Pokes Insider: Sundance Wicks understands what the BYU game means for Wyoming

LARAMIE – December 16, 1929.

On this day almost exactly 95 years ago, Wyoming played BYU in basketball for the first time.

The two programs consisted of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Skyline Conference, Western Athletic Conference and Mountain West Conference until the Cougars became independent in football and moved to the West Coast Conference in basketball 13 years ago.

The old rivalry will be renewed when the Cowboys (5-4) and Cougars (7-2) play Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City (7 p.m., ESPN+).

The current players weren’t alive for Fennis Dembo’s glory days at UW and don’t remember the Jimmer Fredette phenomenon at BYU.

First-year Cowboys head coach Sundance Wicks will convey to his team the message of what this historic series means to the longtime fans who bleed brown and gold.

“I understand what this means to Wyoming fans, I understand what this means to the state of Wyoming,” said Wicks, a Gillette native. “Trust me, I understand.”

The Cowboys will have to play their best game of the season so far to pull off an upset over the balanced Cougars, now in the Big 12.

UW has lost three straight games by a total of seven points. General manager Pat Stacy remarked to Wicks, “We’re just three possessions away from being 8-1.”

With ten new players, the coaching staff is more concerned with getting the team to buy into the process of executing game plans and improving on a weekly basis than with worrying about results.

“You have to go into it knowing that we’re getting better, we’re getting closer,” Wicks said. “If you are happy with the result all the time, things will go up and down everywhere. Here we have to educate our players well that you shouldn’t get emotionally attached to something,” is what the scoreboard says.

“I didn’t like the loss in South Dakota because it was really bad. I thought we didn’t execute our plan. I didn’t mind the loss at Utah State because I thought we executed well.”

UW dictated the tempo and had a game-winning 3-pointer in a 70-67 loss to undefeated Utah State on Dec. 4. But the Pokes had 19 turnovers, including a costly error with a chance to take the lead in the final seconds, during Tuesday’s 82-81 loss at South Dakota.

Five different players score in double figures for the Cougars, who average 11.1 made 3s and average 86 points per game.

The dark, not pretty Pokes place a lot of emphasis on defending the bow and rebounding.

“It’s the Oakland A’s versus the Yankees. That’s the kind of stuff I love,” Wicks said. “You know who you’re up against. They have a really good, talented squad. He is extremely talented.”

First-year BYU head coach Kevin Young, who was with the Phoenix Suns last season, used a list of names, images and likenesses to sign the three highest-rated recruits in program history.

The country’s top-ranked 2025 recruit, Al Dybantsa, signed with the Cougars on the final day of this week’s opening period.

This year’s meet was originally scheduled to be held in Laramie, but UW agreed to move the game to Salt Lake City. BYU, which extended its winning streak over the Cowboys to 14 last season in Provo, will play at the Arena-Auditorium in 2025.

“It’ll be cool,” Wicks said. “It’s something you don’t get to have in your program very often when you’re the No. 1 ranked kid in the United States of America.”

A large crowd dressed in blue and white is expected for Saturday’s meeting at the Delta Center, home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz. After the game against BYU at 176^Th Time will see UW finally return home to host Bellarmine next Thursday.

“I like the fact that we will be playing at the Delta Center and in a unique environment,” Wicks said. “It’s an experience that not many college athletes get. I think it will be something our guys will remember when they go there.”

If you want or want to know more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness). Support our student-athletesplease visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO grew out of Wyoming’s culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charities and develop Wyoming student-athletes.

For more stories about Wyoming athletics, follow Ryan on X at @By_RyanThorburn, on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and on Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him on Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.