The Border War played between the Wyoming Cowboys and Colorado State certainly has, without a doubt, a rich history. But of late, the rivalry in Laramie at the Arena-Auditorium has produced some of the most thrilling matchups of recent history.
Just a year ago, fans laid witness to one of the most unlikely comebacks in NCAA history, where the Cowboys erased an 11-point deficit in the final 50 seconds of the second half to push the game to overtime, where the Cowboys would eventually overcome the 24th ranked Rams at the time.
The — Still Thinking About Overtime — Cut pic.twitter.com/39jcR2Yd5H
— Wyoming Cowboy Basketball (@wyo_mbb) January 30, 2024
Remember that one?
Some might also recall the matchup three years ago, when two of the best Cowboys’ and Rams’ teams of recent history faced off in another overtime thriller that saw Cowboy great Hunter Maldonado score a career high 35 points to lead the Cowboys to a big win.
You may even look at the matchup in Laramie that took place two years ago, during a season that saw the Cowboys unable to eclipse 10 overall wins, but did see the Cowboys just squeak past the Rams at home by a one point margin off a last second free throw.
This rich, and recent history all but pointed towards another classic brewing in Laramie for the first Border War of 2025, right?
To start, this one certainly didn’t seem to be shaping up to be an all time classic like those that so closely preceded it. In fact, it seemed like this one was going to be more of a letdown. The Rams raced out to a 36-21 lead, and it all but looked to turn into a 20 point deficit heading into the half. A Dontaie Allen three and a couple of free throws allotted the Cowboys a big 7-0 run heading into halftime, cutting the lead to eight at the half.
That deficit was quickly cut to three early in the second half after Allen and Obi Agbim both knocked down a pair of triples and it looked as if the Cowboys were going to shoot their way back into this one, despite a horrid 12.5% shooting mark from deep in the first half.
The Rams, however, quickly answered with four straight three point plays to push the lead all the way back out to thirteen. That stretch, for all intents and purposes, was the killshot that squandered any hope of the Cowboys coming back to defeat the Rams.
Unfortunately, despite that valiant push to begin the second half, the Cowboys were unable to string together enough of a run at any point to overcome the Rams, who eventually would take down the Cowboys by a score of 79-63.
So, what has happened to the Cowboys’ competitive edge that saw them just barely drop games to the current top two teams in the Mountain West, Utah State and New Mexico? What happened to the team that confidently closed out wins against Nevada and Air Force? The Cowboys, outside of some heroic performances by Allen and Agbim against the Rams, have seemed completely absent in their last two outings, dropping them by a combined 57 points.
Head coach Sundance Wicks had a clear answer to his team’s problems: and it all comes down to his players knowing their roles on the floor.
“I told our guys in the locker room, if you’re looking for the role of being a scorer, that jobs taken,” Wicks said postgame.
Obi Agbim, the Cowboys’ clear scorer by a wide margin, was extremely efficient against the Rams with 26 points, shooting 10/17 from the floor. Dontaie Allen, who’s clear role has emerged as a “three and D” guy, shot 3/5 from deep and scored 14 points, matching one of his best performances all season. Outside of those two, no Cowboy eclipsed five points against the Rams, and shot a combined 10/37, or 27%.
Fierce & determined.
— Wyoming Cowboy Basketball (@wyo_mbb) January 18, 2025
The energy we need. pic.twitter.com/JygMTDTV9K
Yet, shockingly enough, the Cowboys’ rather poor 39.7% shooting mark from the field is their best shooting percentage in three games, as the Cowboys have struggled immensely from the field as a team as of late. Since the Cowboys’ loss to New Mexico, the Cowboys have shot 61/170 from the field as an entire team, around 35%.
“There needs to be a humility driven approach and a commitment to defending, rebounding and keeping the flow,” Wicks continued. “That job is open for seven, eight guys out there…need more guys who want to defend, more guys who want to rebound, take care of the basketball and more guys who want to keep the flow and not think that they can just go and be an efficient scorer when obviously we are not.”
With the Cowboys’ next outing coming against UNLV–likely one of the hottest teams in the league, coming off a stretch where they gave Utah State their first conference loss and a road win at San Diego State–his guys will have to learn to “accept and fulfill” their roles, as Wicks also said postgame. If they don’t, then the Cowboys might just see their third straight ugly loss in a row–a loss that can also push their overall record under .500, as the Cowboys currently sit at a 9-9 overall record, as well as being 2-5 in conference play.
The Cowboys’ road trip to UNLV really feels like a crucial juncture for their season–will they get back on track with a win, or will we see this team’s play continue to deteriorate?
