By Scott Breen From Montana Sports

(UW Athletics release)

LARAMIE, Wyo. – A veteran group of Cowboys will face a challenging non-conference schedule during the 2017-18 season, as head coach Allen Edwards announced the Pokes’ non-conference contests on Friday. The slate is highlighted by a visit to Final Four participant South Carolina in December. The last time UW played a team who participated in the Final Four the season prior was UCLA in 2008-09.

The matchup with the Gamecocks will be a reunion for Cowboy head coach Allen Edwards and South Carolina head coach Frank Martin. Martin coached Edwards during his youth in Miami, Fla. The contest will be Wednesday, Dec. 6 in Columbia, S. C. It is the first game at an SEC school for the Cowboys since facing Texas A&M on the road in the CBI in 2014.

The Pokes will host seven non-conference games inside the Arena-Auditorium. The Cowboys went an impressive 19-3 in the “Dome of Doom” last season. After an exhibition game against Regis in the Arena-Auditorium on Friday, Nov. 3, the Pokes open the season hosting Chattanooga on Friday, Nov. 10.

After opening the season in Laramie, UW will not return home until Sunday, Nov. 26, when the Pokes host New Mexico Highlands. The Cowboys will play their first road contest of the season at Oregon State on Monday, Nov. 13 in Corvallis, Ore. It will be the first meeting with the Beavers since 2000, when UW  came away with a victory at the Casper Shootout.

The Cowboys will head to the Cayman Islands Classic held Nov. 20-22 in the John Gray Gymnasium in George Town, Cayman Islands.

The Pokes will open the tournament on Nov. 20 with a familiar foe playing South Dakota State, who reached the NCAA tournament a season ago. The Pokes defeated the Jackrabbits in the Arena-Auditorium last season. It will mark the first time the teams have played outside of Laramie.

The Cowboys would then face either Louisiana or Iowa in the next round of the tournament on Nov. 21. Other teams in the event include Richmond, UAB, Buffalo and Cincinnati.

Semifinal round games are slated for 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. the following day, Tuesday, Nov. 21.

Losing teams will compete in their second game Nov. 21 with tip offs at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The seventh-place game will open the final day of competition on Wednesday, Nov. 22 starting at 12 p.m., followed by the fifth-place game (2:30 p.m.), third-place game (5 p.m.) and title game (7:30 p.m.) to crown the Cayman Islands Classic champion. All game times are set in central time.

After the contest against New Mexico Highlands, the Pokes head south to face Denver on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The Cowboys host Drake in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge the following Saturday, Dec. 2.

UW will host four-straight games to close out the non-conference slate. The Pokes open the homestand with Pacific on Saturday, Dec. 9. UW will face Eastern Washington in a CBI Opening Round rematch on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

The Pokes entertain Texas Southern on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Tigers made an NCAA Tournament appearance a season ago. Wyoming will close out the non-conference schedule hosting Front Range foe Northern Colorado on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

Game times and television coverage will be announced at future dates in connection with the Mountain West Conference and its television partners. Dates are subject to change to accommodate television.

Season-ticket renewals for Cowboy basketball run through Aug. 4. New seat selection will open on Aug. 9. Contact the UW Ticket Office at GoWyo.com, by emailing[email protected] or by calling the Wyoming Athletics Ticket Office at (307) 766-7220.

IMAGE: (Photo courtesy KOWB 1290)

For more on this story go to: http://www.montanasports.com/2017/07/21/wyoming-cowboys-unveil-non-conference-slate/