Colorado State University Athletics
Game notes: No. 24 Rams travel to Boise State Tuesday
1/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| (RV/24) Colorado State at Boise State | Game 21 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 27, 2015 | 9 p.m. MT | Boise, Idaho | Taco Bell Arena (12,480) | |||||||||||||||||||
| COLORADO STATE RAMS | BOISE STATE BRONCOS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Record | 18-2, 5-2 MW | Record | 14-6, 4-3 MW | ||||||||||||||||
| Last Game | Jan. 24 vs. San Diego State (W, 79-73) | Last Game | Jan. 24 at Air Force (W, 77-68) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rank (AP | Coaches) | RV | 24 | Rank (AP | Coaches) | -- | -- | ||||||||||||||||
| Head Coach | Larry Eustachy (Long Beach State, 1979) | Head Coach | Leon Rice (Washington State, 1986) | ||||||||||||||||
| > Overall Record | 462-285 (24th Season) | > Overall Record | 91-60 (Fifth Season) | ||||||||||||||||
| > Record at CSU | 60-27 (Third Season) | > Record at BSU | 91-60 (Fifth Season) | ||||||||||||||||
| CSU STATISTICAL LEADERS | BSU STATISTICAL LEADERS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Minutes/Game | J.J. Avila (32.6) | Minutes/Game | Derrick Marks (30.3) | ||||||||||||||||
| Points/Game | J.J. Avila (15.7) | Points/Game | Derrick Marks (19.2) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds/Game | J.J. Avila (7.4) | Rebounds/Game | James Webb III (6.8) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three-Pointers | Daniel Bejarano (33) | Three-Pointers | Derrick Marks (40) | ||||||||||||||||
| Assists | Daniel Bejarano (63) | Assists | Derrick Marks (56) | ||||||||||||||||
| Blocks | Stanton Kidd (14) | Blocks | Derrick Marks (10) | ||||||||||||||||
| Steals | J.J. Avila (37) | Steals | Derrick Marks (27) | ||||||||||||||||
| Field-Goal % | Tiel Daniels (.617) | Field-Goal % | Derrick Marks (.667) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three-Point % | Stanton Kidd (.455) | Three-Point % | Derrick Marks (.526) | ||||||||||||||||
| Free-Throw % | Joe De Ciman (.848) | Free-Throw % | Derrick Marks (.855) | ||||||||||||||||
| TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON | BROADCAST INFORMATION | ||||||||||||||||||
| Category | CSU | BSU | Video: ESPNU | ||||||||||||||||
| Scoring Offense | 73.5 | 72.2 | Play-by-Play: Steve Quis | ||||||||||||||||
| Scoring Defense | 62.8 | 62.2 | Color Analyst: Craig Robinson | ||||||||||||||||
| Field-Goal % | .458 | .466 | > DirecTV: 208 (HD) | ||||||||||||||||
| Opponent Field-Goal % | .421 | .416 | > Dish Network: 141 (HD) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three-Point % | .375 | .401 | > Comcast: 404 | ||||||||||||||||
| Opponent Three-Point % | .351 | .316 | > Streaming: WatchESPN.com | ||||||||||||||||
| Free-Throw % | .677 | .727 | Audio: Colorado State Sports Network | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds/Game | 36.7 | 33.2 | Play-by-Play: Gary Miller | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebounding Margin | +5.9 | +2.5 | Color Analyst: Brian Roth | ||||||||||||||||
| Assist/Game | 15.4 | 12.3 | > Flagship: 105.5 FM ESPN | ||||||||||||||||
| Turnovers/Game | 10.9 | 10.2 | > Affiliates: 1580 AM KREL/1100 AM KNZZ | ||||||||||||||||
| Opponent Turnovers/Game | 12.9 | 12.8 | > Streaming: ESPNDenver.com | ||||||||||||||||
| Steals/Game | 5.4 | 5.5 | Live Stats: GameTracker | ||||||||||||||||
| Blocks/Game | 2.9 | 2.1 | > BroncoSports.com | ||||||||||||||||
Game Notes 21 (PDF) 
Opening tip
• Colorado State (18-2, 5-2 MW), ranked 24th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, turns around quickly following Saturday night's win over San Diego State for a road test at Boise State (14-6, 4-3) on Tuesday night.
• Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. MT at Taco Bell Arena.
• The game will air across the Colorado State Radio Network, including flagship 105.5 FM ESPN, with Gary Miller (play-by-play) and Brian Roth (analyst) on the call.
• The contest will also be televised nationally on ESPNU with Steve Quis (play-by-play) and Craig Robinson (analyst) calling the action courtside.
• GameTracker live stats are available at BroncoSports.com.
Rams quick hits
• The 2014-15 season marks the 112th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,189-1,197 (.498) in 2,386 games.
