lose, fly out. And the last thing I want is for my season to end like that, especially because it would leave a disgusting taste in my mouth to end my career and the fans as well. I have a ton of belief."
 
Nine months into the 2024-25 campaign Wicks is still "searching to find the soul" of this team as he returns to Las Vegas 24 months after being in head chair for UW on an interim basis.
 
"To be able to be (in) a full circle moment and to come back here and be at Wyoming and now leading at the helm, I'll never take that for granted," Wicks said. "I'll never take that opportunity or that moment for granted because I remember the minute that game was over with I was literally on a flight to Green Bay the next day to go interview. That's how crazy this world is. And at that Green Bay interview they had watched the interview from the game before, the night before. They just loved how much you talked about the players in your program and how much you cared."
 
Will the Pokes earn Wicks' tears this week at the Thomas & Mack Center?
 
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