San Jose State Spartans (7-6) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (7-6)
The college basketball betting action continues the day after New Year’s, and we are breaking down the Mountain West Conference showdown from in Cheyenne, Wyoming to get you the best San Jose State vs. Wyoming pick and odds.
This is the first meeting between the teams this season. The Spartans won the only battle between these clubs last year and Wyoming has won nine of the last 10 meetings. The Cowboys enter as the favorites (-5.0) with the total set at 146.5.
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Spartans Edge Santa Clara
The San Jose State Spartans (7-6, 6-6-0 ATS) defeated Santa Clara on December 20, 81-78. The victory moved the Spartans to 7-2 at home the season, but they travel to Wyoming looking for their first road victory of the season (0-4, 1-3-0 ATS).
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San Jose State took a three-point lead into the half and held on for the three-point victory. The Spartans shot 55.2% in the first half (16-29), including 5-12 (41.7%) from three-point range, but were not as successful in the second half, hitting 44% of their shots, including 28.6% from three-point range. However, 11-13 from the free-throw line in the second half proved to be the difference, as Santa Clara made just six free throws in the contest.
Five different players scored in double digits in the victory, including Alvaro Cardenas, who had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. He is second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg) and is averaging nearly 6 assists per game. The impressive shooting performance against Santa Clara was not surprising, as the team is 76th in field-goal percentage (47.1%) and 113th from three-point range (35.2%). They rank 171st according to the KenPom rankings and 157th in the Bart Torvik rankings. The Spartans are averaging 104.7 points per 100 possessions (167th) and are 199th in points allowed per 100 possessions (105.5).
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Highlanders Snap Short Skid
The Wyoming Cowboys (7-6, 4-7-0 ATS) lost to BYU on Saturday, 94-68. It was the second straight loss for the team. The Cowboys are 4-1 (1-2-0 ATS) at home. They lost their last home game, falling to Weber State on December 16, 84-71.
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BYU controlled this game from the start, taking an 11-point lead into the half and blowing the game open following the break. The Cowboys shot 37.1% in the second half and 39.7% overall. Amazingly, BYU took just four free throws in the contest but took 73 shots, including going 14-32 from three-point range.
Sam Griffin had a huge contest, recording 25 points off 10-14 shooting. Griffin is averaging 18.3 points per game off 48.1% shooting. It is not surprising as Wyoming has been a solid shooting team as well, 125th in field-goal percentage (46.0%) and sixth in the nation in three-point shooting (40.8%). They are also 61st in free-throw percentage (74.3%). Wyoming is 202nd according to KenPom, 187th in points scored per 100 possessions (103.7) and 219th in points allowed per 100 possessions (106.3). They are 174th according to Bart Torvik.
Monday’s Top Plays
Happy New Year
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Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Rating:
It would be very easy to take San Jose State in this contest. They are a solid shooting team, and their ability to hit the three should help to keep them in this contest. However, they are struggling from the free-throw line and that is another area where the Cowboys are thriving. San Jose State has lost two of their last three games on the road by five points or fewer, but Wyoming knows how to put teams away at home.
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San Jose State snapped a nine-game losing streak to Wyoming last year, earning an 84-64 victory at home. However, they have not beaten the Cowboys in Wyoming in any of the last five meetings there. In fact, the closest margin of loss for the Spartans in those games was 13.
Prediction: Take the Wyoming Cowboys at -5.0 (-110)
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
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Rating:
This total seems excessive, but these clubs have gone over in seven of the last 10 meetings. That includes scoring 148 points the last time they met and they have produced as many as 191 points in a game (March 10, 2021).
Combined these teams are averaging 151 points per game while allowing 146 per contest. It will be a tight one, but take the over.
Prediction: Go over 146.5 (-110)
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Written By
Viktor Allenson , “The Viking”
Viktor “The Viking” Allenson has been slaying the books for many years now. He has hammered the lines in all sports including basketball, football, soccer, MMA and baseball. The Viking’s strength is his versatility and research in all sports. He also has the ability to find soft lines that the public loves and goes the other way.
CASPER, Wyo. — Here is a list of those who filed for a divorce from Dec. 22 through Dec. 29. All filings are reported to Oil City News by the Natrona County District Court.
The log is not a comprehensive document and may not represent all of the divorces in Natrona County. The report excludes sealed cases and confidential parties.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently announced its plan to move forward in 2026 with developing Feedground Management Action Plans, a key component of the broader Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Plan.
A release from the Game and Fish Department states that as part of the department’s statewide Chronic Management Plan, the Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Plan was established to guide the department’s overall and long-term approach to elk management for the 21 feedgrounds across Wyoming. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved the final draft of the strategy in March 2024, following close to four years of collaborative planning with more than 60 volunteer stakeholders.
The release notes that the development of the individual FMAPs is the next step in the process. The department will be working closely with stakeholders, as well as the public, to address key concerns and priorities.
“Game and Fish remains committed to the management of our state’s feedgrounds in an adaptable manner that utilizes the best science available,” said Game and Fish director Angi Bruce. “Supplemental winter feeding of elk has continued to grow in complexity. These plans will allow us to adjust to current and future conditions in feedground management.”
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Specific FMAPs will be developed for each of the six elk herds, as well as their corresponding feedgrounds in the Jackson and Pinedale regions. They’re intended to be a playbook of strategies guiding feedground management through biological, social, and economic factors. FMAPs are designed to be adaptable as on-the-ground-conditions change and science emerges.
In early 2026, draft FMAP documents will be shared during a series of public meetings. They will be presented to the Game and Fish Commission later in the year.
“The goal of the FMAP process is to ensure our strategies are not only sustainable for our agency, but supported and beneficial to the public,” Bruce said. “This is an important issue that has an impact on our state’s wildlife, business owners and residents in our state. Their buy-in and feedback will be essential to a successful long-term plan for feedground management.”
Times and locations for the public meetings will be announced in January on the Game and Fish website. More information on elk feedgrounds, as well as the Feedground Management Plan, can be found on the Elk Feedgrounds page at the Game and Fish Department’s website.
The biggest wind gust in Colorado history blew through Monarch Pass on Feb. 16, 2018, at 148 mph. Not long after that, I moved here, in part to avoid the hurricanes that were pummeling me back East. Now I experience Hurricane Sandy-adjacent conditions while taking mail from my mailbox on random Tuesdays in Fort Collins.
I liked to think that our National Weather Service would at least give me fair warning for wind events. But now the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder is being dismantled for parts.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
That very building got smacked with a 113-mph gust on Dec. 19, two days after Peak 6 at Brekenfridge was hit with a Polar Express clocked at 124 mph. If there had been any snow, I might have been skiing there, caught air off a mogul and landed at Arapahoe Basin.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Little known fact: Colorado’s breezes are actually under the control of the four Greek gods of wind, plus their local representatives. No wonder it’s so breezy here!
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Fortunately, electric company officials employ a four-part strategy when dangerous winds threaten.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Style-conscious Coloradans are learning to cope. (Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
No one is beyond the reach of wind. Especially not Denver Broncos field-goal kicker Wil Lutz.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
As concerning as our wind situation is, there is one consolation.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
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Peter Moore is an editor, writer, illustrator, ghostwriter, co-author, radio host, TV guest, speaker, editorial consultant, and journalism lecturer.
In his most recent gig he was interim editor-in-chief of BACKPACKER magazine. Peter…
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