Colorado State University Athletics
Game notes: Rams face tough road test Tuesday at UTEP
11/18/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2013
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Colorado State at UTEP | Game 4 |
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| CSU STATISTICAL LEADERS | UTEP STATISTICAL LEADERS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Opening tip
- Colorado State travels to El Paso, Texas, for the Rams' final non-conference road game of the season against the UTEP Miners on Tuesday evening.
- The tilt between the Rams and the Miners, former Western Athletic Conference rivals, is set for a 7 p.m. MT tip from UTEP's 12,000-seat Don Haskins Center.
- The game will air across the Colorado State Radio Network, including flagship 105.5 FM ESPN, with Gary Miller and Brian Roth calling the action.
- Streaming video is also available via subscription to MinerTV at UTEPAthletics.com.
- GameTracker live stats are available at CSURams.com.
- The programs have a storied history, and Tuesday's matchup will mark the 71st meeting in the series between them. CSU trails, 44-26, but the Rams have captured the last two meetings in 2011-12 (56-53 in El Paso) and 2012-13 (62-58 in Fort Collins).
Rams quick hits
- The 2013-14 season marks the 111th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,157-1,180 (.495) in 2,337 games all-time.
- Colorado State enters the 2013-14 men's basketball season under the direction of coaching veteran Larry Eustachy who begins his second season at the helm of the Rams' program and his 23rd as a Division I head coach.
- The Colorado State basketball program is looking for its fifth-consecutive postseason appearance, and its third-straight NCAA Tournament berth, in 2013-14.
- The new-look Rams enter the 2013-14 with some fresh faces on the court after graduating all five starters - seniors Dorian Green, Wes Eikmeier, Pierce Hornung, Greg Smith and Colton Iverson - from last season's team that posted a program-best 26-9 mark and advanced to the third round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
- The 2012-13 Rams set several program records including most wins (26) and most wins at Moby Arena (16).
- The Rams' 2013-14 schedule features 20 regular-season home games at Moby Arena, including a stretch of 10 consecutive home games from the Rams' Nov. 22 matchup against in-state rival Northern Colorado (as part of the Colorado State Challenge) to the team's Jan. 1 conference-opening tilt against perennial MW power San Diego State.
About UTEP
- UTEP enters Tuesday's matchup against the Rams with an 2-1 mark, including home wins over Loyola - New Orleans (84-49) and West Alabama (64-46), and a road loss at New Mexico State (86-73).
- The Miners are led by head coach Tim Floyd, who is 388-222 in his 20th season as a Division I head coach, including a 60-42 mark in his fourth season at UTEP.
- The Miners return seven letterwinners, including three starters, from a 2012-13 team that posted an 18-14 record before bowing out in the second round of the C-USA tournament.
- UTEP is led in scoring by junior guard McKenzie Moore, who enters Tuesday's game averaging 13.0 points per game. Moore is one of three Miners to average double-figures scoring, along with freshman forward Vince Hunter (11.3 ppg) and junior forward Cedrick Lang (10.0 ppg).
- The Miners' top-two returning scorers, senior center John Bohannon and junior forward Julian Washburn, are each averaging 9.0 points per game.
- Bohannon and Hunter are tied for the team lead in rebounding (6.0 per game).
- Senior newcomer Justin Crosgile, who joined the team as a graduate student after finishing his degree at Eastern Washington, is the team's top three-point threat, hitting 6-of-10 attempts entering Tuesday.
Series vs. UTEP
- Tuesday's matchup between Colorado State and UTEP marks the 71st meeting all-time between the two programs.
- CSU and UTEP have met in each of the past two seasons on the hardwood, with the Rams coming away with a road victory, 56-53 on Dec. 28, 2011, and a home win, 62-58 on Jan. 2, 2013.
- UTEP leads the all-time series 44-26 over CSU.
- Colorado State is just 8-27 all-time in the series in games played in El Paso.
- Dating back to the 1994-1995 season, the Rams have won seven consecutive games against UTEP. The Miners' last win in the series came on Jan. 14, 1995, an 85-72 Rams' loss in El Paso.
- Colorado State has won three consecutive games at UTEP, most recently a 56-53 win on Dec. 28, 2011 to claim the Bank of the West Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational championship.
- The two programs competed 60 times as WAC rivals from 1969-1998.
- The first meeting between the two schools came during the 1955-56 season, a 57-34 home victory for UTEP.
A win over UTEP will...
- Give head coach Larry Eustachy his 29th win at Colorado State and the 431st of his career.
- Extend Colorado State's winning streak over to UTEP to eight games.
- Push the Rams to 27-44 all-time against UTEP and 9-27 on the road against the Miners.
- Give the Rams to 45-55 all-time mark in matchups against the current membership of Conference USA.
- Push the Rams to 129-66 all-time in matchups against the current membership of the Big Sky Conference.
- Snap the Rams' two-game road losing streak.
- Improve the Rams' road record under Larry Eustachy, moving the team to 7-7.
Rams vs. C-USA
- All-time, Colorado State is 44-55 against current members of Conference USA and 13-35 against Conference USA opponents on the road.
- Colorado State has never played against seven current members of Conference USA: UAB, Charlotte, Tulane, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, Florida International and Louisiana Tech.
