Colorado State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Preview - Denver
12/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Matchup...The Colorado State men?s basketball team concludes a three-game homestand on Thursday night when they host Denver in a 6 p.m. game in Moby Arena. The Rams have won all seven games in Moby Arena this season and hold a 7-4 overall mark. CSU scored a season-high 93 points in a 93-57 decision over Stetson on Tuesday night with senior center Matt Nelson going for 19 points and eight rebounds in the victory. Nelson leads CSU with 14.6 points per game this year while fellow senior Matt Williams holds a 14.1 per-game average.
About Denver: The 5-4 Pioneers are coming off a 102-92 setback at Cal State Fullerton last Thursday night and are 1-3 on the road this season. Yemi Nicholson (15.4 ppg) and Erik Benzel (15.1 ppg) lead the team in scoring with Nicholson grabbing a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game for the Pioneers. Series Notes: Colorado State has not lost to DU in Fort Collins since a 68-64 decision in 1978-79. Since that time, the Rams have won seven in a row at home. CSU has not lost two in a row to DU since dropping three straight 1955-57. CSU is 17-3 against DU in Moby Arena.
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.
Rams In December: Colorado State is 21-13 during coach Dale Layer?s tenure in games played in December.
On Thursdays: Colorado State holds an 8-6 record under Dale Layer when playing on a Thursday.
400 in Moby: With Colorado State?s 93-57 victory over Stetson, the Rams claimed their 400th win in Moby Arena. Since the venue opened in 1966, CSU holds a 400-144 record.
Home Cookin?: CSU has won its last eight games in Moby Arena dating back to last season?s home finale against New Mexico and the first seven games of 2004-05. Colorado State?s most recent home loss came on Feb. 16, 2004, a 79-73 decision against BYU.
More at Home: The Rams are shooting 55.9 percent from the field at Moby Arena and, in contrast, are hitting at a 46 percent clip on the road. At the free throw line, CSU is hitting 70.8 percent of its shots at home and 64.6 percent away from home.
Moby Under Layer: Colorado State enters Thursday night?s game with a 46-18 overall record in home games during Dale Layer?s five seasons.
Season Games Record
2004-05 7 7-0
2003-04 12 8-4
2002-03 18 14-4
2001-02 14 7-7
2000-01 13 10-3
Totals 64 46-18 (.719)
Moby Nonconference Record: The Rams are 32-4 (88.9 percent) in home nonconference games under Dale Layer. Colorado State has won eight nonconference home games in a row dating back to a Dec. 10, 2003 loss to Colorado in Moby Arena. The year-by-year nonconference breakdown includes:
Season Record Loss(es)
2004-05 7-0 --
2003-04 4-1 Colorado
2002-03 10-0 --
2001-02 4-2 Colorado,
Arkansas-Little Rock
2000-01 7-1 Creighton
Totals 32-4
Fewer Fouls: CSU is 7-1 when committing fewer fouls than its opponent this season.
Since 1902: Colorado State is in the school?s 104th season of intercollegiate competition in 2004-05. Colorado State has a cumulative record of 1,020-1,039 in 2,059 previous games dating back to 1902.
CSU vs. the Sun Belt Conference: Colorado State has a cumulative 146-129 record against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, including an 89-46 home record.
Up Next: Colorado State will travel to Malibu, Calif. for a Jan. 3 showdown with Pepperdine. Tipoff for the game is slated for 8 p.m. MT.
Road Streak: Colorado State holds a 12-game road losing streak after a Dec. 18 loss at Colorado. Colorado State?s last win on the road (excluding neutral site games), came Dec. 22, 2003 at South Florida. F Matt Williams? free throw with less than five seconds to play in the game helped Colorado State to a 66-65 victory in Tampa, Fla.
