CSU Concludes Road Trip At New Mexico State, Nov. 22

2017-18 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #5 - Colorado State (2-2) at New Mexico State (2-1)
November 22, 2017 • 7 p.m. MT • Pan American Center - Las Cruces, N.M.

Video: FOX Sports Arizona PLUS (DISH: SD – 450, HD – 9573 | DISH Hopper: 412-38 | DTV: 686-2) & FOX College Sports Pacific (DTV: 608 | DISH: 454 | Comcast – 264) with video streaming (pay-per-view) on nmstatesports.com/watch
Colorado State Sports Network -- Play-by-Play: Brian Roth / Color Analyst: Adam Nigon
Flagship: KARS 102.9 FM (Fort Collins); Affiliates: KDCO 104.7 FM (Denver), KMTS 99.1 FM (Glenwood Springs), KJME 890 AM (Colorado Springs), KKVT 100.7 FM (Grand Junction), KRFD 100.1 FM (Sterling)

Opening Tip
• Colorado State will wrap up a three-game road swing with tonight's game at New Mexico State on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. MT.
• The contest between the Rams and Aggies will be televised on FOX Sports Arizona PLUS (DISH: SD – 450, HD – 9573 | DISH Hopper: 412-38 | DTV: 686-2) & FOX College Sports Pacific (DTV: 608 | DISH: 454 | Comcast – 264) with video streaming (pay-per-view) on nmstatesports.com/watch.
• Live audio is available on the Colorado State Sports Network, including KARS 102.9 FM (flagship). Brian Roth is on the play-by-play for the Rams, with Adam Nigon handling the analysis.
• The game will also have live audio on CSURams.com in partnership with SIDEARM Sports and live stats on CSURams.com.

Rams Quick Hits
• The 2017-18 season marks the 116th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,242-1,233 (.502) in 2,475 games all-time.
• Colorado State is under the direction of coaching veteran Larry Eustachy, who is starting his sixth season as the leader of the Rams' program and his 27th as a Division I head coach in 2017-18. Last season, Eustachy reached the 500-win plateau in his coaching career and the 100-victory mark at CSU along with being named the Mountain West Coach of the Year.
• Colorado State basketball is looking for its eighth invitation for postseason play in the last nine years, advancing to the second round of the 2017 National Invitation Tournament.
• CSU lost two of last year's five starters, including Mountain West Player of the Year Gian Clavell and First Team All-MW forward Emmanuel Omogbo, who set a new record for double-doubles in league play in 2016-17.
• Overall, the Rams return three players with significant starting experience in redshirt-junior J.D. Paige, junior Prentiss Nixon and redshirt-sophomore Nico Carvacho. Nixon, an honorable mention All-MW pick by the media last year, averaged 13.2 points per game, while Paige was at 8.8 points and a team-best 2.5 assists per game. Carvacho posted 5.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, ranking third on the team in boards.
• For broadcasting quick hits, current averages and career highs on individual players, go to the back page of the notes for a Radio/TV chart that includes that information.

The Coaches
• Colorado State Head Coach Larry Eustachy (Long Beach State, '79) starts his sixth season at the helm of the Rams and holds a 113-62 (.645) record at CSU and 515-320 (.617) overall coaching record in his 27th season. In 2016-17, CSU posted an 24-12 mark, including 13-4 in Mountain West play, advanced to the MW Championship game and played in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
• New Mexico State Head Coach Chris Jans (Loras College, '91) is in his first season coaching the Aggies with a 2-1 record and second as a head coach overall, holding a 23-13 mark.

Scouting New Mexico State
• The Aggies are 2-1 after defeating in-state rival New Mexico at home, 75-56, Nov. 17.
• Picked to finish second out of eight teams in both the coaches' and media Western Athletic Conference preseason poll, New Mexico State returns two starters and five letterwinners from last year's 28-6 team that won the WAC title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
• This season, the Aggies are led by Zach Lofton, averaging 23.7 points per game, while Jemerrio Jones is grabbing a team-high 15.0 boards a game in a team-best 28.7 minutes a contest. Redshirt junior forward Eli Chuha earned WAC Preseason First-Team All-WAC honors on both polls after averaging 12.4 points and 8.9 boards last year.

