LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowboys will open play in the 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Championships on Wednesday as the ninth-seeded Cowboys face No. 8 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels at 1 p.m. MT inside the Thomas & Mack Center.
Wyoming enters the tournament with an 18-13 overall record after finishing 9-11 in conference play. The Cowboys have won three straight games and five of their last six, including an 88-78 road victory over San Jose State Spartans on Saturday to close the regular season.
The Cowboys average 77.3 points per game and allow 73 points per contest. Wyoming ranks fifth in the Mountain West with 35.3 rebounds per game and leads the conference with just under 12 offensive rebounds per contest while making 8.4 3-pointers per game and shooting 33.5 percent from beyond the arc.
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Senior guard Leland Walker leads Wyoming with 13.8 points per game and a team-high 3.6 assists. Nasir (Naz) Meyer averages 12.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while Khaden Bennett contributes 10.5 points and a team-best five rebounds per contest. Damarion Dennis adds 10.9 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field.
UNLV enters the matchup with a 16-15 overall record and an 11-9 mark in conference play. The Runnin’ Rebels average 80.2 points per game while allowing 78.8 and shoot 47.3 percent from the field.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn leads UNLV with 21 points per game and topped the Mountain West in conference scoring at 23.6 per game while making 91 3-pointers this season. Kimani Hamilton adds 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and Tyrin Jones averages 11.9 points and has recorded 56 blocks.
Wyoming trails the all-time series with UNLV 47-22 but has won two of the last three meetings, including a 98-66 victory in Laramie on Jan. 6.
Walker was also recognized Tuesday as an Honorable Mention All-Mountain West selection. The senior guard from Indianapolis averages 13.8 points and 3.9 assists per game and ranks in the top 10 in the conference in both categories. Walker has scored in double figures 23 times this season, including five 20-point games, and scored a career-high 30 points earlier this year against Boise State Broncos.
Walker has appeared in 31 games this season with 30 starts and is one of seven players in NCAA Division I with more than 1,500 career points and 450 assists. He is 13 assists away from reaching 500 for his career.
The winner of Wednesday’s game will advance to face top-seeded Utah State Aggies in the quarterfinals Thursday at 1 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
