LARAMIE -- Snake bit.

That's the word Jeff Linder used Thursday when describing the current state of his roster which is still without preseason Mountain West Player of the Year Graham Ike.

The hits just keep on coming, too.

Kenny Foster could be lost for the season with a back injury, according to Wyoming's third-year head coach. The 6-foot-5, 187-pound guard was in street clothes Dec. 21 when the Cowboys played Saint Mary's in Phoenix. He hasn't suited up since netting four points against Dayton in a 66-49 loss to Flyers four days prior inside Chicago's United Center.

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Linder also announced forward Hunter Thompson is dealing with mononucleosis and guard Noah Reynolds is day-to-day after suffering a concussion last Saturday against New Mexico. Wyoming is down to just nine scholarship players, Linder added.

Per NCAA Rules, a player with mono is not allowed back on the court for 21 days after diagnosis. This is the third time in Thompson's career he has come down with this rare disease. Reynolds, per Linder, is still in protocol and his status for Saturday's tilt with San Diego State is unknown.

"It's just really disheartening for him, you know, the fact that he's probably the first human in history to have come down with mono for the third time," Linder said of Thompson, who is averaging 7.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per outing. "Ninety-nine percent of the world never gets mono and 99.9% of the world doesn't get mono twice, but, you know, for whatever reason (he has). So Hunter will be out for the foreseeable future."

What about Ike?

Linder said the 6-foot-9, 255-pound junior has been doing work in the pool but there is still no timetable for his return to the court.

Foster averaged nearly six points per game in 10 outings this season. The Colorado product shot 60% from the floor while averaging more than 18 minutes per game. Foster appeared in just nine games during the 2021-22 campaign, dealing with a variety of illnesses. He played just 17 games the year prior, another injury-plagued season.

"He's going to need surgery and the chances of him being back this year aren't great, but we're still kind of waiting on some things on that," Linder said. "The one thing about backs is the last thing you want to do is have surgery on it. But he's probably going to have to have it done here in the next probably week or so."

The Cowboys (5-9, 0-2) and Aztecs (11-3, 2-0) are scheduled to tipoff Saturday at 2 p.m. inside the Arena-Auditorium. The game will be televised on CBS.

"San Diego State's not going to feel sorry for us," Linder added. "Nobody's going to feel sorry for us. So, we have got to figure out a way."

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