Colorado State-Wyoming: Rams Host Cowboys in Critical Border War

The 211th Border War between rivals the Wyoming Cowboys and Colorado State Rams comes to Fort Collins, Colo. tonight.

The Border War, which features two teams separated by just 57 miles, is the longest series of any of Colorado State’s opponents.

The Rams (9-18, 4-9) lost in Wyoming earlier this year 83-74. After leading much of the first half, Wyoming (16-10, 5-7) took over as the intermission approached, leading by 14 at the break. Colorado State rallied from 17 down to get within one point late in the second half, but a 9-0 run by the Cowboys proved to be too much.

Freshman Jesse Carr tallied a career high with 21 points, while sophomore Travis Franklin added 17.

Carr’s status for tonight, as he has sat out the past two games with a strained groin, remains uncertain.

Senior guard Marcus Walker, who missed the last meeting against the Cowboys because of academic issues, has averaged 19.8 points per game in his last five outings. He has scored at least 18 points in all five games. His 16.1 points per game on the year ranks fifth in the Mountain West Conference.

Last time out, Colorado State ended its 19-game Mountain West road losing streak with a 71-66 win at Air Force. The win gave the Rams their first win at Air Force since 2002, as the Rams swept the Falcons on the season.

Walker scored 20 points in the win, while sophomore Andre McFarland tied his career high with four three-pointers. Sophomore Adam Nigon came off the bench to hit a perfect 4-of-4 from the field for nine points, while senior Willis Gardner had a solid all-around game with eight points, six assists, six rebounds, and three steals in 37 minutes.

Colorado State led by 14 points in the first half but then fell behind by six in the second half before rallying back. Junior Arin Dunn hit two free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.

The Cowboys have won two straight games after dropping four in a row. Wyoming knocked off UNLV (Feb. 18) and TCU (Saturday) on its home court, where the Cowboys are 12-1 this season.

Away from Laramie, Wyoming is 1-9, having lost eight straight road games. Senior guard Brandon Ewing leads the MWC in scoring (18.5) and assists (5.0) and is on the verge of becoming the first player in league history to finish the season ranked first in both categories.

In addition, Afam Muojeke (14.3), Sean Ogirri (14.3), and Tyson Johnson (14.2) all average over 14 points per game.

The winner of tonight’s matchup could determine the seventh seed in the MWC. Currently, Wyoming ranks sixth in the conference (1/2 game up on TCU and 1 1/2 games ahead of Colorado State) with five wins compared to Colorado State’s four, which ranks eighth in the conference. Air Force, still winless in conference play this season, is locked in the ninth seed.

The eighth and ninth seeds will battle in a few weeks in the play-in game at the MWC championship tournament in Las Vegas, Nev.

Last year, the Rams and Cowboys faced off in that game, with Colorado State defeating Wyoming 68-63.

In an effort to improve student attendance at the games, the athletic department is sponsoring a “Hostile Student Takeover” tonight with several promotions, including a free “Border War” T-shirt to the first 500 students and dollar hot dogs for all students in attendance.

Tickets, which are already free to students, were made easier to obtain this afternoon.

Members of the marketing department along with cheerleaders stood on the plaza this afternoon, handing out free tickets to students, hoping the Green Machine (Colorado State’s official student cheering section, or lack thereof) shows up for the rivalry.

The Rams are averaging just 3,098 fans a game this season and 535 students, their lowest attendance figures in school history.

The Rams are 3-3 at home in conference play and with a win on Wednesday would guarantee at least a .500 (4-4) finish at home in MWC action. Four home conference wins would tie for the most in one season since the 2000-01season, when Colorado State picked up five home conference wins.

Prediction

This is a winnable game for the Rams.

The Rams played the Cowboys close on Wyoming’s tough home court, and I think the Rams have improved in the month since that game. In addition, Wyoming has struggled on the road this season.

Colorado State needs to turn Moby Arena into a loud venue for tonight’s matchup, just like the athletic department is anticipating. In the last home game against conference-leading Utah, the fans showed glimpses of interest in the final moments when the score remained tied.

Head coach Tim Miles and his team need the crowd to be full of energy and become a force against Wyoming in this game. Playing for seventh place may not seem like much, but the Rams have a lot riding on this game.

I’m going to be bold and predict a crowd close to 4,000, a number that has been eclipsed just twice this season, and a four-point Rams victory.