A Win Over New Mexico State Will...
• Snap a two-game losing skid for CSU
• Improve the Rams' record against current members of the Western Athletic Conference to 17-7, including 4-5 at neutral sites.
• Give Larry Eustachy his 114th win in five-plus seasons at CSU and the 516th of his 27-year career as a head coach.
• Improve Eustachy to 12-4 all-time against New Mexico State and 20-5 in contests against teams currently in the Western Athletic Conference.

Series With the Aggies
• The two teams have met on the basketball floor, with CSU having taken five of the six previous meetings, including the last three with last year's in Fort Collins. The two teams last met in Las Cruces during the 2014-15 season, with Colorado State escaping from Las Cruces with a 58-57 overtime victory. CSU head coach Larry Eustachy is 3-0 versus NMSU as head coach of the Rams and 11-4 against the Aggies all-time as a head coach.
• An interesting side note is that the two teams each met in the significant starting games in their current arenas, as the teams played in the first game at CSU's Moby Arena as well as the Pan American Center Dedication Tournament here the year the building opened in Las Cruces.
NEW MEXICO STATE - 5-1
Home: 4-0 / Away: 1-1
    Date              Loc.       W/L      Score           Att.
** 1/24/1966       Home       W       109-70
    12/9/1966       Home       W       63-55
# 11/30/1968       Away        L       89-95
% 11/30/2013      Home       W       85-83        3693
    12/27/2014      Away      W-ot      58-57        5589
    11/13/2016       Home       W        64-61        2264
** First game at CSU Audtiorium/Moby Arena
# Pan American Center Dedication Tournament. (Las Cruces, N.M.)
% Colorado State Challenge (Fort Collins, Colo.)

History with the WAC
• An original founding member of the Western Athletic Conference and member until 1999, CSU has played 23 games in its history against current members of league, going 16-7 overall. However, the Rams are just 3-5 in road games against the current conference teams.
• Head Coach Larry Eustachy is 19-5 all-time against current WAC teams.

Rams vs. Western Athletic Conference
School                      Overall      H         A         N
Cal State Bakersfield   1-1         1-1         -          -
Chicago State              1-0        1-0        -          -
New Mexico State       5-1       4-0       1-1         -
Seattle                        3-5       3-1      0-4        -
UT Rio Grande Valley 6-0       4-0      2-0        -
Totals                        16-7     13-2     3-5        -

Eustachy vs. WAC
School                      Overall      H         A         N
Cal St Bakersfield          2-1        2-1       0-0      0-0
Chicago State               1-0        1-0      0-0      0-0
Idaho                           4-0       2-0      2-0      0-0
New Mexico St.            11-4       7-1       3-3       1-0
Seattle                         1-0        1-0      0-0      0-0
Totals                         19-5      13-2     5-3       1-0

Eustachy Among the Elite
• CSU head coach Larry Eustachy has ranked among the best coaches in his sport for nearly two and a half decades. Now in his 27th season as a mentor at the NCAA Division I level, he got his 500th career win against Air Force in conference play last year, becoming the 62nd Division I head coach (solely counting wins at the Division I level) to ever reach that milestone.
• His 514 wins ranks 15th among active NCAA Division I coaches (same standard) and is No. 57 all-time (list below)
Current Rankings of Division I Wins for Head Coaches
55. Rick Majerus (four schools)                           517
56. John Chaney (Temple)                                516
57.   Larry Eustachy (current CSU)                      515
58. Don DeVoe (five schools)                            512
59. Jay Wright (current Villanova)                      511
      John Beilein (current Michigan)                    511
61.   Nolan Richardson (Tulsa, Arkansas)               509
62. Hec Edmundson (Idaho, Washington)            508
63. Mark Few (current Gonzaga)                      505
64. Harold Anderson (Toledo, Bowling Green)      504
65. Billy Donovan (Marshall, Florida)                   502

• In his first season as the top man of the Rams' program, Eustachy became the only head coach in NCAA Division I history to lead five different programs - CSU, Southern Miss, Iowa State, Utah State and Idaho - to 24 or more wins in a season.
• With a career record of 515-319 (.618), Eustachy ranks as one of just 75 head coaches (out of 351 Division I programs) to have a .600 or better win percentage with a minimum of five years experience. He enters the season tied for 57th on the list, and is one of just 32 coaches in the ranking with at least 20 years of Division I experience.

