2022–23 Wyoming Cowboys basketball team

2022–23 Wyoming Cowboys basketball
Conference	Mountain West Conference
Record	9–22 (4–14 MW)
Head coach	Jeff Linder (3rd season)
Assistant coaches	Ken DeWeese Shaun Vandiver Sundance Wicks
Home arena	Arena-Auditorium

2022–23 Mountain West Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 18 San Diego State †	15	–	3		.833			32	–	7		.821
Boise State	13	–	5		.722			24	–	10		.706
Utah State	13	–	5		.722			26	–	9		.743
Nevada	12	–	6		.667			22	–	11		.667
San Jose State	10	–	8		.556			21	–	14		.600
New Mexico	8	–	10		.444			22	–	12		.647
UNLV	7	–	11		.389			19	–	13		.594
Colorado State	6	–	12		.333			15	–	18		.455
Fresno State	6	–	12		.333			11	–	20		.355
Air Force	5	–	13		.278			14	–	18		.438
Wyoming	4	–	14		.222			9	–	22		.290
† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The 2022–23 Wyoming Cowboys basketball team represented the University of Wyoming during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cowboys were led by third-year head coach Jeff Linder and played their home games for the 41st season at Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyoming. They participated as members of the Mountain West Conference for the 24th season.

Previous season

The Cowboys finished the 2021–22 season 25–9, 13–5 in Mountain West play to finish in fourth place. In the Mountain West tournament, the Cowboys defeated UNLV in the quarterfinals^[1] before losing to Boise State.^[2] The Cowboys received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 as a No. 12 seed.^[3] They were defeated by Indiana in the First Four.^[4]

The team also spent time ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since 2015. They were ranked #22 for the week of February 14.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Drake Jeffries	0	G	6'5"	186	RS Senior	Mattoon, IL	Declared for 2022 NBA draft
Deng Dut	2	G	6'4"	192	Junior	Melbourne, Australia	Elected to transfer to Southern Utah
Eoin Nelson	11	F	6'10"	229	Junior	Dublin, Ireland	Elected to transfer to North Alabama
Ben Bowen	40	G	6'5"	170	Freshman	Highlands Ranch, CO	Elected to transfer to Denver
John Grigsby	55	F	6'9"	211	Sophomore	Louisville, CO	Elected to transfer to Concordia

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Jake Kyman	13	G	6'7"	213	Junior	Aliso Viejo, CA	Transferred from UCLA. Kyman will be eligible to play immediately under the one-time transfer rule.
Ethan Anderson	20	F	6'1''	208	Junior	Los Angeles, CA	Transferred from USC. Anderson will be eligible to play immediately under the one-time transfer rule.
Max Agbonkpolo	23	G/F	6'9''	196	Junior	Laguna Niguel, CA	Transferred from USC. Agbonkpolo will be eligible to play immediately under the one-time transfer rule.

2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Caden Powell C	Waco, TX	Midway HS	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	206 lb (93 kg)	Sep 8, 2021
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Wyoming Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 30, 2022. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 30, 2022.

Roster

2021–22 Wyoming Cowboys men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Nathanial Talich (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 191 lb (87 kg) Fr Cheyenne Central HS Cheyenne, WY G 1 Brendan Wenzel 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 204 lb (93 kg) Jr Utah San Antonio, TX F 10 Hunter Thompson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr Pine Bluffs HS Pine Bluffs, WY G/F 13 Jake Kyman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Jr UCLA Aliso Viejo, CA F 15 Nate Barnhart 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Fr DeSoto HS Lenexa, KS G 20 Ethan Anderson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Jr USC Los Angeles, CA G 21 Noah Reynolds 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Notre Dame HS Peoria, IL G 22 Kenny Foster 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Sr Smoky Hill HS Aurora, CO G/F 23 Max Agbonkpolo 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Jr USC Laguna Niguel, CA G 24 Hunter Maldonado 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 202 lb (92 kg) RS Sr Vista Ridge HS Colorado Springs, CO F 25 Jeremiah Oden 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 201 lb (91 kg) Jr Sunrise Christian Academy Chicago, IL G 31 Cort Roberson (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 157 lb (71 kg) RS Fr Stanwood HS Arlington, WA F 33 Graham Ike  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Jr Overland HS Aurora, CO F 44 Caden Powell 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Fr Midway HS Waco, TX G 53 Xavier DuSell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 199 lb (90 kg) Jr Arizona Compass Prep Scottsdale, AZ	Head coach Jeff Linder (Western Colorado) Assistant coach(es) Ken DeWeese (Mary Hardin–Baylor) Shaun Vandiver (Colorado) Sundance Wicks (Northern State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Max Agbonkpolo	16	6	16.0	.376	.300	.688	2.8	0.8	0.6	0.4	5.4
Ethan Anderson	21	17	24.9	.540	.313	.466	4.3	2.9	0.3	0.2	7.9
Nate Barnhart	20	3	11.2	.568	.357	.714	1.9	0.3	0.3	0.5	2.6
Xavier DuSell	31	20	26.0	.398	.422	.700	2.6	0.5	0.7	0.1	8.0
Kenny Foster	17	3	18.0	.547	.300	.739	2.4	0.4	0.2	0.1	4.8
Jake Kyman	18	1	12.6	.367	.268	1.000	1.6	0.6	0.4	0.1	4.5
Hunter Maldonado	29	29	34.6	.481	.338	.753	4.8	4.0	1.4	0.3	15.6
Jeremiah Oden	30	19	24.6	.443	.344	.697	3.6	0.8	0.6	0.5	9.6
Caden Powell	28	0	8.5	.462	.000	.586	2.0	0.2	0.2	0.3	1.9
Noah Reynolds	19	10	24.9	.481	.329	.662	2.2	2.1	0.4	0.2	14.5
Cort Roberson	4	0	1.5	.000	.000	.750	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.8
Hunter Thompson	26	26	28.2	.342	.303	.853	5.5	1.0	0.5	0.5	6.6
Brendan Wenzel	24	21	28.8	.370	.406	.884	3.8	0.9	0.5	0.3	7.9

