Just the facts: UW vs. the ‘Big Boys’

LARAMIE -- If you're anything like me, you are always looking for ammo when it comes to rival fanbases.

"Oh yeah, well, my team has a winning record all-time against your team."

You've said that before, right?

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It's easier, in some cases, when you are talking about football. What about men's hoops? Some of these games took place in the 1940's. Earlier even. Always remember -- there's no statute of limits on trash talk.

Did you know Wyoming has a winning record against 18 of the "Big Boys" of college basketball? In a couple cases, it's a fairly commanding lead, too. And don't forget, when you are talking about knocking off heavyweights in hoops, that typically means all or most of those games came on the road or at a neutral site.

You know by now how difficult it is to get anyone to come to Laramie in the non-conference season. It was no different back in the day.

The 1942-43 national championship banner hanging high above the arena probably didn't help that cause.

That commanding lead thing I references above involves the Oklahoma Sooners. Wyoming is 5-1 all-time against the fellas from Norman. And out of those six games, just one was played in Laramie. That was a dominating 86-43 victory for the home team back in 1968.

Here are the all-time scores in the series:

1926: Wyoming 27, OU 24 (Norman)

1943: Wyoming 53, OU 50* (Kansas City - Elite 8)

1967: Wyoming 82, OU 71 (Norman)

1968: Wyoming 86, OU 43 (Laramie)

1979: OU 70, Wyoming 56 (Oklahoma City)

1980: Wyoming 98, OU 77 (Houston)

That 1943 win propelled the Cowboys into the Final Four where they knocked off the Sooners' biggest rival, Texas, 58-54, to reach the national title game. Wyoming won that, too, outlasting Georgetown 46-34 inside New York City's Madison Square Garden.

Here are the other series the Pokes lead or are tied in against the "Big Boys" of college basketball:

Alabama (1-0)

Clemson (1-0)

Colorado (43-37)

Creighton (9-6)

Florida (1-0)

Georgetown (1-1)

Gonzaga (2-2)

North Carolina State (1-0)

Oklahoma (5-1)

Oregon (10-5)

St. John's (1-0)

Stanford (4-3)

Texas (2-1)

Texas Tech (7-5)

Villanova (1-1)

Virginia (1-0)

Washington State (4-2)

Wisconsin (1-0)

The Cowboys will get their next chances to knock off some marquee teams in 2021-22. Wyoming will travel to Arizona to take on the Wildcats. The team will also take part in the Diamondhead Classic in Honolulu over the Christmas Break. There they could see Stanford and/ or Vanderbilt.

Wyoming is 15-20 all-time against Arizona and lost its only meeting with Vandy. The record against Stanford is above. The Cowboys can stretch that series lead to two games.