- The Rams have played UTEP a total of 70 times entering Tuesday's contest. The next largest series that CSU has against a current member of C-USA is with Rice (5-3 in CSU's favor).
Larry Eustachy-Tim Floyd connection
- Tuesday's matchup between Colorado State and UTEP pits Rams' head coach Larry Eustachy against his longtime friend, UTEP head coach Tim Floyd.
- Eustachy was Floyd's successor at Iowa State University, and had previously worked on Floyd's staff at the University of Idaho during the 1986-87 season, Floyd's first year as a collegiate head coach.
- Like Floyd, Eustachy would also get his first head coaching job with the Vandals, taking over the program in 1990-91, two years after Floyd's departure to the University of New Orleans.
- The two coaches have faced each other four times on the court, with the series knotted, 2-2.
- The first matchup between the two came on Nov. 29, 1991 when Floyd's UNO Privateers defeated Eustachy's Idaho Vandals, 73-56, in the Great Alaska Shoot Out.
- Eustachy and Floyd have met in on the court each of the previous three seasons, twice as C-USA rivals when Eustachy was at Southern Miss., and last year when the Miners visited Moby Arena.
- The Golden Eagles bested the Miners, 64-51, in Hattiesburg on Feb. 16, 2011. The next year, UTEP came from behind to capture the 76-68 home victory over USM.
- Last year, Eustachy evened the series by leading CSU to a 62-58 win at Moby Arena, win No. 21 in the Rams' school-record 27-game home win streak.
Taking care of the ball
- Colorado State enters Tuesday's matchup at UTEP ranked among the nation's top teams in terms of turnovers per game and assist-to-turnover ration.
- The Rams lead the Mountain West, and are ranked 10th nationally, averaging just 7.0 turnovers per game through three contests.
- CSU's assist-to-turnover ration of 2.1:1 also leads the Mountain West and ranks 9th among 347 NCAA Division I programs.
Avila goes for 30 vs. Weber State
- Junior forward J.J. Avila recorded 30 points, one shy of his career-high scoring total set as a freshman for Navy (at Towson on Nov. 24, 2010).
- It marked the second 30-point game of Avila's collegiate career, and the 11th time he has eclipsed the 20-point plateau.
- Avila's scoring outburst also marked the first 30-point game by a Ram since Wes Eikmeier poured in 30 for CSU at Boise State (Feb. 15, 2012).
Octeus' hot start
- Colorado State junior guard Jon Octeus enters Tuesday's matchup at UTEP as the Rams' second-leading scorer, at 15.0 points per game.
- Octeus notched a career-day in the Rams' loss at No. 15 Gonzaga on Nov. 11.
- Octeus entered the game with five career double-digit scoring games, but poured in a career-high 27 points against GU.
- He finished the Gonzaga game as the only Ram in double figures, hitting 7-of-15 FGs and 13-of-16 FTs, while chipping in three rebounds and three steals in 38 minutes in just his third-career start.
Freshman contributions
- Early in their collegiate careers, a pair of Rams' freshman guards - David Cohn and Carlton Hurst - have posted huge contributions for Colorado State.
- Cohn, who earned his first-career starts at Gonzaga (Nov. 11) and vs. Weber State (Nov. 16), is averaging 10.7 points per game through three contests, with a team-leading six three-pointers on 54.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
- Hurst is averaging 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest, playing 15 minutes per game off the bench for the Rams.
Holt attacking the boards
- Despite averaging just 16.0 minutes per game through his first three games at Colorado State, junior forward Marcus Holt has proven to be one of the most effective rebounders in the Mountain West.
- Holt has recorded five rebounds in each of the Rams' first three contests, ranking tied for 18th in the Mountain West and sitting just behind junior guard Daniel Bejarano (9.7 rpg) in a tie with J.J. Avila for second on the team.
- Entering Tuesday's contest at UTEP, Holt is averaging an impressive 12.5 rebounds per 40 minutes played.
DB just shy of DD
- Colorado State junior guard Daniel Bejarano enters Tuesday's game at UTEP just shy of averaging a double-double on the season.
- Bejarano, the 2013 MW Sixth Man of the Year, is averaging 14.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game through three contests.
- In addition, Bejarano is tied with J.J. Avila for the team lead with 13 total assists, an average of 4.3 helpers per contest.
Smith out with broken hand
- Colorado State will be without the services of guard Dwight Smith for the third straight contest after the junior suffered a broken right hand in practice leading up to the Rams' Nov. 11 matchup at No. 15 Gonzaga.
- Smith had surgery on his hand Nov. 14, and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks of action.
Looking ahead
- Colorado State returns to Moby Arena to begin a 10-game home stand, hosting in-state rival Northern Colorado on Friday, Nov. 22 to open play of the Colorado State Challenge.
- The tilt between the Rams and the Bears is set for a 7 p.m. MT tipoff at Moby Arena.
- The game will air across the Colorado State Radio Network, including flagship 105.5 FM ESPN, with Gary Miller and Brian Roth calling the action.
- Streaming video is available, as part of the new Mountain West Network, for free at CSURams.com/videos and TheMW.com.
- The matchup will mark the 100th between the Rams and the Bears, with Colorado State holding a 64-35 advantage in the all-time series.
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