NCAA Basketball: Preseason top 25 mid-major power rankings for 2022-23 season

9. Wyoming Cowboys

2021-22 record: 25-9 (13-5 in Mountain West)

It was a breakout season for for Cowboys program, winning the most games in a year since 2015, and got an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. And there’s a chance that things can get even better for them since they return the vast majority of its production, outside of double-digit wing, Drake Jeffries.

Wyoming returns its two stars in Graham Ike and Hunter Maldonado. Ike was the breakout star big man, leading the team with 19.5 ppg and 9.6 rpg. His big games included 35 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Denver, as well as 25 points and 18 rebounds at San Jose State. Maldonado was one of the biggest stat-stuffers in NCAA Basketball, producing 18.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 6.3 apg. He had a career-high 35 points against Colorado State, as well as a triple-double versus San Diego State as well.

The Cowboys bring back a trio of other starter/rotation players in Jeremiah Oden, Brendan Wenzel, and Xavier DuSell that have been productive in the past but what makes this team really interesting is a trio of Pac-12 incoming transfers that’ll also be in the rotation. Ethan Anderson started 49 games in three years at USC and is a pass-first point guard, while another Trojan joins in 6’8 athletic forward Max Agbonkpolo. And there’s sharpshooting wing Jake Kyman from USC, who’ll hep improve on the team’s middle-of-the-road shooting last season.

Wyoming has two 20 ppg scorers and potentially upgraded the supporting cast. If they were able to get an at-large bid last season, that should be the floor of expectations this upcoming year. And a Mountain West regular-season title isn’t out of the realm of possibility.