UNLV vs. Wyoming

Thomas & Mack Center – Las Vegas, NV 
5:30 PM ET 
Wyoming -1.0 

Despite posting a 24-7 record, its most regular season wins since chalking up 25 in 1951-52, Wyoming enters the Mountain West Conference tournament squarely on the bubble. The Cowboys finished fourth in a league that might only garner three invites to the big dance. 

Those tickets would go to Boise State, Colorado State and San Diego State. If a fourth is out there, the Cowboys can’t afford to have it go to anyone other than the Broncos, Rams or Aztecs. 

That’s what makes today’s game so pivotal. The most likely suspect to pull the upset and win the MWC Tournament is UNLV, as the Runnin’ Rebels are essentially playing at home. Despite being a middling 18-13 team, they could easily get hot, ride the partisan crowd and steal an automatic bid. 

That would spell doom for Wyoming. It’d be almost impossible for them to sneak into the tourney in that scenario. 

Thus, Graham Ike, Hunter Maldonado and company need to take care of business today. They’re the better team, by a wide margin. But the one-point spread shows that the home-court advantage in Vegas is real. 

The Cowboys can accomplish two things with a win today. One, they’ll notch their 25^th win and bolster their tournament resume. Two, and perhaps more importantly, they’ll knock off the most-likely suspect to pull the upset in the Mountain West. 

Hoops Harlen’s pick:

Wyoming -1.0 (-110) 

Thursday’s Quick Picks 

Colorado M/L (-105) 
Arizona -16.0 (-110) 
Wichita State -6.0 (-110) 

Wednesday’s Winners 

Missouri +4.0 (-110) 
Vermont -22.0 (-110)