• CSU enters the 2014-15 men's basketball season under the direction of coaching veteran Larry Eustachy who begins his third season at the helm of the Rams' program and his 24th as a Division I head coach.
• Colorado State basketball is looking for its fifth postseason appearance in six years, and its third NCAA Tournament berth in four seasons, in 2014-15.
• Colorado State returns a majority of its production from a season ago including 66 percent of its scoring and 70 percent of its rebounding.
• Overall, the Rams' roster breaks down to six returning players, including starters Daniel Bejarano, J.J. Avila and Joe De Ciman, plus nine newcomers. However, three of the nine newcomers - senior Stanton Kidd, junior Tiel Daniels and sophomore John Gillon - practiced with the squad last season while redshirting as transfers from NCAA Division I programs.
• CSU's 2014-15 schedule is rated among the toughest in the Mountain West. Based on last season's final RPI rankings for Division I opponents.
• Through games played Jan. 24, the Rams are 29th in the NCAA RPI, second among MW members (23rd, SDSU).
• The Rams' 18-2 record is the team's best through 20 games in program history. CSU's best 21-game mark stands at 18-3 entering Tuesday's game at Boise State.
• CSU's 14 consecutive wins to open the 2014-15 season, ranked as the longest win streak in program history, surpassing an 11-game stretch during the 1988-89 season.
• Prior to CSU's first loss of the year, Jan. 3 at New Mexico, the Rams were one of four remaining unbeatens nationally with Kentucky, Duke and Virginia.
• CSU features a balanced scoring attack, with the Rams posting 10 games in the season's first 20 contests with at least four players in double-figures scoring, including six games with five players notching 10+ points.
• Entering Saturday's games, there are 12 players in the Mountain West ranked in the top-20 in the league in both scoring and rebounding. CSU is the only program to boast two such players in senior forwards J.J. Avila and Stanton Kidd, and senior guard Daniel Bejarano.
• At 18-2, Colorado State is tied for the fourth-best win percentage in the nation behind 19-0 (1.000) Kentucky, 18-0 (1.000) Virginia, and 20-1 (.925) Gonzaga.
About Boise State
• Boise State, picked second in the MW preseason poll, enters Tuesday's matchup against CSU tied for sixth in the league standings with a 4-3 conference record.
• The Broncos are 14-6 overall, having posted a 7-1 mark at home, 4-4 on the road, and 3-1 on a neutral court.
• Boise State has won four straight with home wins over UNLV and San Jose State, and road wins at New Mexico and Air Force, since a four-game losing skid which began in their non-conference finale and carried over into the first three games of the league schedule.
• The Broncos' lone home loss of the season came Jan. 3 vs. Utah State. The Aggies' pulled off the 62-61 upset on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by David Collette.
• The Broncos entered the season returning return eight lettermen, including three starters, from the team that posted a 21-13 record last year, and finished tied for fifth in the Mountain West with a 9-9 record.
• Boise State is led by a high-scoring senior guard Derrick Marks (19.2 ppg). Marks is scoring 23 points per game in conference play since backcourt mate Anthony Drmic was officially announced to be out for the season with a back and ankle injury prior to the MW opener vs. CSU.
• Sophomore F James Webb III ranks as the team's top rebounder, pulling down 6.8 rebounds per game to rank sixth in the MW.
• As a team, the Broncos rank second in the Mountain West, behind Colorado State, with a scoring average of 72.2 points per game (80th nationally) while ranking just ahead of the Rams in scoring defense at 62.2 points per game (93rd nationally).
Series vs. Boise State
• Tuesday's matchup between CSU and Boise State marks the 14th between the Rams and the Broncos.
• Colorado State is 8-5 in the all-time series (7-1 home, 1-4 away, 0-0 neutral).
• The first matchup in the series - a 96-65 CSU home win - was played on Dec. 28, 1974.
• Since Boise State joined the Mountain West prior to 2011-12, the Rams are 3-3 overall against the Broncos, with an 0-2 mark in games played at Taco Bell Arena.
• Colorado State captured the first meeting of the season on Dec. 31 at Moby Arena, 71-65, overcoming a 22-8 deficit behind an impressive 25-point effort off the bench by sophomore guard John Gillon.
Eustachy vs. Boise State
• Rams coach Larry Eustachy is 11-7 against Boise State in his 24-year career as a Division I head coach.
• Eustachy first faced the Broncos during his tenure at Idaho, leading the Vandals to a 5-3 record vs. BSU.
• As the head coach at Utah State, Eustachy posted a 4-2 mark against the Broncos.
• Since taking over the CSU program, Eustachy is 2-2 against the Broncos following the Rams' home win in the first matchup of the season on Dec. 31.
