Cowboys not underestimating Spartans

LARAMIE — University of Wyoming men’s basketball coach Larry Shyatt often talks about blocking out the noise.

The noise about UW’s latest opponent — San Jose State — is that it is 5-11 overall, one of two winless teams in conference play in the Mountain West (UNLV the other) and with the lowest RPI among MW teams at 333.

The Spartans have lost 27 consecutive MW games going back to February of 2014, and is 1-38 in the conference since it joined in 2013-14.

Shyatt doesn’t want to hear any of that.

Instead, he’s focused on what UW (9-8, 2-2) needs to do to try and extend its winning streak to three when it faces San Jose State at 8 tonight at The Event Center in San Jose, California.

Despite an 0-4 MW record, San Jose State lost its four league games by an average of eight points, including an 85-84 overtime home loss to Colorado State last Saturday.

“If you look at the four games they’ve played in league play, they’ve knocked on the door in every single game,” Shyatt said. “We’re walking into a very competitive situation, and a very hungry one at that.”

The Spartans are a bigger team with more depth compared to last season’s squad that finished 2-28 overall, 0-18 in the MW and didn’t beat a Division I foe.

Senior guard Princeton Onwas, at 6-foot-7, is a transfer from Utah and averages 12.1 points per game. Guards Gary Williams Jr., and Jaycee Hillsman go 6-5 and 6-6, respectively, and are first-year players.

Senior forward Frank Rogers — at 6-9 — leads the team in scoring and rebounding (13.3 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game) and is back after missing most of last season due to suspension.

True freshman Ryan Welage, another 6-9 forward, averages 11.6 and 6.6 rebounds per contest.

“They certainly collected some pretty talented new players. They are bigger, and a couple of the young men who were out last year are back in,” Shyatt said. “The biggest thing that jumps out at you is they’re more balanced. They have a very good interior attack. They still attack off the dribble, also from 3-point range.

“They’re far more balanced, which makes it far more difficult to defend them.”

And, the Cowboys have had their hands full with the Spartans on the road.

They won last year 64-59 and two years ago 46-38.

San Jose State has the smallest arena in the MW with a capacity of 5,000, and basketball isn’t a big draw in the city. UW’s game there last season was played on Jan. 3, and the heat in the gym was turned off because school wasn’t in session.

It’s a much different environment to play in compared to other venues in the MW.

“It will be mentioned, but it will be mentioned briefly,” said UW senior guard Josh Adams about talking to his teammates about what to expect in San Jose tonight.“But it’s about preparing for San Jose State, and focusing on what we can control.

“What we can control is defensive effort, overall effort and taking care of the ball.”

UW’s defensive effort was evident in its last two games — home wins over Air Force and UNLV. The Cowboys allowed an average of 54.5 points per game.

San Jose State averages 75.2 points per game, but that figure has dipped to 58.5 points per contest in conference play.

UW will try to snap a four-game losing streak away from home, and win its first conference road game tonight.

“We won two in a row at home, and we’re feeling pretty good about going on the road,” said true freshman forward Jordan Naughton, who came off the bench in UW’s 59-57 win over UNLV and recorded career-highs with 11 points and five rebounds.

“We planning on bringing that confidence on the road and getting a couple of more wins.”

UW plays at New Mexico Saturday, which will conclude a stretch of six of its last eight games away from Laramie.