Moving Up the CSU Coaching Ranks
• CSU head coach Larry Eustachy continues to move up the record chart for the Rams in victories.
• Already starting the season with the highest winning percentage among coaches with at least four years at the school, Eustachy reached the 100-win plateau at CSU faster than any other coach in school history and passed Dale Layer (103, 2001-07) for third during the 2016-17 campaign.
• Three of his teams have the three-highest single-season win totals in program history with 27 (2014-15), 26 (2012-13) and adding 24 victories last season.
Rk Name                          Yrs Gms Won Lost   Pct.
1.    Jim Williams (1955-80)      26   645   352   293   .546
2.   Stew Morrill (1992-98)       7    207    121    86    .585
3.   Larry Eustachy (2012-17)   6    175    113    62   .646
4.   Dale Layer (2001-07)         7    209    103   106   .493
5.   Boyd Grant (1988-91)         4     127     81     46    .638

Eustachy Versus Non-Conference Opponent Leagues
Conference                                     Record
American Athletic Conference              46-48
Atlantic Coast Conference                     1-7
Big Sky Conference                            49-15
Big South Conference                          4-0
Big West Conference                          30-15
Missouri Valley Conference                   11-12
Pac-12 Conference                             14-18
Southeastern Conference                     17-16
Southland Conference                         17-5
Sun Belt Conference                           12-4
Western Athletic Conference                 19-5
Division II/Other                                 63-2
Totals                                            283-147

Eustachy vs. This Year's Non-Conference Opponents
                          Overall     Home     Road   Neutral
Arkansas                  1-1         0-0         0-1        1-0
Arkansas-Fort Smith   3-0         3-0        0-0       0-0
Colorado                 8-8         5-2        3-5       0-1
Florida State             0-2         0-0         0-1        0-1
Long Beach State      5-7         3-2        0-5       2-0
Missouri State           1-1         0-0         0-1        1-0
New Mexico St.         11-4         7-1         3-3       1-0
Northwestern State           First Meeting
Oregon                   0-1         0-0         0-1       0-0
Sacramento State      4-0         2-0        2-0       0-0
Texas State                     First Meeting
Tulane                    11-6         5-2        4-3       2-1
Winthrop                 1-0          1-0        0-0      0-0
Totals                   45-30      26-7      12-20     7-3

CSU All-Time Vs. 2017-18 Opponents
                          Overall      Home      Road     Neutral
Air Force                78-31        42-10      32-17       4-4
Arkansas                         First Meeting
Arkansas-Fort Smith   3-0          3-0          -           -
Boise State              10-9          8-2         1-7         1-0
Colorado               37-89       27-36      9-53        1-0
Florida State             0-2            -            -          0-2
Fresno State           17-15        13-2        2-11        2-2
Long Beach State      2-2           1-1          1-1          -
Missouri State           1-0            -            -          1-0
Nevada                  9-10          5-2         4-7         0-1
New Mexico           46-75       33-25      12-48       1-2
New Mexico State      5-1          4-0         1-1          -
Northwestern State    2-0          1-0         1-0          -
Oregon                   1-8           0-1         0-4         1-3
Sacramento State      5-0          4-0         1-0          -
San Diego State       41-40        26-11      13-25       2-4
San Jose State         15-0          7-0         6-0        2-0
Texas State              1-0           1-0           -           -
Tulane                    0-1            -            -          0-1
UNLV                    16-37        11-14       5-22        0-1
Utah State              38-53       28-18      10-34       0-1
Winthrop                 1-0           1-0         0-0        0-0
Wyoming              92-134       51-55      38-75      3-4
Totals                 420-507   266-177 136-305   18-25

Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 119-159 (.428) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.
• Head coach Larry Eustachy is 52-36 (.591) in MW regular-season action in his time at Colorado State and 58-41 including tournament games.

Coaches Shows Back at Lucky Joe's
• The Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show is back again, hosted at Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon in Old Town Fort Collins. The show starts at 6 pm with women's coach Ryun Williams, followed by men's coach Larry Eustachy for the second half-hour. Remaining dates of the shows are:
• December: Monday, Dec. 11 and Wednesday, Dec. 20
• January: Mondays, Jan. 8, 15, 22 & 29
• February: Thursday, Feb. 8 and Mondays, Feb. 12 & 19
• March: Thursday, March 1

