Tonight at the Coors Events Center, Colorado men’s basketball fans will see a different kind of Wyoming team than Cowboys units of years past.
With new Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt, the motto is always “defense first.”
Players bought in immediately, he said.
“Our initial three weeks of practice (last spring) set the tone,” Shyatt said Thursday on a teleconference call. “I’ve never had a situation with this group where there was any lack of discipline or aggressiveness. There’s never been any resistance.”
It shows. Wyoming (8-1) enters tonight’s game (7 p.m., Root Sports) ranked third among NCAA Division I teams in scoring defense (allowing 49.4 points per game), limiting all nine of its opponents to fewer than 60 points. The Cowboys rank fourth nationally in 3-point percentage defense (.222) and are 12th in field-goal percentage defense (.354).
In its last game, Wyoming defeated Bradley 66-49 and forced the Braves into 0-for-14 on 3-pointers.
Some observers contend that Wyoming hasn’t played defense like this since Jim Brandenburg coached the Cowboys to national prominence more than two decades ago. Shyatt prefers man-to-man but also has shown zone.
“When we talk about ‘hustle stats’ and plays that affect winning, many and most of those are on the defensive end,” Shyatt said. “We talk about teams that win consistently. What do they have to do?
“Every team is going to have five or six or seven really disappointing shooting nights. What’s going to give us an opportunity to win those games on those nights? It’s defense.”
Wyoming’s current six-game winning streak is the longest since the 2002-03 season. Shyatt, 60, coached the previous seven years as an assistant to Florida coach Billy Donovan, helping the Gators win back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007. Shyatt also knew his way around Laramie. He coached Wyoming to a 19-9 record in 1997-98 before leaving after one season for Clemson.
Colorado (5-3) will be a difficult test, he said.
“They’ve shot the ball really well, and they haven’t lost at home,” Shyatt said. “And unlike us, they’ve played a terrific schedule.”
Wyoming has three players with Colorado ties on its roster. Leading scorer Francisco Cruz (13.0) is a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Mexico who played high school basketball at Abraham Lincoln.
Two freshman reserves, guard Riley Grabau (Boulder High School) and forward Tyrone Marshall (George Washington), are from the Front Range.
STAY ON THE COUCH
Bones back in action. Less than three months after he rocked Rampage Jackson in Denver to defend his light heavyweight title, Jon “Bones” Jones returns to the mixed martial arts cage Saturday with a top-card bout against Brazilian veteran Lyoto Machida.
The fight, for UFC 140 in Toronto airing on pay-per-view, will be Jones’ fourth this year.
Since February, Jones went from future star, to top contender, to champion to defending champ, with marquee victories over Jackson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Jones is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA, but he may have his hands full with Machida. The Brazilian is a near opposite of Jackson, an efficient karate attacker. But Jones remains one of the most versatile and skilled in UFC.
GET OFF THE COUCH
Balmy holiday run. We just stuck it out through a frigid week, but this weekend is expected to be sunny and balmy — especially Sunday, with a forecast temperature nearing 50 degrees.
The spike comes just in time for Sunday’s Jingle Bell Run and Walk at Washington Park. The 8 a.m. race will jog around the park making noise (or music, if you can hear it with a melody), with bells tied to runners’ shoelaces.
It’s a seasonally appropriate jaunt with the weather to match. See for more info.
AROUND TOWN
Sensational Sunday. There are two games in play for Broncos fans Sunday. The first — Denver hosting CSU alum Caleb Hanie and the Chicago Bears at Sports Authority Field — kicks off at 2:15 p.m. and airs on Fox (KDVR-31).
But the other game — the Raiders going against the Packers in Green Bay — plays at the same time. And it’s not on TV for Colorado residents without an advanced cable package.
So cross your fingers that Fox’s Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Daryl Johnston (color commentary) will find the room in between Tim Tebow talk to update the Oakland score for interested AFC West fans.
The Broncos and Raiders enter the weekend tied atop the division at 7-5.
