Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Get Set For Two Games in Chattanooga
12/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 27, 2006
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GAME NO. 11
COLORADO STATE (8-2/0-0) vs.
ALABAMA STATE (2-7/0-0)
Friday, Dec. 29, 2006 | Chattanooga, Tenn. | McKenzie Arena (11,218) | 6:00 p.m. ET
THE MATCHUP
The Colorado State men's basketball team will be in action for the first time in 11 days when they face Alabama State in the first round of the Dr. Pepper Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday. The Rams, who were originally slated to face Boise State Dec. 22, had their game postponed due to a winter storm that prevented the team from making the trip. The Rams will bring a seven-game winning streak into the tournament after holding on for an 82-80 victory over North Dakota State Dec. 18. Ram forward Jason Smith posted his third-consecutive and 11th career double-double in the win going for game highs with 23 points and 10 rebounds. The Rams will meet either Chattanooga or Kennesaw State in the second round on Saturday.
ABOUT ALABAMA STATE
The Alabama State Hornets hold a 2-7 record on the season and have fallen in their last five games coming into the Dr. Pepper Classic. ASU is led by sophomore forward Andrew Hayles who averages 14.6 points on the year. Hayles posted 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting in the Hornets' loss to Mississippi State Dec. 18. Senior Moses Edun also averages double figures scoring for ASU with 10 points per game. He is also second on the team in rebounding with 4.6 per contest.
SINCE 1902
Colorado State is in the school's 103rd season of intercollegiate competition in 2006-07. CSU has a cumulative record of 1,049-1,071 in 2,120 previous games dating back to 1902.
NON-CONFERENCE STREAK
Colorado State holds a 46-4 overall record against non-conference foes in Moby Arena under Dale Layer. The Rams have won 22-straight games over non-conference opponents at home dating back to a 84-78 loss to Colorado in 2003.
ALL-TIME MOBY RECORD
Colorado State holds an all-time record of 421-165 (.718) in Moby Arena.
MOBY UNDER LAYER
Colorado State holds a 65-28 overall record in home games during Dale Layer's six seasons.
Season Games Record
2006-07 6 6-0
2005-06 15 9-6
2004-05 15 11-4
2003-04 12 8-4
2002-03 18 14-4
2001-02 14 7-7
2000-01 13 10-3
Totals 93 65-28 (.699)
THE RAMS IN DECEMBER
Colorado State holds a 32-15 regular season record in the month of December under head coach Dale Layer. CSU was 6-2 in the 12th month in the 2005-06 season and is 4-0 this month.
ON FRIDAYS
The Rams hold a 9-2 record in Friday games during the Dale Layer era. CSU won its only Friday game this season with a victory over CSU-Pueblo to open the season.
AGAINST THE SWAC
The Rams hold a 2-0 all-time record against teams currently in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. CSU defeated Prairie View A&M 85-73 in 2002 and beat Texas Southern 91-66 in 2003. Both games were played in Fort Collins.
NOTING THE NORTH DAKOTA STATE GAME
- Stuart Creason had a career-high 22 points
- CSU extended its winning streak to seven game for the first time since 1999
- Cory Lewis had his 400th career point
- Jason Smith had this third-straight double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds
- CSU won its 22nd-consecutive game over a non-conference foe at home
- Jason Smith has had four or more rebounds in 28-straight games
- CSU had two players score 20 or more points in a single game (J. Smith, 23, Creason 22) for the first time since Smith and Matt Williams did it in 2005
PRESEASON PICK
Colorado State junior forward Jason Smith was tabbed as one of five players on the preseason all-Mountain West Conference team. Smith was CSU's leader in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots a year ago.
PRESEASON PLAYBOY ALL-AMERICAN
Junior forward Jason Smith was named 2006-07 preseason Playboy All-American team. He was one of 10 players selected to the team. Others listed include: Morris Almond (Rice), Taurean Green (Florida), Ronald Steele (Alabama), Alando Tucker (Wisconsin), Glen Davis (LSU), Nick Fazekas (Nevada), Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), Joakim Noah (Florida) and Greg Oden (Ohio State).
WOODEN WATCH LIST
Colorado State forward Jason Smith was named as one of 50 preseason candidates for the Men's 2006-07 Wooden Award All-American Team. The list is composed of 50 student athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most coveted trophy. These top 50 candidates are comprised of returning players, although transfers, freshmen, medical redshirts and other players who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for both the Midseason Top 30 list and the National Ballot. Players not on the preseason list are eligible for the midseason Top 30 and ballot.
SINCE 2002...
As a team, Colorado State has blocked at least one shot in every game since its Jan. 28, 2002 matchup with New Mexico, a span that encompasses 109-straight contests.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following Saturday's final round of the Dr. Pepper Classic, the Rams will enter Mountain West Conference play by hosting nationally-ranked Air Force in Moby Arena on Wednesday.
PLAYER TIDBITS & TRENDS
#4 Cory Lewis
• Lewis has had an assist in 39 of 40 games in his career including 34 multi-assist games.
• Lewis has recorded an assist in 38 straight games.
• Has led CSU in assists 32 times in his career.
• Has played 30 or more minutes in 26 of 40 career games including his last six contests at CSU.
• Has had 31 rebounds in his last six games.
#5 Tyler Smith
• Has been in double figures scoring in seven of 10 games with CSU.
• Has hit a three-pointer in eight consecutive games.
• Has played 30 or more minutes in seven of 10 games this year.
#12 Tim Denson
• Denson has recorded an assist in all 10 games this year.
• Has multiple rebounds in seven straight games after getting no rebounds in his first three contests.
• Has played 30 or more minutes in four straight games.
#13 Freddy Robinson
• Robinson has scored in 18 straight games.
