Colorado State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Preview - IUPUI
11/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Matchup...Colorado State takes to the road for the first time in 2004-05 beginning with a match-up with IUPUI on Saturday. The Rams began their season with a 3-0 mark sparked by the play of senior F Matt Williams who posted his fourth 20-point game posting 25 points and 10 rebounds against Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday. Williams is averaging 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per night for the Rams.
About IUPUI: The Jaguars of IUPUI will enter Saturday night?s contest holding a 1-1 overall record on the season after a season-opening loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay, 68-53, and a win over Huntington College on Wednesday 91-81. Freshman guard George Hill leads the team with 19 points per game while guards Akeem Clark (14.5), Brandon Cole (11.0) and Johnny Miller (10.0) round out Jaguars averaging double figures. Cole paces the team grabbing nine rebounds per contest.
Great Starts: The last time that Colorado State opened up the season with a 4-0 record was in 2002-03 when they began with four straight victories.
Rams In November: With CSU?s win on Wednesday, the Rams now hold a 17-5 record in the month of November under head coach Dale Layer.
Road Openers: The Rams are 3-1 under head coach Dale Layer in their opener on the road. CSU?s road openers under Layer include Drake (76-69), Southern Illinois (71-83) and Washington State twice (79-75 and 78-64).
Five Games In 11 Days: The Rams are currently in the midst of a ?five games in 11 days? stretch including home games against Regis (Nov. 20) Northern Colorado (Nov. 22) and Nebraska-Omaha (Nov. 24) and road tilts versus IUPUI (Nov. 27) and Auburn (Nov. 30).
Home Cookin?: CSU has won its last four games in Moby Arena dating back to last season?s home finale against New Mexico.
Using The Bench: In the first two games of the 2004-05 season, the Rams? bench has outscored its? opponent?s 124-45. Currently, CSU?s bench is responsible for over 51 percent of the team?s scoring on the year.
Second Half Spark: The Rams have come alive in the second half in 2004-05. CSU has outscored its opponents 139-89 in the second period compared to a 103-92 advantage in the first.
Since 1902: Colorado State is in the school?s 104th season of intercollegiate competition in 2004-05. Colorado State has a cumulative record of 1,016-1,035 in 2,049 previous games dating back to 1902.
Tall Timber: Colorado State?s roster in 2004-05 will feature three players (C Matt Nelson, C Stuart Creason, F Jason Smith) who are at least seven feet tall, and another (F Stephen Verwers), who is six-feet, 10-inches tall. The lineup ranks among the tallest in the nation.
2004 Season Review: Colorado State University put on an impressive display in the first round of the 2004 Mountain West Conference Tournament at the Pepsi Center in Denver, beating top-seeded Air Force, 60-48 behind the play of four double-figure scorers. F Ronnie Clark led Colorado State with 14 points and a game-best seven rebounds, while G Dwight Boatner scored 11 points. C Matt Nelson and F Matt Williams each had 10 points as the Rams opened up a 20-point lead during the second half. The win over the Falcons was the Rams? second over a top 25 team in 2004. Earlier in the year, the Rams beat then-No. 21 Purdue before topping No. 25 Air Force in the conference tournament.
Nelson Named To Third Team: Rams? C Matt Nelson was a third-team all-conference selection in 2004 despite missing five complete games and the majority of another due to injury. Nelson led the league in field goal accuracy for the second season in a row, shooting 59 percent from the floor in 2004. G Dwight Boatner, a freshman who ranked among the league leaders in free throw accuracy and steals, was named honorable mention as was F Matt Williams and F Ronnie Clark.
Nelson Numbers: C Matt Nelson scored in double figures the final nine games in a row last year, and had six or more rebounds in the final eight games to end the 2003-04 season. The 7-1 center has scored in double figures in two of the Rams? first three games of 2004-05.
Nelson On Career List: Colorado State C Matt Nelson is 10th in career scoring at Colorado State with 1,245 points. Nelson is the 15th player in school history to score 1,000 or more points in his career, and the 4th (Andy Birley, Brian Greene, John Sivesind) to have played under Rams? coach Dale Layer.
Nelson Named Preseason All-MWC: The Rams were picked to finish in sixth place in the Mountain West Conference in 2004-05 as voted upon by the league?s media in the preseason. UNLV was selected to win the league by a narrow margin over last year?s MWC Tournament champion Utah. CSU C Matt Nelson was one of five players named to the preseason all-Mountain West team along with Danny Granger (New Mexico), Odartey Blankson (UNLV), Andrew Bogut (Utah) and Nick Welch (Air Force).
Nelson 20: Colorado State has a 17-10 all-time record in 27 games that C Matt Nelson has scored 20 or more points.
Nelson Scoring Leader: C Matt Nelson has led CSU in scoring for the past two seasons. Nelson is the 12th player since 1948 to lead the Rams in scoring in back-to-back seasons. By leading the team in scoring in 2004-05, Nelson could become only the seventh player in school history to lead the team in that category in three straight seasons.
