Colorado State University Athletics
Game notes: Rams, Cowboys reignite Border War in Laramie
2/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| (RV/RV) Colorado State at (--/RV) Wyoming | Game 23 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 4, 2015 | 7 p.m. MT | Laramie, Wyo. | Arena-Auditorium (11,612) | |||||||||||||||||||
| COLORADO STATE RAMS | WYOMING COWBOYS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Record | 19-3, 6-3 MW | Record | 18-4, 7-2 MW | ||||||||||||||||
| Last Game | Jan. 31 vs. Fresno State (W, 80-57) | Last Game | Jan. 31 vs. Nevada (W, 63-55) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rank (AP | Coaches) | RV | RV | Rank (AP | Coaches) | -- | RV | ||||||||||||||||
| Head Coach | Larry Eustachy (Long Beach State, 1979) | Head Coach | Larry Shyatt (College of Wooster, 1973) | ||||||||||||||||
| > Overall Record | 463-286 (24th Season) | > Overall Record | 166-138 (10th Season) | ||||||||||||||||
| > Record at CSU | 61-28 (Third Season) | > Record at UW | 96-54 (Fifth Season) | ||||||||||||||||
| CSU STATISTICAL LEADERS | UW STATISTICAL LEADERS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Minutes/Game | J.J. Avila (32.4) | Minutes/Game | Riley Grabau (33.7) | ||||||||||||||||
| Points/Game | J.J. Avila (15.5) | Points/Game | Larry Nance Jr. (16.2) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds/Game | J.J. Avila (7.6) | Rebounds/Game | Larry Nance Jr. (7.0) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three-Pointers | Daniel Bejarano (38) | Three-Pointers | Riley Grabau (34) | ||||||||||||||||
| Assists | John Gillon (66) | Assists | Josh Adams (78) | ||||||||||||||||
| Blocks | Stanton Kidd (14) | Blocks | Larry Nance Jr. (23) | ||||||||||||||||
| Steals | J.J. Avila (41) | Steals | Josh Adams (33) | ||||||||||||||||
| Field-Goal % | Tiel Daniels (.623) | Field-Goal % | Derek Cooke Jr. (.745) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three-Point % | Stanton Kidd (.468) | Three-Point % | Josh McManamen (.378) | ||||||||||||||||
| Free-Throw % | Joe De Ciman (.865) | Free-Throw % | Riley Grabau (.947) | ||||||||||||||||
| TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON | BROADCAST INFORMATION | ||||||||||||||||||
| Category | CSU | UW | Video: Campus Insiders/MW Network | ||||||||||||||||
| Scoring Offense | 74.0 | 62.8 | Play-by-Play: Mike Evans | ||||||||||||||||
| Scoring Defense | 63.4 | 53.9 | Color Analyst: Andy Glockner | ||||||||||||||||
| Field-Goal % | .459 | .480 | > DirecTV: -- | ||||||||||||||||
| Opponent Field-Goal % | .418 | .401 | > Dish Network: -- | ||||||||||||||||
| Three-Point % | .376 | .323 | > Comcast: -- | ||||||||||||||||
| Opponent Three-Point % | .359 | .331 | > Streaming: CSURams.com/videos | ||||||||||||||||
| Free-Throw % | .677 | .726 | Audio: Colorado State Sports Network | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds/Game | 37.3 | 30.5 | Play-by-Play: Gary Miller | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebounding Margin | +6.8 | +2.3 | Color Analyst: Brian Roth | ||||||||||||||||
| Assist/Game | 15.4 | 14.9 | > Flagship: 105.5 FM ESPN | ||||||||||||||||
| Turnovers/Game | 11.0 | 11.6 | > Affiliates: 1580 AM KREL/1100 AM KNZZ | ||||||||||||||||
| Opponent Turnovers/Game | 12.2 | 11.5 | > Streaming: ESPNDenver.com | ||||||||||||||||
| Steals/Game | 5.2 | 5.9 | Live Stats: GameTracker | ||||||||||||||||
| Blocks/Game | 2.9 | 3.0 | > GoWyo.com | ||||||||||||||||
Game Notes 23 
Opening tip
• Colorado State (19-3, 6-3 MW), travels north to Laramie, Wyo., for the second installment of the "Border War" on Wednesday against MW-leading Wyoming. (18-4, 7-2).
• Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT at the Arena-Auditorium.
• 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 matchup will also be streamed live by Campus Insiders - with Mike Evans (play-by-play) and Andy Glockner (analyst) - on the Mountain West Network, which can be accessed free-of-charge at CSURams.com/videos, TheMW.com and CampusInsiders.com.