Last Time Out...
• Colorado State got off to a slow start it couldn't overcome in dropping an 80-53 decision to Tulane in the opening Montego Bay game of the 2017 Jamaica Classic, Nov. 17. With the loss, the Rams fall to 2-1 on the year, while the Green Wave improved to 3-0.
• Tulane scored the first nine points of the contest and quickly built a 17-2 lead seven minutes into the game, as the Rams made just one of their first 17 field-goal attempts. The Green Wave built a 23-point cushion by halftime at 37-14 and extended it to as many as 28 in the second half. The Rams did get within 15 during the final 20 minutes but could get no closer.
• CSU shot just 35.5 percent (22-of-62) for the game, including 21.9 percent (7-of-32) in the first half. Tulane shot 50.0 percent in both halves, finishing the game at 27-of-54. The Green Wave was 48.0 percent (12-of-25) from the three-point line, while the Rams were just 19.0 percent (4-of-21). Tulane won the boards 36-35 and converted 15 CSU turnovers into 15 points.
• Senior guard Che Bob was the only Ram in double figures with 15 points and nine rebounds, with all 15 points coming in the second half. Cameron Reynolds led Tulane with 25 points, while Melvin Frazier added 23, as the duo combined to shoot 16-of-22 from the floor and 7-of-12 beyond the three-point arc.
(See page 18 for complete box score)

Last Year's Meeting With the Aggies...
• The Colorado State Rams improved to 1-0 on the season with a 64-61 win over the New Mexico State Aggies in Moby Arena. The win improves the Rams to 5-0 in season openers under Head Coach Larry Eustachy, and 5-1 all time against New Mexico State.
• The Rams, who trailed almost the entirety of the first half, emerged from the break playing much more physical basketball, leading for all but four minutes of the second half. Despite the Rams holding a 10-point lead with just 3:29 remaining, the game came down to a last-second three by the Aggies, which struck off the back iron as the clock expired.
• Five Rams made their Division I debuts on Sunday, including sophomore forward Braden Koelliker who led the Rams with 21 points and nine rebounds in a team-high 36 minutes. Junior forward Che Bob scored 11 points and pulled in eight boards, and freshman guard Anthony Bonner made the Rams' lone three-point basket of the day. Junior guard Devocio Butler recorded four points, five rebounds and an assist, and freshman center Nico Carvacho logged two points and two boards.
• Despite shooting just 33.3% (19-57) from the floor in the game, including 1-of-14 from deep, the Rams' ability to get to the free throw line and convert ultimately fueled them past the Aggies. Colorado State made 25-of-31 free throws, compared to 11-of-14 from New Mexico State. As is signature of the Rams under Eustachy, Colorado State outrebounded the Aggies 47-35 including 20 offensive boards which resulted in a 16-2 advantage in second-chance points.
(See page 19 for complete box score)

Returning/Lost...By the Numbers
• The Rams added several key newcomers for 2017-18 as Colorado State looked to fill some gaps from last year's production on the floor.
• Here is a quick look at what the Rams returned in major statistical categories:
Category                Total (R/L)                   % Returning
> Scoring               2611 (1255 / 1356)                 48.1%
> Rebounding         1293 (518 / 775)                    40.1%
> Assists                397 (235 / 162)                    59.2%
> Blocks                 123 (62 / 61)                        50.4%
> Steals                 218 (98 / 120)                      45.0%
> Minutes               7200 (3941 / 3259)               54.7%

Roster Size
• CSU will have 11 players available for action during the 2017-18 season. Of those, eight were part of the program last season, with six having played, with two newcomers to the lineup.
• Senior Che Bob and juniors J.D. Paige and Prentiss Nixon will be looked at to lead the squad. Redshirt-sophomores Nico Carvacho and Anthony Bonner also saw extensive action last year. Redshirt-sophomore Juan Sabino II came in at midseason and played limited minutes in 2016-17.
• Redshirt-junior Robbie Berwick and redshirt-sophomore Lorenzo Jenkins will see their first playing time at Colorado State. Transfers junior Deion James and redshirt-sophomore Raquan Mitchell as well as freshman Logan Ryan join the program and are expected to contribute.

Newcomers
• Robbie Berwick and Lorenzo Jenkins saw their first action for the Rams against Sacramento State after sitting out last year due to NCAA D-I transfer rules. Transfers Raquan Mitchell and Deion James also saw their first playing time at Colorado State against the Hornets, while true freshman Logan Ryan got his first collegiate playing time in the home win over Winthrop.

