Colorado State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Preview - UNLV
1/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Matchup...After splitting a pair of home contests against BYU and Utah, the Rams will look for their first win away from Moby Arena when they take on UNLV on Saturday in Las Vegas. The game marks the first of a three-game road swing for Colorado State. CSU suffered a 75-52 setback to Utah on Monday night after holding a four-point halftime lead over the Utes. Senior center Matt Nelson was the only Ram to score in double figures with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting on the night. Nelson leads CSU averaging 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
About UNLV: UNLV holds a 7-7 overall record and will be looking for its first Mountain West win of the season after conference losses to Utah (70-52) and San Diego State (81-73). The Runnin? Rebels were the preseason favorite to win the Mountain West crown. UNLV?s duo of Odartey Blankson and Romel Beck lead the team with 16.4 points per game each while Blankson and Louis Amundson pace the Rebels on the glass with 8.6 rebounds per night. UNLV likes to shoot from long range this year casting 304 three-pointers (21.7 per game) and making 101 (7.2 per game).
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 January: Colorado State is 14-17 during coach Dale Layer?s tenure in games played in January.
On Saturdays: Colorado State holds a 27-32 record under Dale Layer when playing on a Monday. The Rams are 3-4 in 2004-05.
Road Woes: Colorado State holds a 14-game road losing streak after a Jan. 8 loss at Air Force. 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.
Ending the Streak: Monday?s loss to Utah at Moby Arena snapped a 10-game home winning streak, the fourth-longest streak in Moby Arena history.
Home Sweet Home: The Rams are shooting 54.4 percent from the field at Moby Arena and, in contrast, are hitting at a 43.4 percent clip on the road. At the free throw line, CSU is hitting 71.4 percent of its shots at home and 66.9 percent away from home.
Moby Under Layer: Colorado State holds a 48-19 overall record in home games during Dale Layer?s five seasons.
Season Games Record
2004-05 10 9-1
2003-04 12 8-4
2002-03 18 14-4
2001-02 14 7-7
2000-01 13 10-3
Totals 67 48-19 (.716)
Only One Double: In Monday?s loss to Utah, center Matt Nelson was the only Ram to score in double figures. It marked the first time in the past 24 games that only one player has scored in double figures.
Longest Run: Utah?s 13-0 run in the second half of Monday?s game marked the longest by a CSU opponent this season. The previous mark was a 10-point run by Pepperdine.
Points Off Turnovers: Utah?s 26 points off Ram turnovers on Monday marked the most by a CSU opponent this year.
Since 1902: Colorado State is in the school?s 104th season of intercollegiate competition in 2004-05. Colorado State has a cumulative record of 1,022-1,042 in 2,064 previous games dating back to 1902.
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.
Injury Report: Senior guard Nick Ball, who has started in the Rams? last two games, is listed as day-to-day with a sprained ankle suffered in the Utah game.
Ahead and Behind: In Monday?s loss to Utah, the Rams lost for just the second time this season when leading more than their opponent:
Opponent Time Leading Time Trailing Time Tied
Regis (W) 34:33 2:45 2:42
Northern Colorado (W) 16:01 21:04 2:55
Nebraska-Omaha (W) 23:06 12:21 4:33
IUPUI (L) 0:00 39:06 0:54
Auburn (L) 25:20 14:47 4:53
Drake (W) 34:28 2:28 3:04
Montana State (W) 36:48 1:11 2:01
Purdue (L) 1:07 37:08 1:45
Colorado (L) 0:00 38:03 1:57
Texas State (W) 38:46 0:23 0:51
Stetson (W) 31:52 5:51 4:17
Denver (W) 31:02 8:15 0:43
Pepperdine (L) 0:12 37:22 2:26
Air Force (L) 13:36 22:46 3:48
BYU (W) 32:12 5:10 2:38
Utah (L) 19:28 17:31 3:01
Total 338:31 266:11 42:28
PLAYER TIDBITS
WHOA NELLY!! -
? Senior center Matt Nelson has scored in double figures in 14-straight games and in 24 of his last 25 games dating back to last season.
? Ranks second in the nation in field goal percentage (.672).
? Recorded his sixth career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against BYU. The rebounding mark was his seventh time in double figures rebounding.
? Shot over 50 percent from the floor in his last 12 games.
? Is 5th in career scoring at Colorado State with 1,437 points.
? In the past eight games as a starter, has made 56-of-77 field goals (72.7 percent).
? Was held to only three rebounds in Saturday?s game against Utah marking his lowest total in his last nine games.
? Ranks on CSU?s top-five list in career scoring, field goal percentage, free throws made, free throws attempted and blocked shots.
WILL POWER-
? Senior forward Matt Williams enters Saturday?s game seventh on the school?s career field goal percentage list. He has made 294-of-554 career field goals, 53.1 percent.
? Has scored in double figures seven times in 14 games and in six of nine home games.
? Has shot better than 50 percent in 10 of 14 games in the 2004-05 season.
? Has been above 50 percent from the field 61 times in 104 career games.
? Has recorded five or more rebounds in eight of 14 games this year and has surpassed that total 44 times in his career.
? Had a string of 103-straight games played snapped at Air Force due to injury.
? Returned to the floor against Utah after a two-game hiatus due to an injury sustained in the Pepperdine game.
SMITH, NO MYTH -
? Freshman forward Jason Smith , from nearby Kersey, Colo., has scored in double figures seven times in 16 games.
? Posted a career-best 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting against BYU.
? Ranks third on the team with a 10 per game scoring average and leads all freshmen in the Mountain West Conference in the category.