• GameTracker live stats are available at GoWyo.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 1,190-1,198 (.498) in 2,388 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 Feb. 1, the Rams are 29th in the NCAA RPI, second among MW members (25th, SDSU).
• The Rams' 19-3 record is the team's best through 22 games in program history. CSU's best 23-game mark stands at 19-4 entering Wednesday's game at Wyoming.
• 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 12 games in the season's first 22 contests with at least four players in double-figures scoring, including six games with five players notching 10+ points.
• Entering Wednesday'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 three such players in senior forwards J.J. Avila and Stanton Kidd, and senior guard Daniel Bejarano.
• At 19-3, Colorado State is tied for the ninth-best win percentage in the nation at 86.3 percent.
About Wyoming
• Wyoming, picked to finish sixth in the MW preseason poll, enters Wednesday's matchup against Colorado State in a tie with San Diego State atop the league standings with a 7-2 mark, one game ahead of the Rams.
• The Cowboys are 18-4 overall, having posted a 14-1 mark at home and a 4-3 road record.
• Wyoming has won three of its last four overall, and two consecutive at home, since suffering a 60-52 home loss to San Diego State on Jan. 14. Since the setback vs. the Aztecs, the Cowboys have defeated New Mexico (70-65, OT) and Nevada (63-55) in their most recent home games.
• The Cowboys entered the season returning return nine lettermen, including four starters, from the team that posted an 18-15 record last year, finished tied for fifth in the Mountain West with a 9-9 record, and lost in the quarterfinal round of the 2014 College Basketball Invitational.
• Wyoming is led by the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year in senior forward Larry Nance Jr., averaging team-best marks with 16.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while ranking 28th nationally in field-goal percentage (.554).
• Junior guard Josh Adams also averages double-figures scoring for the Cowboys at 11.5 points per game, while dishing out a team-leading 78 assists.
• As a team, the Cowboys rank eighth in the Mountain West with a scoring average of 62.8 points per game (282nd nationally) while ranking second in the league in scoring defense at 53.9 points per game (fourth nationally).
Series vs. Wyoming
• Saturday's matchup between Colorado State and Wyoming marks the 221st between the Rams and Cowboys.
• Colorado State is 88-132 in the all-time series (48-56 home, 37-73 away, 3-3 neutral), having won eight of the last 11 matchups since the 2009-10 season.
• The first matchup in the series - a 20-17 CSU win - was played during the 1910-11 season.
• Colorado State is 3-2 in its last five road games in the series. CSU lost the most recent matchup at the Arena-Auditorium, 83-75, in the regular-season finale on March 8, 2014.
• Since the formation of the Mountain West in 1999-2000, the Rams and Cowboys have faced off 34 times, with CSU going 16-18 in those matchups vs. UW, including a with a 9-7 mark in games played in Fort Collins, a 5-10 mark in Laramie, and an 2-1 mark on a neutral floor.
• UW beat CSU 60-54 in the first matchup of the season on Jan. 7 at Moby Arena, despite 23 points and seven rebounds from Rams' senior F J.J. Avila.
Eustachy vs. Wyoming
• Rams' head coach Larry Eustachy is 4-3 against Wyoming in his 24-year career as a Division I head coach.
• Eustachy first faced Wyoming during his tenure at Utah State, leading the Aggies to a 1-2 mark vs. the Cowboys.
• As the head coach at Colorado State, Eustachy is 3-2 vs. UW. The Rams swept the season series in 2012-13, and split 2013-14, each winning at home. The Cowboys captured the first leg of the series last month in Fort Collins.
• Against Wyoming, Eustachy is 2-1 in home games, 1-2 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site contests.
Next win is No. 20
• Colorado State enters Wednesday's game at Wyoming in search of win No. 20 on the year.
• It would mark the Rams' ninth 20-win campaign in program history, and the second in three seasons under Head Coach Larry Eustachy.
• Eustachy would join Boyd "Tiny" Grant and Stew Morrill as the only coaches in CSU's history to lead the Rams' to multiple 20-win campaigns.
• In the Rams' previous eight 20-win campaigns, the squad has advanced to the NCAA tournament six times, added one NIT berth, and missed the postseason one time. The Rams have never missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth in a year in which the team has recorded at least 21 victories (five times).
A win over Wyoming will...
• Give head coach Larry Eustachy his 62nd win in his third season at CSU and the 464th of his 24-year career.