Road Improvements
• Last season, CSU picked up its fifth straight MW road win and sixth in conference play at New Mexico, Feb. 21, a streak snapped at Nevada March 4, but the Rams finished 9-6 in games away from home in 2016-17.
• The Rams won five straight MW road games for the first time ever under head coach Larry Eustachy and for the second time in school history.
• The only other time CSU won five consecutive conference road games occurred over the last four games of the 1988-89 and first game of the 1989-90 season in the WAC.
• Under Eustachy, CSU is 26-34 (.433) on the road, above the national average of 32.4 percent.
• For comparison in 2015-16, the Rams were 6-11 in games away from Moby Arena.

It's TV Time For the Rams
• All but one of Colorado State's home conference games will be available via network broadcasts, with 15 of 18 MW handled by major partners. Of the 21 games during the entire season being available on television channels this year, 10 are on CBS Sports Network, four on AT&T SportsNet (formerly ROOT Sports), six on the ESPN family of networks and one on the Pac-12 Network.
• Both games of the Jamaica Classic played in Montego Bay will be on CBS Sports Network, as CSU takes on Tulane (Nov. 17) and Florida State (Nov. 19).
• The Rams will first make a home national TV appearance on Saturday, Dec. 2, as the in-state rivalry game with Colorado will be televised on AT&T SportsNet at 11 a.m., the first part of a two-game doubleheader with the CSU women's team hosting BYU at 2 p.m.
• CSU starts conference action on the road at Boise State Dec. 27, with the game televised on CBS Sports Network at 7:30 p.m. MT.
• The selection of games by the Mountain West's television partners shifted two of the Rams' league games to Tuesday nights, including San Diego State (CBS Sports Network on Jan. 2) and at Air Force (AT&T Sportsnet on Feb. 6). Additionally, the game at New Mexico on Jan. 27 is an ESPN Netflex game, where the game will be televised on ESPNU or ESPN3.

Rebounding Emphasis Noted
• Head coach Larry Eustachy makes rebounding one of his top priorities in all practices and games and it shows in his record, as CSU is 96-30 under the leader when winning the glass.
• The Rams won the battle of the boards in 22 of their 36 games last season, going 19-3 in those contests.
• Colorado State was +2.6 on the glass in its 36 games with at least one player with a double-figure rebounding total in 26 of 36 games.
• Last season, CSU finished third in the Mountain West and at 38.2 rebounds per game as well as second in the MW a +2.7 rebounding margin.

Adjusting Over the Halftime Break
• CSU made good adjustments on both ends of the floor during the halftime intermission last season.
• In 27 of 36 games in 2016-17, the Rams improved their shooting from the floor, percentage wise, from the first half to the second half. Combined, CSU has shot 40.3 percent (431-of-1070) in the first half as compared to 44.8 percent (448-of-1000) in the second half. When improving, the Rams were 19-8.
• Defensive adjustments were also evident, as opponents shot a lower percentage from first to second half from the field in 21 of the 36 games (CSU 14-7 in those contests).
• The totals definitely translated to the scoreboard, as CSU, as the Rams average scoring +0.5 compared to opponents in the opening half but improve to +4.1 in the second half.
• In the first two games this year, CSU has shot better in the second half than the first half by a fairly significant margin -- going from 38.4 percent (25-of-65) to 46.0 percent (29-of-63).

Quick Bits Under Eustachy
• The Rams had a seven-game Mountain West winning streak during last season, the longest MW win streak in program history from Feb. 4-28 (7-0 in February).
• CSU is 99-7 (40-3 MW) when leading with five minutes to play under head coach Larry Eustachy and 104-7 (45-4 MW) when leading with two minutes to go.
• The 21-point loss at Fresno State, Jan. 18, 2017 was a rarity, as it was just the second time that a Eustachy-led CSU team lost to a MW foe by more than 15 points (16-2 in his five years in MW games decided by 16 points or more.
• The Rams are 96-27 (40-14 MW) when shooting more free throws than their opponent and 99-24 (44-12 MW) when opponent commits more fouls overall.
• When Colorado State forces more turnovers than it gives up, the good guys have posted a 67-17 overall record.
• When the Rams shoot at least 45 percent from the floor, they are 65-6 (27-4 MW) in five years under Eustachy.
• Last year, CSU was 19-2 when leading at halftime, 22-2 when leading with five minutes remaining and 24-1 when ahead with two minutes to go.