• Eustachy is 2-5 all-time in road games at Boise State.
A win over Boise State will...
• Give head coach Larry Eustachy his 61st win in his third season at CSU and the 463rd of his 24-year career.
• Move the Rams to 19-2, the best record in program history through 21 games, besting the old record of 18-3 set in 1997-98.
• Mark five consecutive wins overall for Colorado State since having its 14-game win streak to open the season snapped.
• Improve CSU's record against Boise State to 9-5 overall, and give the Rams an 4-3 mark against the Broncos since they joined the MW prior to the 2011-12 season.
• Move Larry Eustachy's record vs. Boise State to 12-7 overall with a 3-2 mark at Colorado State.
• Push the Rams to 14-9 under Larry Eustachy in games played in January.
• Give the Rams a 21-19 (.525) record under Larry Eustachy in games played away from Moby Arena.
Avila stands alone
• Entering Tuesday's game at Boise State, Colorado State senior forward J.J. Avila ranks as the only player in the Mountain West to rank in the top 10 in the league in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage, assists per game, steals per game.
• Avila ranks sixth in the league in scoring (15.7 ppg), third in rebounding (7.4 rpg), fifth in field-goal percentage (.565), ninth in assists per game (3.1) and second in steals (1.9 spg).
Top win percentages nationally
• At 18-2, entering Tuesday's game at Boise State, Colorado State ranks tied for fourth nationally in win percentage.
• The Rams are tied with Arizona, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame at 18-2 (.900).
• The Rams rank behind only 19-0 (1.000) Kentucky, 18-0 (1.000) Virginia, and 20-1 (.925) Gonzaga.
Rams in the rankings
• Colorado State men's basketball cracked the Top-25 rankings in both the Associated Press media poll and the USA Today Coaches poll when the Week 7 rankings were released on Dec. 22, and remained in both Top-25 polls when the Week 8 rankings were released on Dec. 29, before falling out in the Week 9 polls on Jan. 5.
• The Rams returned to the rankings in Week 12, coming in at No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• It marked the second time in three years under head coach Larry Eustachy that CSU has earned a top-25 rank.
• The Rams were last ranked for multiple weeks during their 26-9 season in 2012-13, coming in at No. 24/24 (AP/USA Today) on Feb. 11, and moving up to No. 22/21 when the polls were updated the following week.
• Overall it was the eighth week that the Rams have been ranked in the Associated Press poll. CSU was also ranked for four weeks during the 1953-54 season.
• With the Rams' football program earning national rankings this season, it marks the first year in school history that both programs achieved Top-25 accolades.
• Colorado State is one of 12 programs nationally - along with Arizona, Duke, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio State, Stanford, UCLA, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin - to rank in the Top 25 in 2014-15 in football, men's basketball and women's volleyball.
Rams' best start
• Colorado State's 14 wins to open a season without a loss established a new program record for best start.
• The Rams had previously started 6-0 on three occasions, first setting the mark in 1970-71 and matching it in 2005-06 and 2012-13, Larry Eustachy's first at the helm of the Rams' program.
• The Rams' current 18-2 mark is the best record in program history through 20 games, surpassing the 17-3 records set in 1997-98.
• Entering Tuesday's game at Boise State, CSU's best 21-game mark stands at 18-3, first set in 1997-98.
MW Players of the Week
• Colorado State has earned two Mountain West Player of the Week nods during the 2014-15 season.
• Senior G Daniel Bejarano grabbed his second-career MW Player of the Week honor on Nov. 24, leading CSU to wins over Georgia State and Mercer. Bejarano averaged 19.0 points, 6.0 boards, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in the Rams' wins. For the week, he shot 11-for-22 from the field, 6-for-9 from beyond the arc and 10-for-12 at the line.
• Senior F J.J. Avila earned the first MW weekly honor on Jan. 26, after posting a season-high 29 points to lead CSU to a 79-73 home win over San Diego State. Avila shot 12-for-16 from the field, including knocking down a season-high two three-pointers. He sealed the win with a drive and finish in the lane over JJ O'Brien and Malik Pope to give the Rams a 77-73 edge with 18 seconds remaining.
Looking ahead
• Colorado State (18-2, 5-2 MW), returns home to Fort Collins for a Saturday matchup with red hot Fresno State (10-10, 5-2), winners of five of their last six games.
• Tipoff between the Rams and Bulldogs is set for 4 p.m. MT at Moby Arena.
• The game will air across the Colorado State Radio Network, including flagship 105.5 FM ESPN, with Gary Miller (play-by-play) and Brian Roth (analyst) on the call.
• The contest will also be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network with Brent Stover (play-by-play) and Bob Wenzel (analyst) calling the action courtside.
• GameTracker live stats are available at CSURams.com.