Two Mountain West teams that are hoping to break out of the pack will square off Saturday afternoon as No. 24 Colorado State faces Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo., in the first of their two annual Border War games.
A big takeaway after one-third of the conference season is that, yes, location matters. Both teams are 3-3 in the Mountain West, but neither has won a conference game on the road.
Colorado State (15-4 overall) started the season 13-1 but has lost three of five, most recently falling behind early and losing to Nevada 77-64 in Reno on Wednesday.
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The defeat had Rams coach Niko Medved talking about familiar themes for his players: hitting timely shots and keeping their composure.
“You have nights where good shots don’t go in,” he said. “I’m more disappointed with some of the key turnovers in critical situations, or maybe a forced shot when we just needed to trust it a little bit more. When you get frustrated, you gotta stay mentally tough, gotta stay mentally strong and focus on the next play.”
Guard Isaiah Stevens, who leads the Rams in scoring at 16.7 points per game, will be looking to bounce back. The program’s all-time leading scorer in his fifth season, Stevens managed only eight points on 4-of-16 shooting against Nevada. It was just the second time all season that he failed to reach double figures.
Among his many glowing statistics, Stevens also ranks third in the nation with 140 assists (7.4 per game).
“That’s how I was coached to be as a point guard,” said Stevens, who finished with 10 assists despite his scoring difficulties on Wednesday.
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Nique Clifford is averaging 13.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for Colorado State. He is hitting 50.9 percent (27 of 53) from long range.
Wyoming (10-9) is also coming off a loss, 81-65 at San Diego State on Tuesday, an outcome that left Cowboys coach Jeff Linder praising his team’s effort. The Cowboys were within single digits of the Aztecs until midway through the second half.
“There’s no moral victories, but I thought our effort and performance in one of the tougher places in the country to play against a very experienced team — I thought our guys battled hard and just wore down a little bit,” Linder said.
Sam Griffin leads Wyoming with 18.2 points per game, third best in the Mountain West. Griffin, who is in his first year with the Cowboys after two apiece at UT Arlington and Tulsa, comes in on a two-game hot streak: 48 points on 16-of-29 shooting, including 9-of-17 success from 3-point range.
“I think Sam, Akuel (Kot) and our whole team, after the last couple games have played some of the better teams in our league,” Linder said. “They feel like, ‘Hey, we can play with anybody.’ I think that’s the biggest thing with me (about) our team — especially such a new team — is just that belief factor.”
WYOMING — Governor Mark Gordon hosted an impromptu panel discussion earlier this week with state veterinarians and the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) to initiate communication efforts relating to the New World screwworm.
A statement from Gordon’s office says that there are no reported outbreaks of the flesh-eating New World screwworm in the U.S. outside of previously confirmed cases in Texas and New Mexico. Gordon called the session to increase lines of communication about the screwworm ahead of Wyoming’s peak summer travel, backcountry and rodeo season. Included in the panel were State Veterinarian Dr. Hallie Hasel, State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Samantha Allen, and WDH Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Emily Curren.
“There are no reported cases in Wyoming; however, Texas and New Mexico are tracking instances, so it is important to keep all citizens informed — including pet owners, campers, rodeo athletes, and sportsmen, in addition to our ag, ranching and wildlife communities.” Gordon said in the statement. “I’m satisfied with the extensive outreach regarding NWS that has been ongoing to our ag, livestock, and wildlife professionals.”
Gordon and the panelists fielded questions and heard commentary from various professionals, including Wyoming Department of Agriculture Director Doug Miyamoto, Director of Wyoming Game and Fish Department Angi Bruce, and Wyoming Livestock Board Director Steven True.
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New World screwworm is a deadly, flesh-eating parasite that was previously eradicated in the United States and hasn’t been seen in Texas since 1966. An outbreak of the insects in Panama spurred a state of emergency in 2023, and a case of the screwworm was confirmed in southern Mexico in 2024. The female flies lay their eggs in open wounds of mammals, and the livestock industry is fearful of potential impacts on cattle and beef production.
Below are the key takeaways from the discussion, per Gordon’s statement.
There are no reported outbreaks of New World screwworm in Wyoming.
New World screwworms feed on and lay eggs in open wounds of warm-blooded animals, including humans.
Transmission to humans is very rare.
New World screwworm is not a food safety issue.
Livestock and domesticated animals should be checked regularly — daily if possible.
Contact a veterinarian or medical doctor if open wounds are painful and persistent.
Keeping fly populations under control at rodeo events protects animals and people.
Protocols for safe animal transport are currently in place in Wyoming.
Wildlife and game populations are being monitored for early indicators of fly strikes.
JACKSON, Wyo. – Jackson Hole Public Art (JHPA) is proud to announce the public installation of 250 Portraits, a community art project featuring self-portraits created and submitted by Wyoming residents from across the state. Launched in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary, the project invited Wyomingites of all ages and backgrounds to submit portraits of themselves or other Wyoming residents, resulting in a vibrant and deeply personal collection of artwork.
Portraits were submitted by artists ranging in age from 5 to over 80, representing residents from 16 of Wyoming’s 23 counties. Participants included individuals, families, school groups, and educators who worked with their students to take part. The result is a wide-ranging snapshot of the people who call Wyoming home, from young children just beginning to express themselves through art to lifelong residents reflecting on decades of experience and identity.
The portraits are now on display in five large-scale grid installations located throughout downtown Jackson. They can be found at the Center for the Arts, JH Book Trader, the Antler Inn, the alley at Pinky G’s, and the Jackson Hole Elks Lodge. The exhibition will remain on view throughout the summer, giving locals and visitors alike the opportunity to take in the full collection at their own pace.
The exhibit, 250 Portraits, was designed to highlight both individual identity and collective belonging, weaving together faces from communities large and small into a single, statewide visual portrait of Wyoming’s people. By placing the work in accessible, high-traffic locations in downtown Jackson, JHPA hopes to spark conversation among residents and visitors about what it means to be part of a community that spans such a wide and varied landscape.
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A self-guided walking map is available to help visitors navigate between the five sites and experience other public art projects throughout Jackson. For more information and to access the 2026 Public Art Map, visit https://www.jhpublicart.org/art/2026map.
Pair your portrait with an audio story! Please consider adding your voice to another state-wide project celebrating the stories of everyday Wyomingites: Re-Storying the West.
