Bailey-less Wyoming still atop conference standings

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003 | 9:54 a.m.

NEXT UP

What: Wyoming at UNLV

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Thomas & Mack Center

TV: Las Vegas ONE, Channels 1 & 39

Radio: KBAD 920-AM

It was no surprise that the Wyoming Cowboys were a consensus preseason pick to win the Mountain West Conference basketball title.

After all, Steve McClain welcomed back four starters from a 22-9 team that won the 2002 MWC title and upset then No. 6-ranked Gonzaga 73-66 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. And the Cowboys gave this year's No. 1-rated team, Arizona, all it could handle before losing 68-60 in the second round.

But that was before senior forward Marcus Bailey, a conference player of the year candidate, was lost for the year with a knee injury just before Christmas.

It figured to be a devastating setback for the Cowboys. Picture UNLV without Marcus Banks. Or Utah without Britton Johnsen. Or BYU without Travis Hansen.

But after the first two weeks of MWC play, only one team remains undefeated -- Wyoming.

It hasn't been pretty at times but the Cowboys (15-3, 3-0), who ride into the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday night to face UNLV (12-5, 1-3), find themselves once again all alone in first place in the conference standings.

"So many people find reasons to check it in, but our kids never had that attitude after Marc went down," McClain said. "One reason is Marc himself wouldn't let that happen. He told the team that there would be no excuses. We've had some kids ready to step in and step up their games."

Instead of all-conference players such as Josh Davis and Bailey at forward, the Cowboys now have Joe Ries and David Rottinghaus. They flank powerful 6-foot-10, 270-pound senior center Uche Nsonwu-Amadi, who leads the conference in rebounding with a 10.8 average despite being hampered by a sore knee.

Wyoming has managed to grind out three MWC victories by a combined eight points.

The Cowboys' biggest margin of victory -- an 85-81 win over New Mexico -- came in overtime. MWC scoring leader Ruben Douglas missed a free throw with 12.5 seconds left in regulation that would have likely sealed a Lobo victory. Instead, senior guard Donta Richardson, who has taken over Bailey's spot as the "go-to" guy, nailed a 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left to force overtime.

Wyoming also had to sweat out not one but two 3-point attempts by Air Force guard Tim Keller, including one that was wide open, in the final 10 seconds of a 46-44 victory in Laramie. Keller leads the MWC and is 16th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (47.3 percent).

The Cowboys upped their record to 3-0 on Saturday by winning a rugby-like battle with bitter Border War rival Colorado State 79-77, snapping the Rams' 14-game homecourt winning streak.

Richardson made a highlight-reel layup over 7-foot CSU center Matt Nelson with 33.6 seconds left to give the Cowboys the lead for good. Wyoming missed three free throws down the stretch and had to hold its breath as Andy Birley's desperation trey at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

Strong starts in Mountain West Conference play are nothing new for the Pokes. Wyoming started each of the last two seasons by going 6-1 in the first half en route to back-to-back titles.

Another big key for the Cowboys: road wins. Wyoming went 5-2 away from the 7,200-foot altitude of Laramie last season and, counting Saturday night's win at Fort Collins, has won 10 of its last 15 MWC road games.

McClain prepared his team for hostile road environments this year by playing Kansas at famed Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., one of the toughest places to play in the country. The Cowboys, still trying to overcome the loss of Wooden Award candidate Bailey, were predictably blitzed by the Jayhawks, 98-70.

McClain, though, felt his team gained from the experience of getting Rocked, Chalked and Jayhawked.

"When you schedule a game like that on the road, you face the prospect of getting beat bad," he said. "But I think when you're building a program like we are, you have to see what it's like to play a team like that in an atmosphere like that.

"We got our confidence shook pretty good there, but at least we know there won't be any place we walk into that's as intimidating as Kansas."

Not even the Thomas & Mack Center, which is expected to have a crowd of at least 15,000 on hand for a "Pack The Mack" promotion that is selling balcony seats for just $5.

"(Wyoming) is always picked to win the conference so that makes us go a little harder," Rebel forward Dalron Johnson said. "We still feel we're one of the most talented teams in the league. Our record may not show it but we're going to play like it."