Colorado State University Athletics
CSU vs. UNLV Men's Basketball Preview
3/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 9, 2007
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2007 MWC TOURNAMENT
COLORADO STATE (17-12/6-10)
vs. UNLV (26-6/12-4)
Friday, March 9, 2007 | Las Vegas, Nev. | Thomas & Mack Center (18,500) | 9:30 p.m. MT/8:30 p.m. PT | CSTV
THE MATCHUP
Colorado State and UNLV will meet in the semi-final round of the 2007 Mountain West Conference Tournament Friday night in Las Vegas. The sixth-seeded Rams knocked off San Diego State, 69-64 in the quarterfinal round Thursday and will be in search of their first trip to the MWC Tournament finals since 2003. CSU seven-footers Jason Smith and Stuart Creason combined for 32 points and 20 rebounds in Thursday's victory. Creason fell just three points shy of a career-best with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting fromt he floor while Smith notched his seventh-straight double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
ABOUT UNLV
The second-seeded UNLV Runnin' Rebels advanced to the semi-final roud via an 80-54 quarterfinal rout over Utah Thursday evening. The Rebels have collected 15-straight victories on their home court this season leading them to a No. 25 ranking in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll. Wendell White (14.7) and Wink Adams (14.2) both average better than 14 points per game for UNLV while senior guard Kevin Kruger has been red hot hitting for 80 points in his last four games (20.0 ppg) while leading his team in scoring in all four contests.
THE UNLV SERIES
UNLV holds a 25-7 advantage in the all-time series between the Runnin' Rebels and Rams including an eight-game winning streak dating back to an 89-83 overtime win in Fort Collins in the 2003-04 season. The Rebels are 13-3 all-time versus CSU in Las Vegas with the only Ram wins coming in 1997, 2001 and 2003 in the MWC Tournament.
THE LAST TIME VS. UNLV
Las Vegas, Nev. - The UNLV Runnin' Rebels sent their seniors out with a bang and sent Colorado State home with a 65-47 loss at a nearly sold out Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas Saturday night. The Rams, who committed 22 turnovers in the game, shot just 34.5 percent from the floor on the night in front of 18,069 Rebel fans clad in white for the team's "White Out" event. The Rams trailed by 16 with 1:53 to go in the first following UNLV's second 7-0 run of the first half. The Rams were able to cut their halftime deficit to 15, trailing 34-19 at the break. CSU closed the UNLV lead to 40-32 with 13:20 to play but another 7-0 run by the Rebels held CSU off to secure a second place finish in the MWC standings for UNLV. Jason Smith recorded his sixth-straight double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds while Stephan Gilling was second on the team with nine point on 3-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Kevin Kruger led the Rebels (25-6, 12-4) with 16 points and nine assists while Joel Anthony had 10 points, seven rebounds and eight blocks in the game. UNLV ended the night with 16 blocks as a team.
THE RAMS IN MARCH
Colorado State holds a 11-13 record in the month of March under head coach Dale Layer. CSU is 2-6 in the third month in the last two seasons with their only wins coming in a 64-60 win over TCU in the first round of the MWC tournament a year ago and Thursday's win over San Diego State.
ON FRIDAYS
The Rams are 10-2 in games played on Friday during coach Dale Layer's tenure at Colorado State. CSU has earned victories over CSU-Pueblo and Alabama State on Friday this season.
SINCE 1902
Colorado State is in the school's 103rd season of intercollegiate competition in 2006-07. CSU has a cumulative record of 1,058-1,081 in 2,139 previous games dating back to 1902.
ALL-TIME MOBY RECORD
Colorado State holds an all-time record of 425-169 (.715) in Moby Arena.
MOBY UNDER LAYER
Colorado State holds a 69-32 overall record in home games during Dale Layer's six seasons.
Season Games Record
2006-07 14 10-4
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 101 69-32 (.683)
SHARP SHOOTERS
Currently, CSU's Stuart Creason and Jason Smith are among the school's single-season field goal percentage leaders. Creason, shooting .671, is in first place while Smith, shooting .590 ranks eighth.
17-WIN SEASONS
With 17 wins in the 2006-07 season, Colorado State has matched the 15th-best season in school history in terms of wins. CSU has now recorded 17 or more vicotires five times, the latest coming in 1992-93.
SMITH NAMED NABC ALL-DISTRICT
Jason Smith was named to the All-District team announced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Smith was joined on the first team by Nick Fazekas of Nevada, San Diego State's Brandon Heath, Keena Young from BYU, and Dan Nwaelele of Air Force. The NABC today announced all of its Division I all-district teams voted on by member coaches representing a total of 15 districts across the country. All award winners are now eligible for the NABC All-America teams, to be announced at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season.
NOTING THE SAN DIEGO STATE GAME
- Jason Smith notched his 23rd career double-double and his seventh in a row with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
- With 19 points, Stuart Creason had his highest point total since Dec. 29 when he scored a career-high 22 versus Alabama State.
BLOCKING SHOTS...SINCE 2002
Colorado State has recorded at least one blocked shot in every game dating back to Jan. 28, 2002, a span that encompasses 128-straight games.
PLAYER TIDBITS & TRENDS
#3 Xavier Kilby
• Kilby is 18-for-26 shooting (.692) in his last six games.
#4 Cory Lewis
• Lewis has had an assist in 58 of 59 games in his career including 53 multi-assist games.
• Lewis has recorded an assist in 57 straight games.
• Has recorded multiple assists in 33 consecutive games.
