Wyoming’s Depth Raises Stakes for UNM Men’s Basketball To Shoot Better in MW Matchup
Wyoming’s Jared Harris (left) and Nasir Meyer (right) celebrate during Wyoming’s 93-80 win over Dartmouth on Dec. 6, 2025. Photo courtesy of Wyoming Athletics.
Against the Mountain West Conference’s highest-scoring team, a poor shooting night at home in the Pit won’t cut it.
The University of New Mexico men’s basketball looks to bounce back from an abysmal shooting performance against Boise State when it takes on Wyoming (10-3), Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Pit.
The Cowboys, who lead the Mountain West in scoring at 85 points per game and have scored over 90 points six times this season, are coming off a 68-56 win over Air Force and are 1-1 in conference play. They started league play with an 82-70 loss to Grand Canyon at home.
Wyoming’s potent offense has cooled off the last two games. The Cowboys were 3 of 26 (11.5%) from beyond the arc against Grand Canyon. Against Air Force, Wyoming shot only 20% from the field in the second half.
The top two scorers for Wyoming are 6-foot-7 freshman guard Nasir Meyer and 6-1 senior guard Leland Walker, who both average 13 points per game and have the ball in their hands a lot.
Meyer is a three-time Mountain West Freshman of the Week honoree who shoots a high percentage from the 3-point line (44%) on high volume (22 of 50). He also shoots a 58% effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the high number of 3-pointers.
Walker has scored over 1,000 points in his four-year college career. He is a smooth scorer who puts pressure on the rim and leads the team in free throw attempts and assists. Walker scored a season high 28 points earlier this season against No. 15 Texas Tech in a 76-72 loss.
Wyoming’s other scoring is done by committee, as six other players average 5-10 points per game, showing its depth with a team full of players that can shoot 3-pointers and play defense. Wyoming averages 40 bench points per game.
Junior guard Uriyah Rojas leads the bench in scoring with 8.3 ppg. The former junior college All-America scored 11 points against Air Force on Tuesday, including a 3-pointer to seal the game with 1:55 left.
Senior guard Kahden Bennett (6-4) and junior forward Adam Harkow (6-7) anchor the defense, combining for 34 steals this season. Expect the Cowboys to apply some full court pressure against UNM; they go 10-12 deep, and no one plays over 25 minutes.
Wyoming relies on a trio of post players. Kiani Saxon (6-8) and Matija Belic (6-7) play the bulk of the minutes, with Belic averaging 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Freshman Gavin Groves (6-10), another MW Freshman of the Week award winner, comes off the bench averaging 5.2 points and 2. 2 rebounds per game.
Wyoming is a strong rebounding team. It leads the MW at 39.5 per game and averages 13 offensive rebounds and 14 second chance points per game. The Cowboys rank 13th in the country in defensive rebounding rate, meaning they usually hold teams to one shot.
Injury Update
Chris Howell was reportedly trying to practice on Friday but his status for the game was uncertain. Timéo Pons is also still dealing with an illness.
Keys to the Game for UNM:
1. Shoot Better. Freshmen Jake Hall and Uriah Tenette have been in a shooting slump as of late. Tenette is 1 of 12 in his last 4 games from beyond the arc, while Hall is 4 of 22 in his last three. “It’s important for them to understand and for everyone to understand that makes and misses can’t dictate your performance,” coach Eric Olen said. “We want those guys to keep shooting. We feel really good about where those things will end up over the course of the whole season.”
2. Match Wyoming’s Depth: The UNM bench that scored 36 points vs. San Jose State was nowhere to be found against BSU. The Lobos only had seven bench points. UNM’s bench with Tenette, Luke Haupt (if he does not start), JT Rock and Tajavis Miller must contribute some scoring.
3. Defend Walker and Meyer. UNM has had problems with opposing perimeter guards getting hot in the Pit
UC Riverside’s Andrew Henderson had 27 points (7-of-13 from 3).
Alabama State guard Asjon Anderson had 30 points (4-of-8 from 3).
San Jose State guard Colby Garland scored 27 points (5-of-8 from 3).
“We kind of give up some 3-pointers as you guys have seen throughout the year,” Haupt said of defending Walker and Meyer. “We gotta make sure we shut their water off early.”