Taking The Lead: Matt Williams has given the Rams the lead for good in three of their seven wins this season. Following is a list of players that gave CSU the lead for good in the 2004-05 season:
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
Drake (12-4-04) Williams 64-62/2nd 4:24 72-62
Montana State (12-7-04) Williams 6-5/1st 16:33 78-53
Texas State (12-21-04) Rakiecki 9-8/1st 14:27 83-65
Stetson (12-28-04) Patterson 13-10/1st 11:52 93-57
Tall Timber: Colorado State?s roster in 2004-05 features 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.
Ahead and Behind: Following is a comparison of the times that CSU has led, trailed and been tied with its opponents:
Opponent Time Leading Time Trailing Time Tied
Regis 34:33 2:45 2:42
Northern Colorado 16:01 21:04 2:55
Nebraska-Omaha 23:06 12:21 4:33
IUPUI 0:00 39:06 0:54
Auburn 25:20 14:47 4:53
Drake 34:28 2:28 3:04
Montana State 36:48 1:11 2:01
Purdue 1:07 37:08 1:45
Colorado 0:00 38:03 1:57
Texas State 38:46 0:23 0:51
Stetson 31:52 5:51 4:17
Total 242:01 175:07 29:52
PLAYER TIDBITS
WILL POWER-
? Senior forward Matt Williams enters Thursday?s game seventh on the school?s career field goal percentage list. He has made 288-of-542 career field goals, 53.2 percent.
? Has scored in double figures seven times in 11 games and in six of seven home games.
? In the last three games, leads CSU with 15 assists.
? Has shot better than 50 percent in eight of 11 games in the 2004-05 season.
? Has been above 50 percent from the field 59 times in 101 career games.
? Has recorded five or more rebounds in seven of 11 games this year and has surpassed that total 43 times in his career.
? Is the only Ram to start in all 11 games this season.
NELSON NUMBERS -
? Senior center Matt Nelson has scored in double figures in 19 of his last 20 games dating back to last season.
? Shot over 50 percent from the floor in his last seven games and, during that time, is hitting at a 73.2 percent clip.
? Is 7th in career scoring at Colorado State with 1,356 points. He needs just four points to match Eddie Hughes (1979-82) for the sixth spot.
? In the past three games as a starter, has made 23-of-30 field goals (77 percent) and 17-of-22 free throws (77 percent).
? Has grabbed 26 rebounds over the past four games (6.3 rpg).
THE BOAT -
? Sophomore guard Dwight Boatner, along with teammate Jon Rakiecki, leads the team in assists with 28.
? Had a string of 19 straight games with an assist snapped on Tuesday against Texas State and has not had an assist in his last two games.
? Is shooting at a 38.9 percent clip from three-point range in his career.
TO THE RACK -
? Senior guard Jon Rakiecki has scored in double figures five times in 2004-05 including three of the last four games.
? Scored a season-most 15 points going 4-of-8 from long range at Purdue.
? Recorded back-to-back double-figure scoring games for the fourth time in his career against Purdue and Colorado.
? Has hit a three-pointer in 10 of 11 games in 2004-05 and in 12 of his last 13 games dating back to last season.
MORRIS MAGIC -
? Junior guard Micheal Morris is sixth on the school?s career list with 95 blocked shots.
? Needs just 25 assists to move into the CSU all-time assists top ten.
? 22 times in 68 career games, he has dished out five or more assists.
? Tied his career-high with seven rebounds against Colorado.
FOR BETTER OR VER-WERS -
? Sophomore center Stephen Verwers led the team with four assists and ranked second on the squad with six rebounds against Texas State.
? Has made nine field goals on the season, five of which were on dunks.
THAT SMITH KID -
? Freshman forward Jason Smith , from nearby Kersey, Colo., has scored in double figures six times in 11 games.
? Leads the Mountain West Conference in field goal percentage (.657).
? Ranks third on the team with a 10.1 per game scoring average.
? Has made over 65 percent of his field goals, and also averages 4.2 rebounds per game.
? Has gathered 20 rebounds in his last four games.
BALL GAME -
? Senior guard Nick Ball hit for a career-high 11 points against Stetson.
P.T. -
? Sophomore forward Phillip Thomasson leads the Rams with a 75 percent field goal percentatge.
