No one needs to remind Utah of the disappointment it endured against Wyoming a year ago. The Utes suffered a pair of conference losses against the Cowboys en route to a 7-9 mark in Mountain West Conference play.

But the losses didn't sting so badly as Wyoming rubbing salt into their wounds in the second loss at Laramie.

Cowboy forward Joseph Taylor hammered in a dunk off a lob pass as the last second ticked away in his team's 72-64 victory. That play didn't sit well with Utah, and nothing would feel sweeter than to exact revenge when the two teams meet this afternoon at the Huntsman Center.

"Everybody (saw) what happened last year at the last second of last year's game up there in Laramie," Utah sophomore guard Carlon Brown said. "We're all pumped up. Coach is pumped up."

Aside from the payback factor, Utah has plenty of other good reasons to come out with a positive result against Wyoming.

If the Utes hope to start off on the right foot in the MWC this time around, they can't afford to drop a home game right away. Three of their next four conference games are on the road.

"It's a big conference game," senior guard Luka Drca said. "That's the game that's going to build our momentum for the rest, so it's a huge game."

If Utah wants to create a more successful outcome against Wyoming, starting out strong will be a key. In both losses a year ago, the Utes fell behind early and spent the remainder of the game futilely trying to play catch-up basketball.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to take a page or two from Wednesday's 66-65 upset win over 16th-ranked Gonzaga. Utah sprinted out to a double-digit lead in both halves almost before the Zags knew what was going on.

Intensity on defense fueled much of the quick start. The Utes made Gonzaga work for shots more than it was accustomed to doing. On offense, Utah communicated better and worked together much easier as a result.

If the Utes can stick to that formula against Wyoming, coach Jim Boylen sees good things on the horizon.

"Confidence to me comes from working," Boylen said. "Guys have got to work and learn and listen. If we keep doing that, we're going to be fine."

One factor working to Utah's advantage is the fact the Cowboys will be playing their fourth game in six days. Wyoming traveled up to Logan for the Gossner Foods Duel in the Deseret earlier this week and closed out the tournament with a 90-85 overtime loss to Utah State.

The setback to the Aggies paints an accurate pictures of what the Cowboys are like this season. Wyoming sports an 11-3 record overall, but has beaten only one team (Northern Iowa) with a winning record.

It offers a perfect situation for Utah to build some precious momentum before next weekend when the team hits the road for three of its next four MWC games. And the Utes know greater success in conference is the path that will lead to even loftier goals.

"We want to win and we want to hang a banner, like coach says," Brown said. "We'll try to be like the football team and raise that trophy at the end of the season."

Utes on the air

Wyoming (11-3) at Utah (8-5)

Today, 2 p.m.

Huntsman Center

TV: none Radio: 700AM

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E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com