New Year’s Eve: Cowboys Start Conference Season

The University of Wyoming men's basketball team will ring in the New Year and begin Mountain West Conference play this Wednesday night. Wednesday's game is the earliest start to Wyoming's conference season ever. And they scheduled a real contender. The University of Wyoming men's basketball team starts its 16th season of play in the Mountain West by hosting the Runnin' Rebs' of UNLV. The New Year's Eve showdown is UW's earliest start to conference play in the program's 110 years of play. The Cowboys (11-2) own a 10-5 record on the holiday and have won 11-straight overall games in the Double A, but the Rebels (9-3) toppled No. 3/3 Arizona last week at home and are receiving votes in the latest Associate Press poll. This is going to be a real challenge for the Cowboys. Head coach Dave Rice and UNLV returned no starters from last season, but visit Laramie with a head of steam. The Rebels are 9-3 overall for fifth in the MW standings through the nonconference season, as the three losses came versus Stanford, at Arizona State and versus No. 14/14 Utah. UNLV earned a statement 71-67 victory over No. 3/3 Arizona on Dec. 23 at home and most recently blasted Southern Utah, 79-45, last Saturday at home. The win over Arizona was the Rebels' first over a top-three team since 1988 and snapped the Wildcats' 39-game regular-season non-conference winning streak. Wyoming will need everything in it's aresenal. Senior forward Larry Nance Jr. looks back to his old form just in time for the conference season. The MW Preseason Player of the Year scored 31 of Wyoming's 61 points at Montana State for the second 30-point game of his career. He paces the Pokes at 14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game, while his 57 percent from the field is 35th in the NCAA. http://www.gowyo.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/122914aaa.html