WYOMING – It’s not the NCAA. Not even the NIT. But for the Wyoming Cowboys basketball teamthe CBI has all the look and feel of March madness.
The Pokes rebounded from a dismal showing in the Mountain West tournament where they were shellacked by Air Force 83-68 on March 8. Since then, the Brown-and-Gold has been on a tear.
Wyoming received a bid to play in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) with a record of 18-14. The Pokes rattled off three straight wins to reach the championship round—a best of three contest with the Carolina Coastal Chanticleers.
The trip to Carolina was an arduous one. Wyoming knocked off Eastern Washington, 91-81; then bested the UMKC Kangaroos, 72-61, before securing a shot at the title with a 74-68 nail-biter over the Utah Valley Wolverines on March 22.
The CBI title round began Monday night in Carolina. The Pokes surrendered a season-high 91 points to Coastal Carolina on the way to a 10-point loss.
The tournament now moves to the Arena Auditorium in Laramie where the Cowboys need a win to force a third and final game, which would be played on Friday in Laramie, if needed.
The Cowboys play Coastal Carolina tomorrow night, March 29 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPU.
