11/9/2026 10:41:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Pokes Insider
Wyoming plays North Carolina on Tuesday in the Dean Dome
LARAMIE – Sundance Wicks and his team will be playing in a living, breathing basketball museum when they step inside the Dean E. Smith Center.
And the patrons are allowed to scream.
This is the venue where the legend of Michael Jordan began. It's the home of a program that has won six NCAA championships, played in 12 national title games and appeared in 21 Final Fours.
Wyoming plays North Carolina on Tuesday night at the "Dean Dome" in Chapel Hill, N.C. (5 p.m., ACC Network).
"They're an NCAA Tournament team; they're a top-25 team every year. I mean, this is the Tar Heels, man. This is a blue blood, this is Tobacco Road," Wicks said. "They're freaking good, OK. But they're all new. And that to me is where we have to go find out who we're going to be against a really, really good opponent."
The Cowboys (2-0) opened the season with dominant home wins over Regis (95-48) and Idaho State (93-62) last week.
The Tar Heels (2-0) began the Michael Malone era with wins over Western Carolina (80-72) and Wofford (109-70) entering this ACC-Mountain West nonconference matchup.
North Carolina was No. 45 and UW was No. 117 in the KenPom rankings Monday.
"It's an NCAA Tournament game for us," Wicks said. "This is the way I look at it. You don't get any of these opportunities. Nobody schedules this stuff anymore, so I'm grateful for the opportunity, I'm grateful that they scheduled us and they allowed us to play this game. It's just like anybody right now, all these mid-majors are still trying to prove that we belong."
Nasir (Naz) Meyer finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, two assists and one turnover in 25 minutes during the Pokes' victory over Idaho State last Friday in the Arena-Auditorium.
Khaden Bennett scored 13 points, Renars Sondors had 14 points in 13 minutes off the bench, and Gavin Gores threw down some nasty dunks.
UW, which lost a 2003 NIT game to the Tar Heels in the only previous meeting between the programs, enters the game as a confident underdog.
"It's a cool opportunity for sure," Meyer said. "We're not looking at it like it's North Carolina. We don't care. We're going there to win."
Wicks' team will have to be ready to withstand an early punch. The Tar Heels took a 7-0 lead over Wofford in the first 52 seconds and never looked back in the 39-point victory.
Five different North Carolina players are averaging double figures in scoring, led by guard Terrence Brown. Freshman forward Maximo Adams is averaging 10.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, while sophomore guard Isaiah Denis is averaging a team-high 4.5 assists off the bench and has not turned the ball over this season.
Malone, who won an NBA championship as head coach of the Denver Nuggets in 2023, doesn't have Nikola Jokic anymore, but he has plenty of elite talent to work with.
"My early read is that they are uncovering their identity and who they're going to be in the Mike Malone era," Wicks said after the Idaho State win before diving into the scout on North Carolina. "That's good and bad. It's good because that's the newness of the Tar Heel family right now is they get a new and exciting coach and he's an unbelievable coach, man, unbelievable coach. That's the good part of it is they get to find out what's going to be.
"But the bad part is he hasn't been there a long time. So, to be determined who they will be under Mike Malone. It's when I got the job here, who's Wyoming going to be under Coach Wicks?"
The 2026-27 Cowboys plan to be a contender in the MW during Wicks' third season. Playing North Carolina in the Dean Dome will only help UW prepare for conference play.
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.
And the patrons are allowed to scream.
This is the venue where the legend of Michael Jordan began. It's the home of a program that has won six NCAA championships, played in 12 national title games and appeared in 21 Final Fours.
Wyoming plays North Carolina on Tuesday night at the "Dean Dome" in Chapel Hill, N.C. (5 p.m., ACC Network).
"They're an NCAA Tournament team; they're a top-25 team every year. I mean, this is the Tar Heels, man. This is a blue blood, this is Tobacco Road," Wicks said. "They're freaking good, OK. But they're all new. And that to me is where we have to go find out who we're going to be against a really, really good opponent."
The Cowboys (2-0) opened the season with dominant home wins over Regis (95-48) and Idaho State (93-62) last week.
The Tar Heels (2-0) began the Michael Malone era with wins over Western Carolina (80-72) and Wofford (109-70) entering this ACC-Mountain West nonconference matchup.
North Carolina was No. 45 and UW was No. 117 in the KenPom rankings Monday.
"It's an NCAA Tournament game for us," Wicks said. "This is the way I look at it. You don't get any of these opportunities. Nobody schedules this stuff anymore, so I'm grateful for the opportunity, I'm grateful that they scheduled us and they allowed us to play this game. It's just like anybody right now, all these mid-majors are still trying to prove that we belong."
Nasir (Naz) Meyer finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, two assists and one turnover in 25 minutes during the Pokes' victory over Idaho State last Friday in the Arena-Auditorium.
Khaden Bennett scored 13 points, Renars Sondors had 14 points in 13 minutes off the bench, and Gavin Gores threw down some nasty dunks.
UW, which lost a 2003 NIT game to the Tar Heels in the only previous meeting between the programs, enters the game as a confident underdog.
"It's a cool opportunity for sure," Meyer said. "We're not looking at it like it's North Carolina. We don't care. We're going there to win."
Wicks' team will have to be ready to withstand an early punch. The Tar Heels took a 7-0 lead over Wofford in the first 52 seconds and never looked back in the 39-point victory.
Five different North Carolina players are averaging double figures in scoring, led by guard Terrence Brown. Freshman forward Maximo Adams is averaging 10.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, while sophomore guard Isaiah Denis is averaging a team-high 4.5 assists off the bench and has not turned the ball over this season.
Malone, who won an NBA championship as head coach of the Denver Nuggets in 2023, doesn't have Nikola Jokic anymore, but he has plenty of elite talent to work with.
"My early read is that they are uncovering their identity and who they're going to be in the Mike Malone era," Wicks said after the Idaho State win before diving into the scout on North Carolina. "That's good and bad. It's good because that's the newness of the Tar Heel family right now is they get a new and exciting coach and he's an unbelievable coach, man, unbelievable coach. That's the good part of it is they get to find out what's going to be.
"But the bad part is he hasn't been there a long time. So, to be determined who they will be under Mike Malone. It's when I got the job here, who's Wyoming going to be under Coach Wicks?"
The 2026-27 Cowboys plan to be a contender in the MW during Wicks' third season. Playing North Carolina in the Dean Dome will only help UW prepare for conference play.
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.
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