• Has led CSU in assists 47 times in his career.
• Has played 30 or more minutes in 40 of 59 career games.
• Has three or more rebounds in 22 of his last 25 games.
#5 Tyler Smith
• Smith has played 20 or more minutes in every game this season.
#12 Tim Denson
• Denson has recorded an assist in 27 of 29 games this year.
• Has had a rebound in 26 straight games after getting no rebounds in his first three contests.
#14 Jason Smith
• Has scored in double figures in 67 of 86 career games.
• Has scored in double figures in his last 12 games.
• Has four or more rebounds in 46 of his last 47 games.
• Has six or more rebounds in 35 of his last 42 games.
• Has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 22 of 29 games this year.
#30 Stuart Creason
• Creason has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 26 of 29 games.
#33 Stephan Gilling
• Gilling has hit a three-pointer in 51 of 59 games and has had multiple three-pointers in 38 games.
BALANCE IS KEY
Jason Smith is the only player to average in double figures scoring in games lost by CSU (17.8 ppg) while four players (Smith, Tyler Smith, Stuart Creason and Cory Lewis) average in double-digits in games won by the Rams.
ONE OF THE BEST
Colorado State forward Jason Smith has already left his mark in his junior year with the Rams. Smith is one of only five CSU players to rank in the top 10 in all-time points and rebounds and one of only three players (along with Pat Durham and Rich Strong) to rank in the top 10 in career scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.
SHOOTING LIGHTS OUT
Colorado State's team field goal percentage of .490 is among the best shooting performances in school history. This year's shooting percentage ranks fifth all-time at CSU.
1. 2002-03 .505
1995-96 .505
3. 1962-63 .494
4. 2005-06 .491
5. 2006-07 .490
SEEING DOUBLE
Jason Smith's 13-point, 13-rebound performance versus Wyoming marked the 23rd time in his career he has double-doubles in scoring and rebounding. The junior now ranks second in all-time double-doubles in school history. Following is a list of the top double-dippers at CSU:
1. Mike Childress (1969-71) - 33
2. Jason Smith (2004-07) - 23
3. Bob Rule (1965-67) - 19
4. Pat Durham (1986-89) - 18
5. Sonny Bustion (1963-65) - 17
6. Gary Rhoades (1970-73) - 16
7. Rick Fisher (1970-71) - 12
8. Rich Strong (1982-86) - 11
MAN OF "STEAL"
CSU point guard Cory Lewis currently leads the Mountain West Conference in steals gathering 2.00 per game. The senior also ranks fifth in single-season steals in the CSU record books with 58 on the year.
1. David Evans, 1996 72
2. Andre McKanstry, 1999 68
3. Damon Crawford, 1994 66
4. Milt Palacio, 1999 60
5. Cory Lewis, 2007 58
SINGLE SEASON BLOCKS
CSU's Stuart Creason's 64 blocks this year is the third-highest total in school history while Jason Smith broke into the top 10 in single season blocks as well and is in ninth with 47. Following are the top single-season blocks at CSU:
1. Ryan Chilton, 1998 72
2. Michael Harrison, 2006 66
Jason Smith, 2006 66
4. Stuart Creason, 2007 64
5. Ryan Chilton, 1997 63
6. Joe Vogel,1996 62
Pat Durham, 1987 62
8. Joe Vogel, 1994 57
9. Jason Smith, 2007 47
10. Pat Durham, 1988 45
FOES UNDER 40
Colorado State is 9-2 when holding an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting from the floor including:
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
Dec. 29 Alabama State 20-54 .370
Dec. 30 Chattanooga 22-64 .344
Jan. 17 TCU 20-58 .345
Feb. 3 New Mexico 24-64 .375
Feb. 13 TCU 19-52 .365
Feb. 24 Wyoming 18-54 .333
RAMS PLUS 50
Colorado State is 12-3 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
Dec. 29 Alabama State 25-47 .532
Dec. 30 Chattanooga 25-50 .500
Jan. 3 Air Force 30-55 .545
Jan. 6 New Mexico 31-49 .633
Jan. 9 Utah 22-42 .524
Jan. 20 BYU 34-60 .567
Feb. 7 Utah 27-43 .628
Feb. 13 TCU 28-48 .583
Feb. 21 BYU 26-51 .510
Feb. 24 Wyoming 29-49 .592
Mar. 8 San Diego State 27-53 .509
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 0 20
Jason Smith 3 19
Freddy Robinson 1 16
Stuart Creason 1 11
Tim Denson 0 9
Tyler Smith 0 9
Stephan Gilling 0 6
Xavier Kilby 0 5
Jordan Surratt 0 1
SMITH, LEWIS EARN POSTSEASON HONORS
Colorado State forward Jason Smith was named to the All-Mountain West Conference first team and guard Cory Lewis was named honorable mention as voted on by the league's nine head coaches along with selected media throughout the conference. The all-conference award is the second of Smith's career after being named as the MWC Freshman of the Year in 2005 and first team in 2006 while Lewis receives his first postseason honor at CSU. Smith, a native of Kersey, Colo. is leading the Mountain West with 10 rebounds per game while ranking fifth in the league with a scoring average of 17.0. Smith is currently ranked 13th in the nation in rebounding and is fourth in the MWC and 19th in the nation shooting .591 from the floor. Lewis, a native of Lafayette, La., and transfer from Dodge City Community College, leads the MWC with 2.00 steals per game while ranking second in the league with 4.68 assists per contest. Lewis is averaging 10.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in his second season with the Rams.
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.
