Watching the opposing team push the pace isn’t something the University of Wyoming men’s basketball team is used to seeing.
But Kansas can have that effect on teams.
“Normally, it’s us doing the transition running,” guard Jay Straight said. “We usually try to get up and down the floor on teams. But we knew they were going to do that.”
The Jayhawks were up and down the floor all night, handing Wyoming a 98-70 loss Wednesday, its worst defeat of the season. The Cowboys (12-3) were composed early, matching Kansas (12-3) basket for basket as senior guard Donta Richardson tied it at 7-7 with a three-pointer.
But the Jayhawks strung together runs of 7-0, 8-0 and 10-0 to take a 40-19 lead with just under six minutes remaining in the first half.
That was all the running KU needed.
“How do you stop a run? You score on the other end,” Wyoming coach Steve McClain said. “And that was something we couldn’t do.”
Richardson did his best to counter Kansas’ scoring with a game-high 29 points, hitting 11 of 18 field goals, most of them fadeaways or runners in the lane.
But the Cowboys didn’t get the production they’re used to from their front line.
Senior center Uche Nsonwu-Amadi was held to 10 points, five below his average, and he looked timid against Kansas’s big men. He settled mostly for short jumpers and rarely had the ball in the paint.
“It hurts,” Richardson said. “Without Uche, we’re not going to win any games. They did a good job of taking him out of the game.”
But the Cowboys, who open Mountain West Conference play Saturday against New Mexico, viewed the loss as a necessary — if painful — learning experience.
Last year, Wyoming made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1988, and McClain’s team is intent on returning. A trip to Kansas was preparation for March Madness.
“Kansas is preparing to be a Final Four team,” McClain said. “We’re a team that is still going out and learning. But you can’t learn anything without coming into a place like this.”