Taking The Lead: Following is a list of CSU players that have given the Rams the lead for good in 2004-05:
Game (Date) Game Scorer Score/Half Time Final Score
Regis (11-20-04) Williams 12-11/1st 9:49 78-49
Northern Colorado (11-22-04) Patterson 50-47/2nd 11:15 76-68
Nebraska-Omaha (11-24-04) M. Morris 40-37/1st 0:00 88-64
20-Point Games: C Matt Nelson (27), F Matt Williams (4), swingman Freddy Robinson (1) and G Micheal Morris (1) have combined for 33 career 20-point scoring games.
The Boat: Sophomore G Dwight Boatner closed the 2003-04 season with a flurry. Boatner scored in double figures eight of the team?s final 11 games and sparked the Rams? 60-48 win over nationally-ranked Air Force - the MWC regular-season champion - by scoring 11 points.
Rak Rack: G Jon Rakiecki was among the MWC?s top three-point shooters in 2003-04. Colorado State had an 8-2 record when Rakiecki made two or more three-point goals in a game in 2003-04. He started seven games and scored a career-most 19 points in CSU?s overtime win over UNLV. So far in 2004-05, he has hit four shots from long range and the Rams are 1-0 when he hits two or more threes.
P.T.: Sophomore F Phillip Thomasson shot 45 percent from the field in his first season of college competition. The sophomore picked up where he left off a year ago with a career-high nine rebounds against Regis in the Rams? season-opener to go with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting.
Starting Creason: Redshirt freshman C Stuart Creason made his first career start against Northern Colorado on Monday. He currently ranks second on the team with three blocked shots on the year.
Morris Magic: Michael Morris, whose younger brother Sean is a freshman member of the team, enters 2004-05 ranked seventh on the school?s career list with 86 blocked shots. He has led the team in blocked shots in each of the past two seasons. Eleven times in 2003-04, he had five or more assists in a game. Twenty-two times in 54 career games, Morris has dished out five or more assists in a game. Morris currently leads the team with 10 assists on the season.
Verwers Word: C Stephen Verwers shot 58 percent from the field by making 26-of-45 field goals and did not miss a field goal in the team?s first three games of last season. In fact, he missed only one through four games and shot 50 percent or better 14 times. Verwers averaged 2.5 points per game last year as a freshman and started eight times.
At Home: Colorado State finished the 2003-04 season with a 9-4 home record and began its 2004-05 season with a 3-0 record.
On the Road: Colorado State was 3-10 on the road a year ago, winning games at Drake, Stetson and South Florida.
In Moby: Colorado State won nine of 13 home games in 2004 and averaged 4,877 fans per game, a 25-percent increase from 2003 when the team averaged 3,917 fans per game. It is the highest per-game average since 1998.
Will Power: F Matt Williams, a senior, enters Wednesday?s game seventh on the school?s career field goal percentage list. He has made 251-of-474 career field goals, 53.0 percent.
Will at 20: Senior F Matt Williams posted his fourth career 20-point effort against Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday night. In his career, Williams has posted 20-point games against Colorado (26), Nebraska-Omaha (25), San Diego State (21) and Regis (20).
More Will Power: Matt Williams has shot better than 50 percent in each of his three games in the 2004-05 season. He has been above 50 percent from the field 54 times in 93 career games. Williams has also recorded five or more rebounds in every game this year and has surpassed that total 38 times in his career.
Smith?s Scoring: Freshman F Jason Smith scored in double figures in each of his first two collegiate games. Currently, he ranks fourth on the team averaging 10.0 points per game and leads the Rams with four blocked shots.
Rams On Boards: Colorado State has outrebounded two of its three opponents in 2004-05. The Rams are 2-0 when collecting more boards than their opposition.
Plus 80: Colorado State is 29-2 all-time under Dale Layer in games the Rams scored 80 or more points in a game.
Center Scoring: C Matt Nelson ranks third in school history in career scoring by a center:
Career Scoring By A Center
1. Bill Green, 1961-63 1,682
2. Rich Strong, 1983-86 1,555
3. Matt Nelson, 2002-04 1,245
Rebound Margins: Colorado State is 1-0 when holding a double-digit rebound margin over an opponent this year, including:
Date Game Reb-Foe Margin
Nov. 24 vs. Neb.-Omaha 38-26 +12
Foes Under 40: Colorado State is 2-0 this season when holding an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting from the floor including the following games:
Date Game FG-A Pct.
Nov. 20 Regis (W) 17-49 .347
Nov. 24 Neb.-Omaha (W) 17-48 .354
Rams Plus 50: Colorado State has shot above 50 percent from the floor in two games this season. The Rams hold a record of 2-0 when eclipsing the 50 percent mark including:
Date Game FG-A Pct.
Nov. 20 Regis (W) 26-46 .565
Nov. 24 Neb.-Omaha (W) 27-48 .563
The Miracle In Moby: Moby Arena opened in 1966. One of the most memorable games in arena history took place a day before a new year arrived in 2004 against Purdue University. Colorado State led by as many as 13 points before falling behind in the second half, setting the stage for the ?Miracle In Moby.? Trailing by four points with seven seconds to play, G Micheal Morris hit a three-pointer to draw the Rams within a point. F Matt Williams deflected the ensuing inbounds pass, Morris caught it in midair atop the arc and threw in a shot at the buzzer for an improbable 71-69 win over the 21st-ranked Boilermakers.
