Tuck’s Take: Guard-Heavy Assault Lifts Pokes in Opener

LARAMIE -- Sundance Wicks says he wants relentless pressure from this guard-heavy lineup at both ends of the floor.

That certainly happened, offensively, in Monday night's 99-75 season-opening victory over the head coach's alma mater.

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It was Obi Agbim's show last year. Now, there are options. Lots of them.

Wyoming guards combined for 85 points and all 14 assists. Five finished in double-figures. Northern State, a Division-II program from Aberdeen, S.D., was outscored in the paint, 62-24.

It was as impressive as it sounds.

Wicks has tasked this roster with running opponents into the ground, taking full advantage of Laramie's famous elevation. With the speed, athleticism and even hops of this new-look unit, that appears entirely possible, especially against a non-conference home slate that isn't exactly loaded with Blue Bloods.

That all may just start with a rookie.

Naz Meyer overcame a slow start -- he turned the ball over on his first two touches -- netting a team-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. The Los Angeles product also drilled three triples.

Marquette and Arizona State wanted the 6-foot-7, 194-pound freshman. He showed why with 11:12 remaining in regulation when he went up for a right-handed running jumper, was bumped in mid air, switched the ball to his left and still scooped it up and in.

For good measure, he also swished his free throw.

Meyer also converted a pretty second-half lob to fellow rookie Gavin Gores, who finished at the rim with a powerful one-handed jam.

"Naz isn't very good," Wicks joked, followed by some nitpicking about turning the ball over three times and not having any first-half helpers.

It's all a tactic.

"He's a super skilled player. He's fun to watch. He's got circus shots that go in. He's a consistent shooter from the outside," Wicks added. "But I'm really challenging him to be a better defender, a better rebounder, and then a better paint-decision guy when it comes to making plays for others."

Meyer, despite being a teenager, could be the "alpha" on this roster by season's end.

"I think he's going to be one of the next great players at Wyoming," said Adam Harakow, who himself showed off his wheels a time or two in this one, going coast-to-coast and capping his Division-I debut with 12 points and five rebounds.

"He has great confidence," senior Matija Belic added, referring to Meyer. "That's what he should have as a player that he is. He's going to be great for us, for sure."

Meyer was the top dog in this one, but he had plenty of help.

Khaden Bennett looked like a floor general, finishing with 14 points. The Quinnipiac transfer, who was a role player during his time in Connecticut, made six of his 10 shots from the floor, hauled in seven boards and dished out three assists.

Damarion Dennis patiently weaved his way through the Wolves all night long. He let the big bodies of Abou Magassa and 6-foot-10 Gores serve as interior screens and he smoothly laid it up and in to the tune of 11 points.

Dennis, a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi transfer who served in a back-up role last season, also flashed his vertical, hammering home an alley-oop on a sweet feed from the quarterback of this team, Leland Walker.

The latter is known as a facilitator. He mastered his craft at Western Kentucky and most recently Florida Atlantic. He instead Monday went to the rack himself, capping his Wyoming debut with nine points and just three assists.

Uriyah Rojas was held scoreless over the first 20-plus minutes, but eventually put his foot in the ground, netting eight in just over nine minutes of work. Jared Harris, the former four-star recruit, who spent last season at Memphis, added two free throws.

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Depth.

That was Wicks' focus this offseason, especially in the backcourt. Off-nights are going to happen.

They can now. What a luxury.

"It's awesome," Wicks said with a laugh. "... Our ability to get the ball out and go, that's got to be our identity. You know, for 40 minutes, if we keep coming at you and keep coming at you, we're gonna put a lot of pressure on your transition defense. And I think we'll get better as the games go on, as we continue to play this style."

Would this Wyoming team look a little Steve McClain-ish? That was answered early on in this 24-point rout. Guards flew around. shots were selective and highlight-reel dunks were commonplace.

It was a far cry from whatever that was last winter.

"I felt a little bit awkward on the sideline," Wicks said. "I mean, I didn't call a play for like seven minutes over there. I was like, 'Should I run some s---?' They're like, 'We're just going, man. We've got 50 points at halftime.'

Defense, as it was in the early 2000's, also appeared to be optional, at times.

Wicks knows he has plenty of players who can fill up the basket, but this group also allowed way too many wide-open looks on the other end. Northern State pumped in seven triples over the first 20 minutes. The visitors added five more in the second frame, while shooting 40% from the field on the night.

"Can't play offense and not play defense," Wicks said, adding he wasn't pleased with the urgency on that side of the floor.

"Maybe we were relaxed a little bit," Belic added. "It doesn't matter who we play, it's how we play."

"I think, just starting the game, we might have thought that, 'Oh, we probably have an edge on these guys,"' Harakow said. "But, you know, don't take anything for granted."

Can 99 points become the norm around here? With guards like this, why not? Now, the key is to not let the other guys do the same.

"All these guys are stepping into bigger shoes, filling bigger roles," Wicks said. "They've got to grow up. It's a race to maturity. So, the level of urgency that they have to have has to set the tone for everybody else."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players