Cowboys Look to Upset Wichita State Tonight in Koch Arena
- Jeff Bugher - Report Contributor: UW Athletics
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 31 minutes ago
LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Wyoming Cowboys will head to Wichita State for the First Round of the National Invitational Tournament on Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. MT inside Koch Arena. It marks the first contest in the event for the Cowboys since the 2003 season and first postseason contest for the Pokes since the 2021-22 campaign. The contest will be televised on ESPNU.
Wyoming is one of five Mountain West teams that were invited to the 88th annual event.
Fans can listen to the contest, as well as follow stats on GoWyo.com. The game will be broadcast live on radio over the 26 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network with Keith Kelley on the call and Kevin McKinney on Color.
Scouting the Competition
The top dog on head coach Paul Mills' team is senior Kenyon Giles, a 5'11" guard. Where he lacks in height, he makes up for it in talent on the court, averaging 19.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on the season. Essentially, the offense runs through Giles. Another player you will likely hear about tonight will be senior forward Karon Boyd, averaging 10.8 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. Junior center Will Berg comes in at 7'2" tall, and understandably leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game.
What is a Shocker?
Wichita State’s nickname “Shockers” comes from the school’s early history, when students earned money by harvesting -or “shocking” - wheat in the fields surrounding Wichita, Kansas. The term refers to bundling cut wheat into shocks to dry, a common practice in the region’s agricultural roots. The name stuck as a tribute to the hardworking, blue-collar identity of the area and remains a unique symbol of the university’s connection to Kansas wheat country.
About The Teams
Wyoming heads into the contest with a 18-14 overall record after falling to UNLV 73-70 in the First Round of the MW Championships last Wednesday. The Pokes 77.1 points per game and allow 73 points per night. Wyoming is shooting 45.3 percent from the field with the opposition shooting 46 percent. Wyoming is shooting 33 percent from behind the arc with 8.2 makes per game. UW allows only 6.5 threes per game. The Pokes grab 35.6 rebounds per game for the season and are +4.4 on the glass this season.
The Shockers head into the contest with a 22-11 overall record and fell in the American Championship game to South Florida 70-55 on Sunday afternoon and finished second in the league and had only one loss since mid-February. Wichita State scores 77.6 points per game and allow 70.4 points per night. WSU shoots 44.2 percent from the field and hold opponents to 42.1 percent. An excellent rebounding team, the Shockers grab 41 per game.
About The Players
Wyoming is led in scoring this season by Leland Walker at 13.7 points per game for tenth in the MW. He also adds a team-high 3.7 assists per game and is nearing 500 for his career. Nasir (Naz) Meyer adds 12.8 points per game this season and adds 4.8 rebounds per game for second on the team. Khaden Bennett adds 10.4 points per game and owns the team lead with 4.9 rebounds per night. Damarion Dennis adds 11 points per game for the season and is shooting 51 percent from the field.
About The Series
Wyoming trails the all-time series against the Shockers 10-3 in a series that dates back to 1948. It marks the first postseason meeting between the two schools.
The two teams opened the season against each other in four-straight seasons from 1960 to 1963.
The Edge?
Wyoming and Wichita State present a clear contrast in roster construction and playing style, with the Cowboys relying on depth and balanced scoring while the Shockers lean on star power and interior presence. Wyoming features four double-digit scorers in Leland Walker, Nasir Meyer, Damarion Dennis, and Khaden Bennett, giving them a versatile, guard-driven attack that can hurt opponents in multiple ways. In contrast, Wichita State is anchored by high-scoring guard Kenyon Giles and 7-foot-2 center Will Berg, creating a more traditional inside-out dynamic. While the Shockers hold an edge in experience and rebounding, Wyoming’s depth, size in the backcourt, and ability to spread the floor make them a difficult matchup, especially in an up-tempo game where multiple contributors can take over. Wichita State is 14-4 at home, giving them the homecourt advantage.
Up Next
The winner of Tuesday’s contest will head to the Round of 16 against either Oklahoma State or Davidson with date, site and time to be determined.
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