Next at Home: Following its two-game road swing, Colorado State will be at home again on Dec. 4 against Drake. The game follows CSU women?s basketball action against Texas-Pan Am at 2 p.m.
More on Television:The Colorado State Rams will appear on national or regional television 12 times in the 2004-05 season. These dates include:
Dec. 11 at Purdue ESPN+Plus
Dec. 18 at Colorado Fox Sports Net
Dec. 30 vs. Denver Fox Sports Net
Jan. 8 at Air Force ESPN+Plus
Jan. 15 vs. BYU ESPN+Plus
Jan. 17 vs. Utah Fox Sports Net
Jan. 24 at San Diego State ESPN
Jan. 29 at Wyoming ESPN+Plus
Feb. 5 vs. New Mexico Fox Sports Net
Feb. 7 vs. Air Force ESPN
Feb. 12 at Utah KJZZ
Feb. 14 at BYU SportsWest
Feb. 21 vs. UNLV Fox Sports Net
Feb. 21 vs. UNLV ESPN+Plus
Feb. 26 vs. Wyoming Fox Sports Net
Hot Second Half Lifts Rams Past Mavs:
Matt Williams keyed a 10-0 second half run by scoring six points to help Colorado State University defeat visiting Nebraska-Omaha, 88-64 in Moby Arena Wednesday night.
The win raises Colorado State's record to a perfect 3-0 entering the team's first road game of the year, Saturday night at IUPUI (KCOL Radio, 600 AM-Fort Collins; KNUS Radio, 710 AM-Denver).
Williams, a six-foot, six-inch senior from Temple, Tex., finished with a game-best 25 points, one shy of his career mark, including 19 points in the second half. He also recorded the third double-double game in scoring and rebounding of his career with 11 caroms.
"Matt Williams played terrific ball game," said CSU Coach Dale Layer.
He also praised the play of guard Micheal Morris, who finished with 18 points along with three assists and three rebounds.
"Micheal continues to string together great games," said Layer.
The teams traded six first-half leads until Morris sandwiched a pair of three-pointers around center Stuart Creason's free throw in the final minute of the period to erase a four-point, 37-33 deficit and send the Rams to intermission leading, 40-37 by virtue of the 7-0 run.
Colorado State then outscored the Mavericks, 6-2, the first two minutes of the second half to stretch the lead to seven. UNO would come no closer the rest of the way.
Reserve guard Nick Ball's layin as time expired gave the Rams their final 24-point margin in the game.
Besides Williams and Morris, center Matt Nelson was the third Ram to score in double figures, with 12.
UNO suffered its first loss in four games. The Mavericks were led by Randy Bland's 12 points, while Calvin Kapels scored 10 points. Ryan Curtis led UNO with seven rebounds.
Following the game at IUPUI, the Rams then play at Auburn Tuesday night, Nov. 30. Colorado State returns home to play host to Drake Dec. 4, and Montana State three nights later. Tipoff for both games is 7 p.m.
Rams Sign Four:
C.J. Clark, a 6-7, 200-pound forward from Houston, Tex. (Cypress Springs HS), was a first team all-district selection averaging 13 points, six rebounds and six assists per game for Cypress Springs High School in 2003-04. Clark was a high honorable mention pick by Street & Smith?s and was selected as the 211th recruit in the nation by Hoopscoop.
Stephan Gilling, a 6-3, 185-pound guard from Chino Hills, Calif. (Ayala HS), was a first team all-league selection and team MVP for Ayala High School. As a junior, he averaged 13.5 points, five rebounds and three assists per game and his seven consecutive three-point field goals in a half during the year. He was rated as an honorable mention selection by Street & Smith?s and was the 288th recruit in the nation by Hoopscoop. He was ranked as on of the top ten shooters on the West Coast by Insiders.com.
Michael Harrison, a 6-10, 200-pound forward from Aurora, Colo. (Northeastern JC), averaged 12 points and nine rebounds as a freshman at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo. Harrison shot over 56 percent from the field and had the ninth-best single season rebound total in NJC?s history and is considered a preseason Junior College All-American by Street & Smith?s and is the seventh-ranked Junior College player in the nation by Hoopscoop. At Aurora Central High School, he averaged 22 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots per game and was a second team all-state pick as a senior.
Corey Lewis, a 6-0, 180-pound point guard from Lafayette, La. (Dodge City CC), is averaging 13 points, five assists and four rebounds per game at Dodge City Community College. Lindy?s basketball magazine ranks Lewis as the sixth-best point guard in the country.
CSU Basketball Preview Show: The Colorado State basketball preview show will air on Fox Sports Net on Dec. 2 at 9:30 p.m.
CSU Basketball Ticket Information: Tickets to all home games are available by calling 1-800-491-RAMS or online at CSURAMS.com, or at any King Soopers or City Market grocery store location throughout the state of Colorado.
