LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowboys have been selected to the National Invitation Tournament for the first time since 2003 and will face the Wichita State Shockers in the first round Tuesday at 5 p.m. MT inside Koch Arena. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
Wyoming enters the postseason with an 18-14 record, marking the program’s most wins since the 2021-22 season, which was also the last time the Cowboys appeared in postseason play. The Cowboys finished the regular season strong, winning five of their final six Mountain West games for the first time since the 1999-00 campaign.
The NIT appearance is the ninth in program history for Wyoming. The Cowboys are 7-8 all-time in the tournament and last played in the event in 2003, when they advanced to the second round before falling to the North Carolina Tar Heels 90-74 on March 24. Wyoming’s best finish in the tournament came in 1986 when the Cowboys finished as runner-up.
University of Wyoming sports coverage in Southwest Wyoming is supported by these great sponsors:
Wyoming heads into Tuesday’s matchup after a 73-70 loss to the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels in the first round of the Mountain West tournament. The Cowboys average 77.1 points per game while allowing 73 per contest and are shooting 45.3 percent from the field this season. Wyoming averages 35.6 rebounds per game and holds a plus-4.4 rebounding margin.
Senior guard Leland Walker leads Wyoming in scoring with 13.7 points per game and also averages a team-high 3.7 assists while nearing 500 assists for his career. Nasir (Naz) Meyer adds 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while Khaden Bennett averages 10.4 points and leads the team with 4.9 rebounds. Damarion Dennis contributes 11 points per game and is shooting 51 percent from the field.
Wichita State enters the matchup with a 22-11 overall record after falling to the South Florida Bulls 70-55 in the American Athletic Conference championship game Sunday. The Shockers average 77.6 points per game and allow 70.4 while shooting 44.2 percent from the field and holding opponents to 42.1 percent. Wichita State also averages 41 rebounds per game.
Kenyon Giles leads the Shockers with 19.2 points per game and was named the American Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year after making 113 3-pointers this season. Karon Boyd adds 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Will Berg averages 8.8 points and 8.3 rebounds and was named the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year.
Wyoming trails the all-time series with Wichita State 10-3 in a matchup that dates back to 1948, and Tuesday’s contest will mark the first postseason meeting between the programs. The winner will advance to face either the Oklahoma State Cowboys or the Davidson Wildcats in the Round of 16.
