Wyoming vs. Air Force Prediction, Odds, Line, Spread, and Picks - January 17

The Wyoming Cowboys (5-12) will visit the Air Force Falcons (11-7) on Tuesday night.

The Cowboys have lost seven straight games, as the Mountain West Conference dark horse has struggled with injuries all season. Not one player for WYO has played in all 17 games this year. The Falcons picked up two massive wins on the road last week over Colorado State and Fresno State. They won both conference games despite being the underdogs in each contest.

Wyoming vs. Air Force Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Total	Money Line
Wyoming Cowboys	+4.5	o130.5	+170
Air Force Falcons	-4.5	u130.5	-210

Odds are courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook

Risk-free first bet up to $1000 at BetMGM

Wyoming Cowboys vs. Air Force Falcons Match Details

Fixture: Wyoming Cowboys at Air Force Falcons

Date and Time: Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at 9:00 PM ET

Venue: Clune Arena

ShotQuality Tale of the Tape

Below, we will highlight essential ShotQuality data for this matchup, including Adjusted Offensive and Defensive SQ, strengths, weaknesses, and frequency. SQppp is a player's average ShotQuality points per possession.

Thus, SQppp = Total SQpoints/Total No. of Possessions.

The Wyoming Cowboys own a 1.08 AdjOFF SQ this season, good for 67th in the nation. Air Force has the 206th-best AdjDEF SQ at 1.03. WYO does well in all key stats but shot-making, where they are in the 30th percentile. They also have a 24.9% open three rate, the 218th-best mark. Conversely, the Falcons are in the 89th percentile in defensive shot-making and 103rd in the open three rate metric.

The Cowboys own high-frequency numbers in catch & shoot three-point, finishing at the rim, half-court, isolation, off-screen, P&R ball screen, and post-up shot types. They are in the top 115 in all those shot types except catch & shoot three-pointers, with a 1.02 SQ PPP (191st in the country). Conversely, the Falcons are in the top 120 in all those categories except in catch & shoot three-pointers and P&R ball screens, where they rank outside the top 175.

The Falcons have a 1.00 AdjOFF SQ, the 192nd-best mark in the country. WYO has posted a 0.95 AdjDEF SQ this season, clocking in at 54th in the country. The Falcons are in the top 60 in shot selection and rim & three SQ PPP. The Cowboys are in the top 70 in both those key categories.

Air Force is in the country's top half in frequency regarding the following shot types: catch & shoot three-pointers, cut, half-court, midrange, off-screen, and post-up. Conversely, Wyoming is in the top 90 in defending all those shot types except cut and off-screen, where they own an SQ PPP outside the top 275.

Wyoming vs. Air Force Prediction

The Cowboys have had a tough go of it in the 2022-23 season. They are yet to play a game at full strength, and it may stay that way with Graham Ike yet to make his season debut as he tries to return from a leg injury. They will now be without top guard Hunter Maldonado, who is out against Air Force with an illness.

Yet, I still have to back the Cowboys with the points, as leading scorer Noah Reynolds returned last Saturday from a concussion. Has it gotten so bad for WYO that they can't cover 4.5 against Air Force? Geez, I hope not.