Preseason

Greek Tour

The team went on a 10-day foreign tour of Greece from July 24 to August 4. NCAA rules allow programs to take international tours once every 4 years; this was the programs' first since 2016-17.^[5][6][7]

The Cowboys participated in 3 exhibition games, winning all 3. While in Athens, the team faced Panerythraikos B.C. on July 27 and Panathinaikos Select on July 28. They then traveled to Patras and faced off against Promitheas Patras B.C. on July 30.^[5][6][7]

In addition, the team participated in a variety of sightseeing and team-building exercises.^[5][6][7]

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
Nov. 7, 2022 7:00 p.m., MW Network		Colorado Christian	W 102–69	1–0	17 – Oden	6 – Tied	8 – Anderson	Arena-Auditorium (4,464) Laramie, WY
Nov. 10, 2022 8:00 p.m., MW Network		Nicholls	W 79–68	2–0	20 – Wenzel	8 – Tied	6 – Maldonado	Arena-Auditorium (4,498) Laramie, WY
Nov. 13, 2022 2:00 p.m., MW Network/ATTSN		Southeastern Louisiana	L 72–76	2–1	16 – Wenzel	11 – Maldonado	4 – Tied	Arena-Auditorium (4,782) Laramie, WY
Nov. 18, 2022 1:15 p.m., ESPN3		vs. Howard Paradise Jam Quarterfinals	W 78–71	3–1	28 – Maldonado	4 – Tied	3 – Anderson	Sports and Fitness Center (1,524) Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Nov. 20, 2022 3:45 p.m., ESPN3		vs. Drake Paradise Jam Semifinals	L 56–61	3–2	20 – Maldonado	6 – Thompson	3 – Anderson	Sports and Fitness Center  Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Nov. 21, 2022 3:45 p.m., ESPN3		vs. Boston College Paradise Jam – 3rd-Place	L 48–59	3–3	11 – Anderson	5 – Tied	2 – Tied	Sports and Fitness Center  Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Nov. 30, 2022 2:00 p.m., Cowboy Sports Network		vs. Santa Clara Sport Tours Showdown	L 85–89 ^OT	3–4	25 – Reynolds	6 – Agbonkpolo	7 – Anderson	Bruin Arena  Taylorsville, UT
Dec. 3, 2022 2:00 p.m., MW Network/ATTSN		Grand Canyon	L 58–66	3–5	16 – Kyman	8 – Thompson	4 – Maldonado	Arena-Auditorium (4,472) Laramie, WY
Dec. 6, 2022 7:00 p.m., MW Network		Texas A&M-Commerce	W 91–76	4–5	30 – Reynolds	12 – Wenzel	3 – Maldonado	Arena-Auditorium (3,953) Laramie, WY
Dec. 10, 2022 7:00 p.m., MW Network		Louisiana Tech	W 92–65	5–5	20 – Tied	5 – Tied	7 – Maldonado	Arena-Auditorium (4,604) Laramie, WY
Dec. 17, 2022 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		vs. Dayton Legends of Basketball Showcase	L 49–66	5–6	20 – Reynolds	5 – Foster	5 – Maldonado	United Center  Chicago, IL
Dec. 21, 2022 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		vs. Saint Mary's Jerry Colangelo Classic	L 54–66	5–7	21 – Reynolds	8 – Anderson	1 – Tied	Footprint Center  Phoenix, AZ
Mountain West regular season
Dec. 28, 2022 9:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Fresno State	L 53–58	5–8 (0–1)	16 – Reynolds	9 – Anderson	3 – Maldonado	Save Mart Center (4,165) Fresno, CA
Dec. 31, 2022 2:00 p.m., FS1		No. 22 New Mexico	L 75–76	5–9 (0–2)	17 – Anderson	10 – Maldonado	5 – Anderson	Arena-Auditorium (4,823) Laramie, WY
Jan. 7, 2023 2:00 p.m., CBS		San Diego State	L 75–80	5–10 (0–3)	20 – Maldonado	7 – Oden	3 – Tied	Arena-Auditorium (4,346) Laramie, WY
Jan. 10, 2023 8:30 p.m., FS1		at Utah State	L 63–83	5–11 (0–4)	20 – Maldonado	8 – Oden	5 – Anderson	Smith Spectrum (7,890) Logan, UT
Jan. 14, 2023 9:00 p.m., FS1		Boise State	L 68–85	5–12 (0–5)	13 – Reynolds	6 – Anderson	4 – Maldonado	Arena-Auditorium (4,178) Laramie, WY
