Colorado State University Athletics
Game notes: Rams host Jackrabbits in NIT opener
3/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| (1) Colorado State vs. (8) South Dakota State | Game 34 | NIT First Round | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 18, 2015 | 8 p.m. MT | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena (8,745) | |||||||||||||||||||
| COLORADO STATE RAMS | SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Record | 27-6, 13-5 MW | Record | 23-10, 12-4 Summit League | ||||||||||||||||
| Last Game | March 13 vs. San Diego State (L, 56-43) | Last Game | March 10 vs. North Dakota State (L, 57-56) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rank (AP | Coaches) | -- | -- | Rank (AP | Coaches) | -- | -- | ||||||||||||||||
| Head Coach | Larry Eustachy (Long Beach State, 1979) | Head Coach | Scott Nagy (Delta State, 1988) | ||||||||||||||||
| > Overall Record | 471-289 (24th Season) | > Overall Record | 383-231 (20th Season) | ||||||||||||||||
| > Record at CSU | 69-31 (Third Season) | > Record at SDSU | 383-231 (20th Season) | ||||||||||||||||
| CSU STATISTICAL LEADERS | SDSU STATISTICAL LEADERS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Minutes/Game | J.J. Avila (32.1) | Minutes/Game | George Marshall (34.4) | ||||||||||||||||
| Points/Game | J.J. Avila (16.6) | Points/Game | Deondre Parks (14.1) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds/Game | J.J. Avila (7.3) | Rebounds/Game | Cody Larson (7.1) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three-Pointers | Daniel Bejarano (62) | Three-Pointers | Deondre Parks (64) | ||||||||||||||||
| Assists | John Gillon (109) | Assists | Jake Bittle (90) | ||||||||||||||||
| Blocks | Stanton Kidd (28) | Blocks | Cody Larson (35) | ||||||||||||||||
| Steals | J.J. Avila (61) | Steals | Jake Bittle (40) | ||||||||||||||||
| Field-Goal % | Tiel Daniels (.618) | Field-Goal % | Jake Bittle (.545) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three-Point % | John Gillon (.407) | Three-Point % | Reed Tellinghuisen (.414) | ||||||||||||||||
| Free-Throw % | Joe De Ciman (.857) | Free-Throw % | Jake Bittle (.833) | ||||||||||||||||
| TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON | BROADCAST INFORMATION | ||||||||||||||||||
| Category | CSU | SDSU | Video: ESPNU | ||||||||||||||||
| Scoring Offense | 72.1 | 73.0 | Play-by-Play: Mitch Holthus | ||||||||||||||||
| Scoring Defense | 63.5 | 63.9 | Color Analyst: Sean Harrington | ||||||||||||||||
| Field-Goal % | .441 | .455 | > DirecTV: 221 (HD) | ||||||||||||||||
| Opponent Field-Goal % | .421 | .404 | > Dish Network: 152 (HD) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three-Point % | .355 | .378 | > Comcast Digital: 412 | 846 (HD) | ||||||||||||||||
| Opponent Three-Point % | .361 | .332 | > Streaming: WatchESPN.com | ||||||||||||||||
| Free-Throw % | .679 | .709 | Audio: Colorado State Sports Network | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds/Game | 37.6 | 35.8 | Play-by-Play: Gary Miller | ||||||||||||||||
| Rebounding Margin | 6.0 | 2.2 | Color Analyst: Brian Roth | ||||||||||||||||
| Assist/Game | 14.7 | 12.0 | > Flagship: 105.5 FM ESPN | ||||||||||||||||
| Turnovers/Game | 10.7 | 11.6 | > Affiliates: 1580 AM KREL/1100 AM KNZZ | ||||||||||||||||
| Opponent Turnovers/Game | 12.1 | 12.4 | > Streaming: -- | ||||||||||||||||
| Steals/Game | 5.6 | 5.5 | Live Stats: GameTracker | ||||||||||||||||
| Blocks/Game | 3.3 | 3.8 | > | ||||||||||||||||
Game Notes 34 (PDF)
| NIT Bracket
Opening tip
• No. 1 seed Colorado State (27-5) hosts No. 8 seed South Dakota State (23-10) on Wednesday in the first round of the 2015 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
• Tipoff between the Rams and Jackrabbits is set for 8 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 live on ESPNU with Mitch Holthus (play-by-play) and Sean Harrington (analyst).
