(UW Media Relations Photo)
There was a lot to be excited about after the Wyoming Cowboy men’s basketball team raced out to a 9-2 start to cap off the non-conference portion of their schedule, the team’s best start since the 2021-2022 season – the last time the Cowboys made an appearance in the coveted NCAA tournament. The Cowboys capped off that unforgettable season with an impressive 25-9 overall record while winning 13 conference games, the most wins the program has ever posted within the Mountain West since its conception in 1999.
Since that remarkable season, the Cowboys have yet to eclipse double-digit wins within conference play and were a measly 5-15 in head coach Sundance Wicks’ first year at the helm a year ago. With only two returners from a 12-20 campaign last season, Wicks and his staff had the full offseason to reconstruct the roster into what it is now.
The first 11 games of the season was as good of a start as you could ask for–even the two losses the Cowboys suffered turned heads, especially a tense battle against then No. 20 Texas Tech, a game the Cowboys lost by a narrow four points.
Then, came a heaping dose of reality–that being the fiery gauntlet of Mountain West play. That reality has come crashing in for the Cowboys, who recently dropped their third straight contest on the road at Fresno State to fall to 2-5 in conference.
GET UP GAVIN 🔝 pic.twitter.com/mDwa6mEAxK
— Wyoming Cowboy Basketball (@wyo_mbb) January 18, 2026
“There’s a big learning curve for us when it comes to what the league is every night,” Wicks said after the Cowboys lost their conference opener against Grand Canyon on Dec. 20.
“This is every night. I don’t care if you’re playing Air Force, Utah State, New Mexico, it doesn’t matter. You’ve got to show up every night.”
So far, the Cowboys have had to learn some tough lessons about what it means to show up and play in a conference like the Mountain West–lessons which have converted into a number of tallies in the loss column. Wicks is still waiting on his team to respond.
“When we’re met with force, when we’re met with toughness, when we’re met with a big challenge, we lack grit, we lack toughness, we lack heart, we lack the intangibles,” Wicks said after the Cowboys were completely overwhelmed at home by San Diego State, a game they lost 74-57 just a week ago.
“We have skill, right? We have character, we have good kids, but when it comes down to it–and this is what I always say–if you could bottle that up and sell it you’d be a millionaire…I’ve to ad nauseam demanded and challenged this team to respond to bigger and better opponents that we have to face. We’ve just have never been able to rise up to the occasion.”
The season is still young for the Cowboys, though, as they have yet to even make it halfway through their conference slate. However, something certainly needs to change for the Cowboys if they are to start converting these losses into wins.
Senior forward Kiani Saxon knows just what it is that needs to happen to accomplish just that.
KIANI THE KIWI 🥝🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/E3RFQZcGDA
— Wyoming Cowboy Basketball (@wyo_mbb) January 15, 2026
“I think it just comes down to [getting] stops. In practice, we love getting a stop, we love getting a turkey, three stops in a row,” Saxon said. “I think we’re really missing it in the game, we just don’t enjoy the defensive side of things. I think that’s where you can go back to our roots and stop a team from scoring in order to win.”
So far in conference play, the Cowboys’ defense has left a lot to be desired. The Cowboys rank just eighth in scoring defense, allowing conference opponents to score 73 points a night while also ranking 11th in field goal defense, allowing conference opponents to shoot a scorching 48.9% from the field.
It’s clear what needs to change going forward.
The Cowboys will look to snap their three game losing streak at home this Tuesday against a struggling Boise State team that is currently tied with the Cowboys at a 2-5 record in the conference standings.
Will Wicks finally see the response he’s looking for from his team, or will they continue to fizzle out in Mountain West play?
