CSU Returns To the Road, Travels To San Diego State, Jan. 24

2017-18 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #21 - Colorado State (10-11, 3-5) at San Diego State (11-7, 3-4)
January 24, 2018 • 9 p.m. MT • Viejas Arena (12,414) - San Diego, Calif.

Video: CBS Sports Network -- Play-by-Play: Carter Blackburn / Color Analyst: Pete Gillen / Sideline: John Schriffen
Colorado State Sports Network -- Play-by-Play: Brian Roth / Color Analyst: Adam Nigon (TuneIn App available for download)
Flagship: KARS 102.9 FM (Fort Collins) / Affiliates: KOCO 92.9 FM (Longmont)/ 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), KKVT 100.3 FM (Rifle),/97.1 FM (Delta)

Opening Tip
•   Colorado State will travel to California to take on San Diego State, Wed., Jan. 24 at 9 p.m. MT.
•   The contest between the Rams and Aztecs will be televised on CBS Sports Network with Carter Blackburn handling play-by-play, former Virginia coach Pete Gillen doing the analysis and John Schriffen on the sideline duties.
•   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. The audio broadcast of the game is also available through the TuneIn app, available on all platforms.

Rams Quick Hits
• The 2017-18 season marks the 116th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,250-1,242 (.502) in 2,492 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) is in his sixth season at the helm of the Rams and holds a 121-71 (.630) record at CSU and 523-329 (.614) 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.
•   San Diego State Head Coach Brian Dutcher (Minnesota, '82) is in his first season as leader of the Aztecs and as a head coach overall with a 11-7 mark.

Scouting San Diego State
• The Aztecs enter the game at 11-7 and 3-4 the Mountain West following a 79-75 loss at New Mexico, Jan. 20.
•   Picked to finish second in the Mountain West, San Diego State returns three starters, including Preseason All-MW senior guard Trey Kell, and six letterwinners from last year's team that finished 19-14 and 9-9 in the Mountain West to finish sixth.
•   The Aztecs are led by junior transfer guard Devin Watson, who paces the squad in points (13.6) and minutes (30.7) per game, along with assists (75) and steals (22). Senior forward Malik Pope leads SDSU in rebounds (6.9) and blocks (22).

A Win Over San Diego State Would...
•   Improve the Rams' road winning streak to four games, all in the Mountain West.
•   End the Rams' two-game losing skid.
•   Give Larry Eustachy his 122nd win in six seasons at CSU, passing Stew Morrill for second on CSU's all-time wins chart, and the 524th of his 27-year career overall.

All-Time Against Today's Opponent
•    This will be the 83rd meeting ever between the two schools, with the overall series tied at 41 wins each. This year, San Diego State won the first meeting in Fort Collins. Last year, the two teams met three times, with the Rams taking all three meetings, including last second game winners in both regular season games and then an eight-point win in the MW Semifinals.
•    CSU head coach Larry Eustachy is just 6-9 all-time against San Diego State, including 5-8 at CSU.
•    Against all current teams from the Mountain West Conference, CSU is 365-409 and 224-143 at home. Head coach Larry Eustachy is 92-71 overall in his career against the MW, including 30-43 in road contests.
VS. SAN DIEGO STATE - 41-41
(Conference: 38-37)
Home: 26-12 / Away: 13-25 / Neutral: 2-4
(Complete Game-by-Game Results on Page 14)

Eustachy vs. San Diego State
Overall: 6-9 (5-8 at CSU)
(Home 3-3 / Away 1-4 / Neutral 2-2)
Date   Loc   Coached   W/L   Score
12/6/97   N   Utah State   W   64-61
11/20/05   N   Southern Miss   L   51-79
1/12/13   A   Colorado State   L-ot   72-79
2/13/13   H   Colorado State   W   66-60
1/1/14   H   Colorado State   L   61-71
2/1/14   A   Colorado State   L   56-65
1/24/15   H   Colorado State   W   79-73
2/14/15   A   Colorado State   L   63-72
3/13/15   N   Colorado State   L   43-56
1/13/16   H   Colorado State   L   62-69
2/2/16   A   Colorado State   L   67-69
1/28/17   A   Colorado State   W   78-77
2/25/17   H   Colorado State   W   56-55
3/10/17   N   Colorado State   W   71-63
1/2/18   H   Colorado State   L   68-77