Nixon Does It All
• Junior Prentiss Nixon became an integral part of the CSU lineup this past season.
• The guard averaged 13.2 points per game in 2016-17 (13th in MW), scoring in double figures in 27 games, including a current streak of 10 straight.
• In all MW contests, he averaged 13.3 points per game - 17th in regular-season league only.
• He scored a career-high 30 points against Kansas State and surpassed his season high from last year six times.
• In the Mountain West Tournament, Nixon averaged 14.7 points per game, earning All-Tournament honors.
• Against Nevada in the MW championship, Nixon scored 23 points, including tying the school record for a MW Tournament game with six three-pointers.
• This year, Nixon continued his double-figure scoring streak, moving it to 12 with a pair of 16-point performances before it was snapped against Tulane, Nov. 17. However, he started a new streak with 22 points, including five three-pointers, against Florida State, Nov. 19.
• He also continues to do the job on the defensive end, as he has drawn nine offensive fouls in the first four games. Last year, he finished with 37 drawn fouls.

Paige Wheels & Deals
• Redshirt-junior J.D. (or as Coach Eustachy calls him Jeremiah) Paige adjusted well to his new role within CSU's offense last year.
• Paige led CSU assists (2.5 apg), was third in steals (0.9 spg) and blocked shots (0.7) and fourth in scoring (8.8 ppg).
• The Denver, Colo., native had a solid outing against Alcorn State (11/23), recording career bests of 23 points and six assists in the home victory.
• Paige tied his career high with 23 points, including a career-best five three-pointers in the win over Fresno State, Feb. 11.
• This season, Paige is averaging an improved 10.7 points on 36.1 percent from the field.

Young Guards Stepping Up Scoring
• Redshirt-junior J.D. Paige and junior Prentiss Nixon both showed what another year of college basketball can do for confidence and skills.
• In 2015-16, Paige averaged 4.9 points a game and shot just 33.8 percent from the field, while Nixon was 4.8 points and 38.9 percent from the floor.
• This past year, the duo has increased their scoring averages by more than double combined, as Nixon finished at 13.2 points per game while Paige posted 8.8 points per contest.
• So far in 2017-18, Nixon is leading the team at 12.7 points per game and Paige ranks second at 10.7 per contest.

Carvacho Growing On the Floor
• Redshirt-sophomore center Nico Carvacho is showing his increased comfort level on the floor for the Rams.
• Carvacho had a breakout game at Colorado, Nov. 30, 2016, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbing 9 rebounds.
• Against Northern Colorado Dec. 10, 2016, he posted his first collegiate double-double of 13 points (5-of-6 FG) and 11 boards.
• In the win over Wyoming, Feb. 28, 2017, Carvacho posted his second double-double of his collegiate career with 10 points (3-3 FG) and 10 rebounds.
• This season, Carvacho is dominating the glass, having grabbed 42 boards (19 offensive) in the first three games, leading the Mountain West Conference.
• He had his third career double-double with 11 points and a career-best 20 boards in the home win over Winthrop, Nov. 14.

Newcomers Getting Feet Wet
• Coaches knew the new Rams were going to have to make an impact and have in the early stages.
• All five have played in at least one game, with three having appeared in all three. Among those, there have been three double-digit scoring games recorded
• Two 10+ point games have been posted by junior Deion James, who is shooting .480 in the early going, and adding 5.0 rebounds a game.

Taking Charity
• For the 2016-17 season, CSU was 73.1 percent from the charity line, ranking 34th nationally in free throws made and 33rd in free throws attempted.
• The Rams also made 596 free throws while their opponents combined for just 663 total attempts.
• In the win at Colorado Nov. 30, the Rams made their first 18 free throws in a row, a key reason that CSU won the road game.
• For three games, the Rams have shot 74.5 percent from the free throw line, better than the opponents 70.9 percent. However, CSU has gone to the line four times less than its foes, something uncommon in the five-plus years under head coach Larry Eustachy.