• Move the Rams to 20-3, giving them the best record in program history through 23 games.
• Mark CSU's ninth 20-win campaign in school history, and the second in three seasons under Larry Eustachy.
• Pull the Rams even with the Cowboys in the MW standings (Co-leader San Diego State plays at Nevada).
• Give the Rams 9 wins away from Moby Arena. It would mark the CSU's seventh season all-time with at least nine wins road/neutral-court wins.
• Improve CSU's record against Wyoming to 89-132 overall, and give the Rams a 17-18 mark against the Cowboys since the formation of the MW in 1999-2000.
• Move Larry Eustachy's record vs. Wyoming to 5-3 overall with a 4-2 mark at Colorado State.
• Push the Rams to 9-7 under Larry Eustachy in games played in February.
• Give the Rams a 21-20 (.512) record under Larry Eustachy in games played away from Moby Arena.
Avila stands alone
• Entering Wednesday's game at Wyoming, Colorado State senior forward J.J. Avila is 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 and steals per game.
• Avila ranks fifth in the league in scoring (15.5 ppg), third in rebounding (7.6 rpg), sixth in field-goal percentage (.549), seventh in assists per game (3.1) and second in steals (2.0 spg).
Top win percentages nationally
• At 19-3, entering Wednesday's game at Wyoming, the Rams rank ninth nationally in win percentage.
• The following is a look at the top records in the nation:
Team (Record) - Next Game
1. Kentucky (21-0) - 2/3 vs. Georgia
2. Gonzaga (22-1) - 2/5 at Santa Clara
3. Virginia (20-1) - 2/7 vs. Louisville
T4. Northern Iowa (20-2) - 2/3 at Indiana State
T4. Arizona (20-2) - 2/7 at Arizona State
T6. Villanova (19-2) - 2/4 vs. Marquette
T6. Wisconsin (19-2) - 2/3 vs. Indiana
8. Notre Dame (20-3) - 2/4 vs. Boston College
T9. Colorado State (19-3) - 2/4 at Wyoming
T9. Wichita State (19-3) - 2/4 at Bradley
Road success
• Entering Wednesday's game at Wyoming, CSU is 8-2 away from Moby Arena this season (road/neutral games).
• The Rams have finished .500 or better away from Moby Arena 16 times in program history.
• The Rams' best single-season winning percentage in road/neutral games is .667 (10-5 in 1962-63).
• CSU's single-season record for wins away from home sits at 12, set during the 1988-89 season.
Closing in on 1,000
• Colorado State senior duo of Daniel Bejarano and J.J. Avila are both on pace to finish their CSU careers with more than 1,000 career points.
• Currently, only 21 players in CSU history have accomplished the feat.
• Bejarano enters Wednesday's game at Wyoming with 972 points in a CSU uniform. Including his freshman season at Arizona, he has notched 978 point at the Division I level.
• Avila enters Wednesday's game at Wyoming with 858 points in two seasons at CSU. Including his freshman and sophomore campaigns at Navy, Avila has tallied 1,549 points at the Divsion I level.
Bejarano approaching 1,000/600 club
• Senior guard Daniel Bejarano, who became just the 14th player in CSU annals with 600-career rebounds (Jan. 31 vs. Fresno State), is also on pace to become the 22nd player in program history to score 1,000 points.
• He would become just the seventh player in program history to score 1,000 points and pull down 600 rebounds, and the first since Andy Ogide (2009-11).
• The following is a look at the members of this elite club, and where they rank in scoring and rebounding in CSU history:
> Name (Year) - Points (Rank) / Rebs (Rank)
> Bill Green (1961-63) - 1,682 (2) / 726 (6)
> Rich Strong (1983-86) - 1,555 (4) / 805 (2)
> Pat Durham (1986-89) - 1,980 (1) / 851 (1)
> Brian Greene (2000-03) - 1,259 (11) / 669 (8)
> Jason Smith (2005-07) - 1,281 (10) / 683 (7)
> Andy Ogide (2009-11) - 1,229 (13) / 627 (12)
Looking ahead
• Colorado State (19-3, 6-3 MW), returns home to Fort Collins, Colo., to host the UNLV Runnin' Rebels (13-9, 4-5 MW) on Saturday in the Rams' annual "Orange Out" game.
• Tipoff between the Rams and Runnin' Rebels is set for 2 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 Carter Blackburn (play-by-play) and Pete Gillen (analyst) calling the action courtside.
• GameTracker live stats are available at CSURams.com.