Jan. 17, 2023 7:00 p.m., MW Network/Altitude2		at Air Force	L 74–82	5–13 (0–6)	26 – Reynolds	6 – Barnhart	6 – Reynolds	Clune Arena (1,257) Colorado Springs, CO
Jan. 21, 2023 2:00 p.m., FS1		Colorado State Border War	W 58–57	6–13 (1–6)	17 – Reynolds	8 – Thompson	5 – Maldonado	Arena-Auditorium (6,968) Laramie, WY
Jan. 24, 2023 9:00 p.m., CBSSN		at UNLV	L 72–86	6–14 (1–7)	23 – Reynolds	8 – Thompson	4 – Maldonado	Thomas & Mack Center (4,539) Paradise, NV
Jan. 31, 2023 8:00 p.m., FS1		Fresno State	W 85–62	7–14 (2–7)	18 – Thompson	10 – Oden	8 – Maldonado	Arena-Auditorium (3,950) Laramie, WY
Feb. 4, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		at San José State	L 64–84	7–15 (2–8)	34 – Maldonado	4 – Tied	3 – Maldonado	Provident Credit Union Event Center (2,609) San Jose, CA
Feb. 8, 2023 8:30 p.m., FS1		UNLV	L 59–69	7–16 (2–9)	17 – Maldonado	9 – Barnhart	3 – Maldonado	Arena-Auditorium (3,717) Laramie, WY
Feb. 11, 2023 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Boise State	L 63–79	7–17 (2–10)	14 – Tied	5 – Powell	3 – Maldonado	ExtraMile Arena (11,037) Boise, ID
Feb. 14, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		New Mexico	W 70–56	8–17 (3–10)	20 – Maldonado	10 – Maldonado	10 – Maldonado	The Pit (11,185) Albuquerque, NM
Feb. 17, 2023 8:00 p.m., FS1		Air Force	L 69–75	8–18 (3–11)	22 – Maldonado	7 – Thompson	7 – Maldonado	Arena-Auditorium (4,719) Laramie, WY
Feb. 21, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		Utah State	L 55–65	8–19 (3–12)	21 – DuSell	9 – Maldonado	5 – Maldonado	Arena-Auditorium (3,894) Laramie, WY
Feb. 24, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1		at Colorado State Border War	L 71–84	8–20 (3–13)	23 – Maldonado	6 – Maldonado	6 – Wenzel	Moby Arena (8,083) Fort Collins, CO
Feb. 27, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		Nevada	W 80–71	9–20 (4–13)	28 – Oden	13 – Thompson	Maldonado – 11	Arena-Auditorium (4,520) Laramie, WY
Mar. 4, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		at No. 18 San Diego State	L 50–67	9–21 (4–14)	17 – Oden	5 – Tied	3 – Foster	Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA
Mountain West tournament
March 8, 2023 4:00 pm, Stadium	(11)	vs. (6) New Mexico First round	L 76–87	9–22	36 – Maldonado	9 – Thompson	3 – Maldonado	Thomas & Mack Center (-) Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain Time.

Source^[8]

References

1. "UNLV vs. Wyoming - Game Recap - March 10, 2022 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
2. "Wyoming vs. Boise State - Box Score - March 11, 2022 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
3. "Wyoming earns NCAA Tournament bid as No. 12 seed against Indiana Hoosiers in First Four". The Denver Post. March 13, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
4. "Indiana vs. Wyoming - Game Recap - March 15, 2022 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
5. "Cowboy Cagers Set for Trip to Greece". University of Wyoming Athletics. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
6. "Cowboys Enjoy Themselves On and Off The Court in Greece". University of Wyoming Athletics. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
7. Tucker, Cody (August 17, 2022). "Cowboys Enjoy Themselves On and Off The Court in Greece". 7220 Sports. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
8. "2022-23 Wyoming Cowboys Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 27, 2022.