GAME NOTES: The surprising Wyoming Cowboys prepare to celebrate the end of the 2014 calendar year, as they host the UNLV Runnin' Rebels in the Mountain West Conference opener for both programs on Wednesday night.

Outside of setbacks against SMU and California, both on the road in a span of less than a week earlier this month, the non-conference portion of the schedule has been going rather smoothly for the Cowboys. The most recent outing for the Pokes found them taking out Montana State for the second time in just nine days with a 61-51 triumph on the road at Worthington Arena two days before Christmas.

For Wyoming, which has won 11 straight decisions at Arena Auditorium, this is the earliest start to conference play in the program's 110-year history.

As for the Runnin' Rebels, they've dropped three of their first dozen outings on the season, all three of which coming against Pac-12 Conference opponents (Stanford, Arizona State and Utah). However, the team did manage to put together a fantastic effort against the strongest Pac-10 foe on the schedule, third-ranked Arizona, with a stunning 71-67 upset of the Wildcats at home eight days ago.

More recently, UNLV followed up the beating of undefeated Arizona with a 79-45 thumping of Southern Utah on Saturday at home as well. The Rebels are now a perfect 7-0 in their own building, but lost their only true road game (ASU) four weeks ago.

UNLV owns a 34-15 advantage in the all-time series, one that began back in 1966. The Rebels have won six in a row and 10 of the last 11, with the lone Wyoming victory coming in 2012 by a score of 68-66 at home. Last season the Rebels handed Wyoming a 71-67 loss during the quarterfinals of the MWC Tournament in Sin City.

Against Southern Utah, the Rebels scored the first points of the meeting and never looked back, as the defense for the hosts held the Thunderbirds to just 25.4 percent shooting from the field. Christian Wood, who continues to garner national attention, responded with 22 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots in 31 minutes of action, while Rashad Vaughn also tallied 22 points, hitting 5-of-8 behind the 3-point line. Jelan Kendrick had just two points, but made up for it with 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks of his own.

A starter in all 11 games in which he has appeared, Vaughn paces the Rebels in scoring with 18.1 ppg, while Wood pitches in with another 14.6 ppg as a 51.5 percent shooter from the floor. Wood, who has made only 6-of-26 (.231) behind the 3-point line, would be wise to focus his efforts in the paint where he is responsible for 10.0 rpg and has been a beast at the defensive end of the floor with 38 blocked shots.

Defensively, the Runnin' Rebels have been locking down on several opponents and are giving up only 62.4 ppg as those foes convert a mere 36.3 percent of their field goal tries and 31.4 percent on the perimeter.

Wyoming made a grand total of just eight field goals in the first half against the Bobcats in Bozeman and knocked down only 9-of-16 at the free-throw line, yet led at the break by five and also outscored the hosts by five again in the second half in order to come away with the victory. Larry Nance Jr. scored a season-high 31 points as he converted 9-of-14 from the floor, followed by Derek Cooke Jr. with his double-double consisting of 13 points and 11 boards and Josh Adams with 10 points, four boards, four assists and four steals.

The preseason Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, Nance Jr. is the lone double-digit scorer for the Cowboys with his 14.5 ppg as he shoots 57.0 percent from the field. He is also first on the unit with 6.2 rpg and 13 blocks. Adams (9.9 ppg) can also supply ample offensive support both by scoring the ball himself and delivering assists (51). The Pokes are producing only 63.5 ppg, but that's still considerably better than the 49.9 ppg being generated by the competition.

Sporting the third-best scoring defense in the entire nation, the Cowboys often set the pace of games and when you add the fact that the team is 10th in the country in field goal shooting (.503) at the offensive end of the floor, it will take a lot for UNLV to come up with the win tonight.