Sundance Wicks on Hosting Grand Canyon Saturday
- Jeff Bugher
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
LARAMIE, Wyo. - University of Wyoming head men’s basketball coach Sundance is fired up about hosting Grand Canyon University on Saturday as Mountain West play ramps up.
“Let’s talk about Grand Canyon,” Wicks said. “Top 50 defense in the country, third-best defensive rebounding team in the country, 11th in Division One experience at an average of 2.55 years, and the 17th tallest team in the country. So it is no small feat.”
With Grand Canyon now officially part of the Mountain West basketball slate, Wicks mentioned what they bring to an already unforgiving league.
“Welcome to the Mountain West,” he said. “Welcome to our Cowboys’ first time with this team playing in the Mountain West. It’s a great first season.”
Wicks framed the year in three parts: non-conference, conference play, and postseason.
“There’s three seasons,” he said. “The non-conference, second season’s the conference season, third season’s the playoffs, postseason. So it was a good start to our first season. And now...we got to flush that, move on and get into the second season. Yhe second season is starting off with a bang.”
Wyoming and Grand Canyon are no strangers. Wicks noted the Lopes’ familiarity with Laramie and its altitude.
“We played GCU before, so it’s not like we haven’t played,” Wicks said. “They came back and beat us here. They’re no stranger to playing at this altitude. They’ve been here before and they beat us here before.”
That familiarity, combined with Grand Canyon’s physicality, will force Wyoming to adjust.
“They want to play a little bit slower, a little bit more of a half-court game with their bigs, physical fours and fives,” Wicks said. “Big all the way across the board with their wings and their guards.”
Experience is a major separator, and Wicks commends how Grand Canyon has built its roster.
“Like teams nowadays that have decent budgets, they paid for experience,” he said. “When you’re talking about a team that’s 11th in the country in Division One experience, that’s important.”
Winning habits matter too.
“If you dive into the deep roots of their program, they’ve won,” Wicks said. “They know how to win. They play in the tournament. Now, winning in the WAC and winning in the Mountain West is different, but it’s still not like you got to get your guys ready to win every single night.”
Wicks praised Grand Canyon head coach Bryce Drew for setting that standard.
“Bryce is very level-headed, even keel,” he said. “This is going to be a fun matchup for us, man. I’m really excited.”
That excitement comes with a call to action for Wyoming fans.
“We’re playing a perennial NCAA tournament team,” Wicks said. “We need the Dome of Doom rocking. We need everybody out here. There’s no easy nights.”
“You got to come ready to play every single night.”
On Grand Canyon joining the Mountain West, Wicks was unequivocal.
“It’s a great addition,” he said. “They’re winning. They’re well coached. They recruit well. They add a lot of value to this league.”
For now, the fight continues -- and it starts with Grand Canyon and a Mountain West season that promises no shortcuts and no easy nights.
Wyoming hosts Grand Canyon University at 2 PM in the Dome of Doom on Saturday afternoon.
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