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.
Rams On Boards: Colorado State has outrebounded eight of 11 opponents in 2004-05. The Rams are 5-3 when collecting more boards than their opposition. The Rams have outrebounded their opponents by double figures in their last two games.
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 1,356
Dialing Long Distance: CSU has shot below 30 percent from three-point range just once this season (Texas State) while CSU?s opponents have hit more than 30 percent just twice (IUPUI, Texas State).
Foes Under 40: Colorado State is 4-2 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
Nov. 30 at Auburn (L) 29-78 .382
Dec. 4 Drake (W) 21-59 .356
Dec. 7 Montana State (W) 21-60 .350
Dec. 11 Purdue (L) 22-56 .393
Rams Plus 50: Colorado State has shot above 50 percent from the floor in seven games this season. The Rams hold a record of 6-1 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
Dec. 4 Drake (W) 24-41 .585
Dec. 7 Montana State (W) 25-46 .543
Dec. 18 Colorado (L) 29-57 .509
Dec. 21 Texas State (W) 30-50 .600
Dec. 28 Stetson (W) 35-57 .614
Starting Adjustments: Colorado State has used seven different starting combonations this season.
Winning Big: Five of Colorado State?s seven victories have been by 20 points or more while winning by double figures six of seven times.
More on Television: The Colorado State Rams will appear on national or regional television 15 times in the 2004-05 season. These dates include:
Date Opponent Network
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
Double-Figure Leads: Colorado State is 7-0 when holding a double-figure lead in a game.
From the Bench: With both teams receiving 21 points from the bench against Colorado, it marked the first time this season that the Rams did not outscore their opposition from the bench. CSU leads opponents 393-155 from the pine this year while accounting for 45.6 of the team?s offense on the year.
Plus 80: The Rams lost for just the third time under Dale Layer when scoring more than 80 points in CSU?s 89-83 setback to Colorado. CSU is 31-3 under Layer when hitting the 80-point mark. The Rams? last loss when scoring 80 or more came in a 96-91 overtime loss to UNLV in 2001-02. The last time it happened in regulation play was in a 109-86 loss at Colorado in 2000-01.
Season Highs: CSU set season highs for field goal percentage (.614), points (93) and assists (26) and tied its season high for three-pointers (9) in Tuesday?s win over Stetson.
Rams Run Past Texas State:
The Colorado State men?s basketball team shot a season-high 61.4 percent from the field and received 19 points and eight rebounds from senior center Matt Nelson en route to a 93-57 win over Stetson University on Tuesday night.
The Rams broke a low-scoring 10-10 game with 12:57 to play in the first half with three-straight three-pointers by Andrew Patterson and Jon Rakiecki and pulled away to lead by 15 at the break.
The Rams then began the second half on a 30-12 run and led by as many as 40 in the half before capturing the 36-point victory.
?We were sharper than I expected,? commented Head Coach Dale Layer. ?We started out a little sluggish. Their changing defenses confused us.?
Nelson led the Rams in scoring and rebounding while guards Jon Rakiecki and Nick Ball hit for 11 and Matt Williams went for 10 in the game. Ball?s scoring marked a career-best for the senior hitting 3-of-4 threes on the night.
Nelson has made 23-of-30 field goals (7-of-7 in Tuesday?s game) in his last three games. The senior has shot 50 percent or better in his last seven games and has 26 rebounds over his last four contests.
?Nellie continues to improve,? said Layer. ?Nellie was Nellie again (tonight).?
CSU scored a season-high 93 points as the Rams hit 35-of-57 (.614) from the floor and were 9-of-19 (.474) from three-point range for the game while the Hatters managed a 22-for-53 (.415) and were 0-of-10 from long range. CSU outrebounded the Hatters 38-24 in the game and notched eight blocks in the contest. Rakiecki led CSU with five assists on the night while Matt Nelson recorded three blocks.
Rams Sign Four: Colorado State signed four players to National Letters of Intent, including:
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.