? Has made over 62 percent of his field goals, and is also second on the team averaging 5.1 rebounds per game including a career-best 14 at Air Force.
? Has gathered 55 rebounds (6.1 rpg) in his last nine games.
? Has recorded at least one point and one rebound in every game that he has played.
? With one more field goal attempt, will qualify for the career field goal percentage list. Smith would rank second on that list (.626).
MORRIS MAGIC -
? Junior guard Micheal Morris is sixth on the school?s career list with 96 blocked shots.
? Needs just 18 assists to move into the CSU all-time assists top ten.
? Tied his career-high with seven rebounds against Colorado.
BALL GAME -
? Senior guard Nick Ball hit for a career-high 11 points against Stetson.
? Has earned starts in CSU?s last two games marking the first starts of his CSU playing career.
? Listed as day-to-day after suffering a sprained ankle against Utah.
FOR BETTER OR VER-WERS -
? Sophomore center Stephen Verwers scored a career-high eight points against Denver.
? Has made 15 field goals on the season, six of which were on dunks.
TO THE RACK -
? Senior guard Jon Rakiecki scored a season-most 18 points against Pepperdine including four three-pointers.
? Needs four three-pointers to move into the CSU top 10 in three-point field goals made. His four-year total stands at 110.
? Ranks seventh in career three-point field goals attempted (311).
MORE MORRIS -
? Freshman guard Sean Morris had career highs in scoring (12), rebounding (8) and assists (4) against BYU.
? His eight rebounds against BYU marked the first time a true guard had eight boards since Jon Rakiecki posted the figure against Colorado on Dec. 5, 2001. It also marked the first time a player under six-feet tall had that figure since Joe Macklin had eight vs. Wyoming on Feb. 9, 2002.
? Has played an average of 21 minutes per game in the last two games. In his first six games of the year, he averaged six minutes per game.
Rams On Boards: Colorado State has outrebounded 12 of 16 opponents in 2004-05. The Rams are 7-5 when collecting more boards than their opposition.
Winning Big: Five of Colorado State?s nine victories have been by 20 points or more while winning by double figures seven of nine times.
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 1,437
Double-Figure Leads: Colorado State is 9-0 when holding a double-figure lead in a game.
Starting Adjustments: Colorado State has used nine different starting combonations in 16 games this season.
From the Bench: CSU leads opponents scoring 497-182 from the bench this year while accounting for 41.9 percent of the team?s offense on the year. CSU?s bench has outscored its opponents? in 15 of 16 games this year.
Three-Point Woes: In their last four games, the Rams have hit 14-of-64 (.219) three-pointers.
Offensive Rebounds: In their last five games, the Rams have given up 82 offensive rebounds (16.4 per game).
Foes Under 40: Colorado State is 6-4 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
Dec. 30 Denver (W) 24-62 .387
Jan. 3 Pepperdine (L) 22-57 .386
Jan. 8 Air Force (L) 20-57 .351
Jan. 15 BYU (W) 24-69 .348
Rams Plus 50: Colorado State has shot above 50 percent from the floor in eight games this season. The Rams hold a record of 7-1 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
Dec. 30 Denver (W) 26-46 .565
More on Television: The Colorado State Rams will appear on national or regional television 14 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. 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
Turnovers by Half: Colorado State has committed 172 of its 268 turnovers (64.2 percent) in the first half. Only four times during the season have the Rams committed more turnovers in the second half than they did in the first.
Up Next: Colorado State stays on the road to take on San Diego State on Monday, January 4 at 9 p.m. MT. The game is part of ESPN?s ?Big Monday? telecast and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
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 32-3 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.
UNLV
Current Series UNLV, 18-7
Last Meeting 2003-04; UNLV, 80-73
In Fort Collins UNLV, 9-4
In Las Vegas UNLV, 8-2
Neutral Series UNLV, 1-1
Current Streak UNLV, 1
Current Home Streak Rams, 1
Current Road Streak UNLV, 3
Current Neutral Site Streak UNLV, 1
Last Home Win 2003-04; Rams 89-83 (ot)
Last Home Loss 2002-03, 73-67
Last Road Win 2002-03, 62-61
Last Road Loss 2002-03, 90-57
Most Points Scored 2001-02, 91
Fewest Points Scored 1981-82, 54
Most Points Allowed 2001-02, 96
Fewest Points Allowed 2000-01, 55
Second-Half Run Propels Utes Over Rams
Visiting Utah held Colorado State to just six second-half field goals and used a 20-to-5 run in the first 10 minutes of the final half in winning, 75-52 in Moby Arena Monday night.
The Rams had built a 34-30 lead at halftime behind eight points by senior center Matt Nelson and 68 percent shooting from the floor.
The Rams used a 7-to-0 run in the game?s first five minutes to lead by seven, 9-2, the team?s largest margin of the night. From their, the teams exchanged two leads and the score was tied five times.
But Bogut scored 14 of his game-most 25 points in the second half - one of three Utes in double figures. The 7-foot sophomore from Australia also finished with a game-high 18 rebounds.
Freshman forward Jason Smith put the Rams on top, 36-30, just more than a minute into the second half. Utah then ran off seven consecutive points to lead, 37-36, with 16 minutes, 19 seconds to play.
Nelson?s layin 30 seconds later gave the Rams their final lead of the night, 38-37. Utah then scored the game?s next 13 points and never looked back. Utah?s final 23-point margin was the largest of the game.
Nelson was the only Ram to finish in double figures. Smith led the Rams with five rebounds.
Colorado State falls to 9-7 overall, 1-2 in Mountain West Conference play. Utah won for the 10th time in a row and is 15-3/3-0.