• GameTracker live stats are available at CSURams.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 1,198-1,200 (.499) in 2,398 games.
• CSU is 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 making its fifth postseason appearance in six years.
• CSU's NIT berth marks its first since 2011, its seventh overall in program history, and its first under Larry Eustachy.
• 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.
• Through games played March 15, the Rams are 29th in the NCAA RPI, second among MW members behind San Diego State (26th) and ahead of Boise State (40th).
• CSU's 2014-15 schedule was rated among the toughest in the Mountain West. Based on last season's final RPI rankings for Division I opponents. The Rams closed non-conference play with an NCAA RPI of 9.
• The Rams' 27-6 record is the best through 33 games in program history, and establishes a program record for most wins in a season. CSU's best 34-game mark stands at 26-8 in 2012-13.
• CSU's 14 consecutive wins to open the 2014-15 season, ranked as the longest win streak in program history.
• Prior to CSU's first loss of the year, Jan. 3 at New Mexico, the Rams were one of four remaining unbeatens in the country.
• CSU features a balanced scoring attack, with the Rams posting 15 games this season with at least four players in double-figures scoring, including six games with five players notching 10 points.
• Entering play this week, CSU senior F J.J. Avila ranks as the only player in the nation to average better than 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting better than 55 percent from the field.
• At 27-6, Colorado State ranks 15th nationally with a win percentage of 81.8 percent.
About South Dakota State
• South Dakota State, an automatic qualifier as the regular-season winner of the Summit League, its fifth consecutive postseason appearance and its first in the NIT.
• The Jackrabbits enter Wednesday's NIT opener with an overall record of 23-10, having lost to North Dakota State (57-56) in the Summit League Championship game on March 10.
• SDSU posted a 13-0 home record at Frost Arena in 2014-15, while going 6-8 on the road and 4-2 in neutral-court contests.
• Prior to SDSU's loss to NDSU in the Summit League Championship, the Jacks had been one of the nation's hottest teams as winners of 14 of 16 contests dating back to an 0-2 start to league play which included a 76-69 loss at Denver (Jan. 2).
• SDSU is led offensively by a trio of double-digit scorers in junior guard Deondre Parks (14.1 ppg), a first-team All-Summit League selection, senior forward Cody Larson (14.0 ppg), a transfer from Florida, and junior guard George Marshall (13.0 ppg), a transfer from Wisconsin.
• Larson also leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 7.1 rebounds per contest.
• As a team, the Jackrabbits rank 45th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 72.9 points per contest, while allowing just 63.9 points per game (105th nationally), just five spots ahead of the Rams nationally in terms of scoring margin at 9.0 points per game (32nd).
• Head coach Scott Nagy is in his 20th season as a head coach, all at South Dakota State where he has compiled a 383-231 record with NCAA tournament runs in 2012 and 2013.
Series vs. South Dakota State
• Wednesday's NIT first-round matchup between Colorado State and South Dakota State marks the first in the history of the two programs.
Rams vs. the Summit League
• All-time, Colorado State is 103-71 against the current nine-team membership of the Summit League, with 161 of 174 matchups coming against in-state rival Denver, which joined the league prior to the 2013-14 season.
• The Rams are 93-68 vs. DU, 2-0 vs. IPFW, 1-1 vs. IUPUI, 2-1 vs. North Dakota State, 2-0 vs. Omaha and 3-1 vs. Oral Roberts.
• CSU has never faced South Dakota, South Dakota State or Western Illinois.
Eustachy vs. South Dakota State
• Rams' coach Larry Eustachy is has never faced South Dakota State in his 24-year head coaching career.
A win over South Dakota State will...
• Give Larry Eustachy his 70th win in three seasons at CSU and the 472nd of his 24-year career. His 69 victories is already the most in any three-year stretch by a coach in program history.
• Move the Rams to 28-6, extending the program-best record through 34 games, which stands at 26-8 (2012-13).
• Extend CSU's program record for victories in a season with 28. The Rams were 26-9 in 2012-13, Eustachy's first at CSU.
• Give Colorado State and head coach Larry Eustachy a 1-0 mark all-time against the Jackrabbits.
• Push the Rams to 9-6 under Eustachy in March games.
• Give the Rams eight consecutive home wins overall and 10 straight over non-conference opponents at Moby Arena dating back to 2013-14 vs. DU (L, 80-70).