• Recorded his 200th career rebound against Boise State.
#14 Jason Smith
• Scored in double figures in 50 of 67 games in his collegiate career.
• Has had four or more rebounds in 28 straight games.
• Has had six or more rebounds in 19 of his last 23 games.
• Has had an assist in 29 of his last 31 games.
• Has started in 41 consecutive games.
#30 Stuart Creason
• Creason has posted four or more rebounds in each game this season.
• Has 16 blocks in his last seven games.
• Has two or more blocks in seven straight games.
• Has scored in double figures in three of his last four games.
#33 Stephan Gilling
• Has hit a three-pointer in 33 of 41 games and has had multiple three-pointers in 22 games.
• Currently ranks 8th in all-time 3-point field goal percentage (.410) at CSU.
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 70
Over the past three seasons, Colorado State is 5-19 when scoring less than 70 points in a game. In contrast the Rams are 30-14 when hitting 70 and 16-5 when reaching the 80-point plateau.
TELEVISION STARS
Colorado State will play on television more times this season than they ever have in the history of the program. Fans will be able to catch the Rams at least 19 times on television this season. CSU will play on the mtn. 15 times and on CSTV and Fox Sports Net twice.
GREAT STARTS
CSU's 8-2 start matches the fifth-best start in school history after 10 games. The Rams started 9-1 four times including the 1953-54, 1971-72, 1997-98 and 2005-06 seasons. CSU has never started 10-0 and, including this year's start, has been 8-2, 11 times.
THE TALE OF THE TURNOVER
In nine of the Rams' first 10 games, the team with the fewest turnovers has won the game. The only time this wasn't the case was when turnovers were equal versus Colorado resulting in a CSU win.
LONGEST STREAKS
Colorado State will be looking to match the third longest winning streak in school history with a win on Friday. CSU's longest ever winning streak was 11 games back in 1988-89 topping the 1997-98 streak of 10 games. CSU has been on six eight-game winning streaks, the most recent coming in the 1999-00 season.
FOES UNDER 40
Colorado State is 4-1 when holding an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting from the floor including the following games:
Date Game FG-A Pct.
Nov. 15 Rice 17-49 .347
Nov. 18 Montana State Northern 21-54 .389
Nov. 20 Boise State 19-52 .365
Dec. 6 Northern Colorado 20-53 .377
Dec. 9 Colorado 21-60 .350
RAMS PLUS 50
Colorado State is 4-0 when shooting better than 50 percent from the floor this year including:
Date Game FG-A Pct.
Nov. 18 Montana State Northern 32-58 .552
Nov. 29 Denver 29-55 .527
Dec. 2 Kansas State 27-51 .529
Dec. 18 North Dakota State 26-52 .500
CONSECUTIVE FREE THROWS
Following is a list of consecutive free throws made by current Colorado State players along with their all-time longest streak at CSU:
Player Current All-Time
Cory Lewis 5 20
Jason Smith 2 19
Stuart Creason 7 11
Freddy Robinson 0 11
Tim Denson 0 9
Stephan Gilling 0 6
Alton Robinson 1 5
Tyler Smith 2 5
Xavier Kilby 0 3
RAMS SELECTED TO PLAY IN TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC IN 2007
The field for the 2007 BP Top of the World Classic was announced during halftime of the championship game between Weber State and Utah State. The 12th Top of the World field will include teams from the PAC-10 and Mountain West Conferences among others. Tournament host the University of Alaska Fairbanks will again be joined by seven NCAA Division I teams in the Golden Heart City. The field will include the University of Akron, Colorado State University, Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis, Oregon State University and Portland State University. The 2007 BP TOWC will take place Nov. 15-18, 2007 at the Carlson Center.
CSU BASKETBALL ADDS THREE
Colorado State head coach Dale Layer today announced that three players have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball at Colorado State.
Jesse Woodard (6-1, 190, Guard, Compton, Calif./Centennial HS)
Jesse Woodard was ranked as a top 30 player in the nation and was a top five West Coast point guard at Centennial High School in Compton, Calif. He averaged 10 points, four rebounds and seven assists for Centennial HS and helped his team reach the sectional finals as a junior. He competed for the Compton Magic AAU team and was a three-time all-star at the renowned Adidas All-Star camps. Woodard chose CSU over Iowa State, Virginia Tech, Utah and UNLV.
Shane Edwards (6-7, 190, Forward, Gilbert, Ariz./Northeastern JC)
Shane Edwards averaged eight points and five rebounds in his freshman season at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo. Currently, Edwards is averaging better than 20 points, 10 rebounds per game for the Plainsmen after helping the team to a 30-4 overall record and a top 20 ranking in 2005-06. The athletic 6-7 forward was widely regarded as one of the best high school athletes to come out of the State of Arizona, sporting a wing span of 7-feet, one-inch. Edwards played at Mountain Pointe High School before coming to NJC.
Omar Leary (5-10, 170, Guard, Portland, Ore./Northeastern JC)
Leary, a 5-10, 170 point guard, averaged 10 points, four assists and two steals per game for Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., as a freshman in 2005-06. The Portland, Ore., native was regarded as one of the top 10 players to come out of Oregon as an all-city and all-state selection for Lincoln High School in Portland. He is regarded as one of the best point guards in the western U.S. coming out of NJC after helping the Plainsmen to a 30-4 record as the team's starting point guard in 2005-06.
THE GREEN MACHINE
Following a vote by the student body at Colorado State, the CSU student section will be referred to as "The Green Machine" in all 2006-07 home basketball contests.
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.
LIVE STATS
Live statistics for all Colorado State home games may be obtained by going to CSURams.com and going to the men's basketball schedule/results page. Live statistics are tracked through College Sports Online's Gametracker.