Clavell Signed by Dallas Mavericks
• The Dallas Mavericks announced that they have exercised the two-way player conversion option in the contract of guard Gian Clavell. This option makes Clavell the Mavericks second two-way player, along with Johnathan Motley.
• Clavell was originally signed on August 1 and played in all six preseason games for the Mavericks. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 17.5 minutes per contest.
• A native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Clavell competed for the Miami Heat's summer league teams in both Orlando and Las Vegas. In five games in Las Vegas, he averaged 12.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 24.6 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent (19-of-42) from the field, 40.6 percent (13-of-32) from 3-point range and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the foul line.
• The former Colorado State standout went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft after earning Mountain West Player of the Year honors as a redshirt senior last season. In 27 games for the Rams in 2016-17, he averaged a MW-best 20.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 steals in 36.6 minutes.
• The 2017-18 season will mark the first year NBA two-way contracts will be implemented. NBA teams are allowed to have up to two players under two-way contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and not more than 45 days with their NBA team. Two-way players are paid a corresponding daily amount based on the number of days they play in each league. Only players with four-or-fewer years of NBA experience are able to sign two-way contracts, which can be for either one or two seasons.

Rams Take 2017 MW Awards
• Colorado State again was among the top honorees, this time by the coaches of the Mountain West Conference, as senior guard Gian Clavell was selected as the league's 2017 Player of the Year, while Larry Eustachy was recognized as the Coach of the Year.
• Senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo was named First Team All-MW along with Clavell, while the pair also was named to the league's All-Defensive team.
• This is the first time in school history that CSU has had two players named to the first team all-conference in any season, as well as two in a single season named to the all-defensive squad.
• The duo was also named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District team for District VIII.
• The 2017 Mountain West Player of the Year according to the league media, Clavell led the MW in league scoring at 21.2 points per game, including two games of 30 points or more, as well as ranking seventh in rebounding at 6.9 per MW game. The Puerto Rico native tallied a career-high 37 points, with 30 in the second half and the game-winning layup with 3.8 seconds to play, at San Diego State. Often guarding the opponent's top backcourt player, Clavell also was second in steals (1.8 spg) and 3-pointers made (3.1 3pg) while ranking seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (.409). He scored in double figures in all 16 MW games and 21 of 22 games played overall, averaging better than 19 points a game this season. He was the second Ram ever to be recognized as the conference player of the year, joining Mike Mitchell's recognition in 1990 when CSU was part of the Western Athletic Conference.
• Eustachy led the Rams to a 21-10 overall regular season record, 13-5 in the Mountain West and the No. 2 seed in the MW tournament. The 13 wins tied the program record for conference wins, while CSU set a new school mark with five consecutive league road wins in a single season. Under his leadership, Colorado State won seven straight conference games, also a new program record for consecutive MW victories. This is the first time in his five years in the MW and the sixth time overall that Eustachy has been selected as his conference's coach of the year.
• Selected by the league media to First Team All-Mountain West, Omogbo became the new standard for double-doubles in the Mountain West this past season, recording a new league record with 13 during conference action. He led the conference in rebounding at 10.9 boards per conference game and ranked 11th in scoring at 15.7 points a contest. He was also third in league field goal percentage, hitting .495 of his shot attempts, and tied for eighth at 1.3 steals per game. The senior scored a career-high 24 points, with 17 coming in the final half, in the win at San Diego State, Jan. 28. He hit a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left for the game-winner over San Diego State, Feb. 25. For his CSU career, Omogbo now has 26 double-doubles, which is eighth all-time on the MW career list.
• The pair's recognition on the Mountain West All-Defensive Team marked the fifth and sixth times that a CSU player has been named to the squad and fourth under Eustachy, as current Director of Player Development Pierce Hornung was selected in both 2012 and 2013.

Rams on the Radio
• Rams basketball can be heard live worldwide on the Rams Sports Properties Colorado State Sports Network. The 2017-18 season features live game coverage of all of Colorado State's regular-season and postseason contests.
• Brian Roth, the Voice of the Rams, is in his second season as the basketball team's full-time play-by-play announcer. He is joined for the second season by former Ram Adam Nigon who will provide color commentary for the Rams.
• In addition to the Colorado State Sports Network, Rams fans worldwide can listen to the action live streaming on CSURams.com in partnership with SIDEARM Sports.

Rams on the Web
• Fans worldwide can get an inside look into Colorado State University and Rams hoops as CSU continually expands its coverage through the use of new media. By logging onto www.CSURams.com, fans can instantly access all of the most up-to-date information on the team including game statistics, exclusive video content and more. In addition, CSU basketball fans can follow the Rams on twitter @CSUMensbball. Colorado State men's basketball is also on Facebook. Log onto facebook.com/CSUMensBasketball.

Live Statistics
• Live statistics are available for all home games and most road contests games by clicking the appropriate link on the men's basketball "Schedule" page on CSURams.com.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results