• Give the team a 16-1 mark this year at Moby Arena, tying the program-record for best home record with the 2012-13 Rams that finished 16-1 in the regular-season.
• Give the Rams a 46-8 (.851) record at Moby Arena under head coach Larry Eustachy, and push CSU's all-time record at Moby to 513-206 (.713).
• Advance CSU to the second round of the 2015 NIT where they will await the Round 1 matchup between No. 4 St. Mary's and No. 5 Vanderbilt which tips at 6 p.m. PT Wednesday in Moraga, Calif.
Rams' NIT history
• The 2015 National Invitation Tournament marks the eighth appearance in the tournament for the Rams.
• CSU is 6-7 in its previous seven trips to the NIT.
• CSU last appeared in the NIT in 2011, losing to Fairfield (62-60) at Moby Arena.
• The Rams' last win in an NIT came in 1999 when the team captured a first- and second-round home wins over Mississippi State (69-56) and rival Colorado (86-76), before falling at Cal (71-62) in the quarterfinals.
• CSU's best NIT run came during the 1988 season when the Rams finished third overall by advancing New York City with home wins over New Orleans (63-54), Houston (71-61) and Arkansas State (64-49), before a loss to Ohio State (62-60) in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The Rams closed the tournament with a 58-57 win at MSG over Boston College in the consolation game.
• The Rams first competed in the tournament in 1961, falling to St. Louis (59-5) in a game played in New York. The Rams made a return trip the following year where they lost to Holy Cross (72-71) in a game also played in the "Big Apple."
Avila stands alone
• Entering play this week, CSU senior forward J.J. Avila ranks as the only player in the nation to average better than 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting better than 55 percent from the floor.
• Avila enters the NIT with averages of 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting 55.9 percent.
• Perhaps the closest player nationally to Avila's overall production in each of those areas is national player of the year contender Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin who averages 18.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 55.3 percent. However, Kaminsky falls short of Avila with an average of just 0.9 steals per game.
20-win seasons
• Colorado State's 83-82 win over UNLV on Feb. 7 gave the Rams 20 wins for the 2014-15 season.
• It marks the CSU program's ninth 20-win season, and the second in three years under head coach Larry Eustachy.
• Eustachy joins Boyd Grant and Stew Morrill as the only coaches in CSU's history with multiple 20-win campaigns.
Moby Arena homecourt advantage
• CSU closed the 2014-15 regular season with a record of 512-206 (.713) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• The Rams are 45-8 (.849) under Larry Eustachy in games played at Moby Arena.
• At 15-1 this season at Moby, it marks the third time in program history that CSU has won at least 15 home games.
• The Rams finished the regular-season one win shy of the best home mark in program history (16-1 in 2012-13). CSU went 15-2 at Moby in 1987-88.
• The Rams have won seven consecutive home games through the end of the regular-season.
Back to the postseason
• Colorado State's selection for the 2015 NIT marks a return to the postseason after missing out in 2013-14.
• The Rams will play in the postseason of their fifth time in six seasons, having also qualified for the 2010 CBI, the 2011 NIT and back-to-back NCAA tournaments in 2012 and 2013.
• The Rams' return to the postseason matches the best stretch in program history. The squad qualified in four postseason tourneys in five years between 1960-61 and 1965-66.
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 CSU.
• The Rams' current 27-6 mark is the best in program history through 33 games, eclipsing the 25-8 set in 2012-13.
• Entering Wednesday's NIT opener vs. South Dakota State, CSU's best 34-game mark stands at 26-8 in 2012-13, Eustachy's first at the helm of the Rams' program.
Moby Arena win streaks
• Entering Wednesday's NIT opener vs. South Dakota State, CSU has won seven consecutive contests at Moby Arena.
• Colorado State's loss to Wyoming on Jan. 7, snapped the Rams' 10-game Moby Arena win streak.
• The Rams' 10-game run marked the ninth home win streak of at least 10 games since the team began playing in Moby Arena in January of 1966.
• The longest win streak in program history, a 27-game run, occurred between 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Looking ahead
• With a win Colorado State (27-6) would advance to the second round of the NIT where it would play host to either fourth-seeded St. Mary's (21-9) or fifth-seeded Vanderbilt (19-13). Second-round games will take place between March 20-23.
