Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman says he decided to fire men's basketball coach Heath Schroyer because it became clear that a change was necessary.

Burman said that with the team just 1-8 in the Mountain West Conference, he was concerned about the negativity surrounding the program.

"I just felt like rather than walk around on eggshells for the next month, if this thing was going to happen we might as well deal with it right now," he said.

Schroyer was fired Monday, two days after the Cowboys lost their seventh consecutive game and 15th of the season. He had a cumulative record of 49-68.