LARAMIE – Sundance Wicks told his team not to shed tears in Las Vegas because the season was not over.
 
Four days after Wyoming's bitter 73-70 loss to UNLV in the Mountain West Tournament, the second-year head coach and his Cowboys erupted in cheers Sunday after being selected to play in the NIT.
 
UW will hit the road to play Wichita State in the opening round on Tuesday at Koch Arena (5 p.m., ESPNU).
 
There is something to be said for the Cowboys (18-14) wanting to keep playing when some programs opted out of postseason tournaments after missing the NCAA Tournament.
 
"We need to normalize playing postseason basketball. When it's the NIT it's a level of respect in my opinion because it is the longest standing college basketball tournament," Wicks said. "It was the cat's meow before the NCAA created March Madness. It's an honor and a privilege to play in the NIT and we will always accept an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament if we don't get an NCAA automatic qualifier bid or an at-large bid in March Madness."
 
This will be the ninth time UW has played in the NIT with the first appearance coming in 1968 (lost to Villanova at Madison Square Garden) and the last appearance in 2003 (lost in the second round at North Carolina).
 
The most memorable run in the NIT for the Cowboys was in 1986 when young stars Fennis Dembo and Eric Leckner led Jim Brandenberg's team to the championship game against Ohio State after memorable home wins over Texas A&M, Loyola Marymount and Clemson in the Dome of Doom and a semifinal win over Florida in New York.
 
UW used the experience as a springboard to the Sweet 16 and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1987 and 1988.
 
These modern-day Cowboys have become a tight-knit group in the era of the transfer portal. Wicks is optimistic about keeping key pieces and competing for a championship in the new Mountain West next season.
 
"I just told our guys no matter what happens, whether we get in or we don't get in, it was an honor and a privilege to coach these guys," Wicks said. "I had as much fun as any year I've ever had coaching these guys and seeing their growth and development from a really young team.
 
"For them to get rewarded in this fashion, it means a lot for us. It's a great blueprint for our program and a stepping-stone for where we want to go."
 
This is UW's first postseason appearance since receiving an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Wicks, an assistant coach on that team that had one night of prep before flying to the First Four to play Indiana in Dayton, Ohio, is feeling a little déjà vu with the quick turnaround.
 
The coaches scrambled to put together a scouting report on the Shockers (22-11) from late Sunday night into the wee hours of Monday. Wicks did a Zoom with the media at 9 a.m. Monday before the team hit the floor for practice in the Arena-Auditorium.
 
The Cowboys will take a bus Monday afternoon for Denver International Airport to catch an evening flight to Wichita. The team will hold a walkthrough on Tuesday morning before tipping off at 5 p.m.
 
"Anytime you get to play in March it's always a blessing," guard Khaden Bennett said. "I'm excited to compete still."
 
Freshmen Gavin Gores (15 points) and Nasir (Naz) Meyer (14 points) and sophomore Damarion Dennis (13 points) led the rally from a 16-point deficit to take the lead in the final minute against UNLV.
 
The Rebels were able to get a three-point play and a defensive stop in the closing seconds to pull out the win in the Thomas & Mack Center.
 
The Pokes will have to put a complete game together to beat Wichita State on its home court.
 
"We were all ready to get going again. We weren't finished playing yet," senior forward Kiani Saxon said of the team's mindset after the loss. "We need to put our best foot forward and learn those lessons. If we weren't down 16 (points) or whatever, we would probably have had a good chance of winning that game. We'll just keep striving toward putting a full 40 (minutes) together."
 
Senior point guard Leland Walker, who had eight points, eight rebounds, six assists and one turnover in 39 minutes against UNLV, will try to lead the Pokes to the NIT Final Four in his hometown of Indianapolis from April 2-5.
 
Wichita State, which lost to South Florida in the American Athletic Conference championship game, is led by guard Kenyon Giles (19.2 ppg).
 
UW is averaging 77.1 points and allowing 73.0 points per game while the Shockers are scoring 77.6 points and giving up 70.4 points per game.
 
"I think we all kind of believed our season was cut short (at the MW Tournament) and we were pretty disappointed in the way it ended," Saxon said. "This is another opportunity for us to show what the Wyoming Cowboys have."
 
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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