Mountain West Record
•   Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 122-164 (.427) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.
•   Head coach Larry Eustachy is 55-41 (.573) in MW regular-season action in his time at Colorado State and 60-46 (.566) including tournament games.
CSU vs. Mountain West Conference
School   Overall   Home   Away   Neut.
Air Force   78-32   42-11   32-17   4-4
Boise State   10-10   8-2   1-8   1-0
Fresno State   17-16   13-3   2-11   2-2
Nevada   9-10   5-2   4-7   0-1
New Mexico   46-75   33-25   12-48   1-2
San Diego State   41-41   26-12   13-25   2-4
San Jose State   16-0   7-0   7-0   2-0
UNLV   16-38   11-15   5-22   0-1
Utah State   39-53   28-18   11-34   0-1
Wyoming   93-134   51-55   39-75   3-4
Totals   365-409   224-143   126-247   15-19

Eustachy vs. MW at CSU (w/Tourney)
School   Overall   Home   Away   Neut.
Air Force   10-1   5-1   4-0   1-0
Boise State   5-6   4-1   0-5   1-0
Fresno State   8-5   4-1   2-3   2-1
Nevada   5-4   3-0   2-3   0-1
New Mexico   3-6   2-3   1-3   0-0
San Diego State   5-8   3-3   1-4   1-1
San José State   10-0   4-0   5-0   1-0
UNLV   6-5   5-1   1-3   0-1
Utah State   4-5   1-2   3-2   0-1
Wyoming   6-5   3-2   3-3   0-0
Totals   60-46   33-15   21-24   6-5

Eustachy vs. Mountain West All-Time
School   Overall   Home   Away   Neut.
Air Force   10-1   5-1   4-0   1-0
Boise State   13-12   9-3   2-9   2-0
Colorado State   1-4   0-1   1-2   0-1
Fresno State   9-5   4-1   2-3   3-1
Nevada   14-11   9-1   4-9   1-1
New Mexico   4-6   3-2   1-4   0-0
San Diego State   6-9   3-3   1-4   2-2
San José State   15-3   7-1   7-1   1-1
UNLV   9-8   7-2   2-5   0-1
Utah State   4-5   1-2   3-2   0-14
Wyoming   7-7   3-2   3-4   1-1
Totals   92-71   51-19   30-43   11-9

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.
• His 523 wins ranks 19th among active NCAA Division I coaches (same standard) and 57th all-time (list below).
Current Rankings of Division I Wins for Head Coaches
55.   Pete Carril (Lehigh, Princeton)   525
   John Beilein (current Michigan)   525
57.   Larry Eustachy (current CSU)   523
58.   Mark Few (current Gonzaga)   520
59.   Rick Majerus (four schools)   517
60.   John Chaney (Temple)   516

• In his first season as the top man of the Rams' program, Eustachy became the first 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 523-329 (.614), 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 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 tied Stew Morrill (1992-98) with the win at Wyoming last Saturday.
•   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.   Larry Eustachy (2012-17)   6   192   121   71   .630
   Stew Morrill (1992-98)   7   207   121   86   .585
4.   Dale Layer (2001-07)   7   209   103   106   .493
5.   Boyd Grant (1988-91)   4   127   81   46   .638

Game Time Change In Albuquerque
•   CSU's road contest at New Mexico in The Pit on Jan. 27 has been changed to a 7 p.m. tipoff to accommodate ESPN3 in their broadcast of the game.

Last Time Out...
•   The Colorado State men's basketball team could not hold on to its late lead and dropped a 79-74 Mountain West contest to visiting UNLV, 79-74, Jan. 20.
•   After the two teams were tied at 36 at the halftime break, they continued their tight battle throughout the majority of the second half, with the Rams leading from the 16:04 mark until the final minutes. Playing without junior guard Prentiss Nixon due to injury, CSU built as much as a nine-point lead in the second half on three separate occasions, the final coming at 74-65 with 3:42 remaining. However, that lead would not last, as UNLV scored seven points on the next three possessions to cut the lead to just two at the 2:23 mark. The Runnin' Rebels then tied it on Jovan Mooring's two free throws with 1:18 to play and took the lead for good on his three pointers with 29 seconds remaining. After a missed three attempt to tie it, Jordan Johnson hit a pair of free throws to seal CSU's fate.
•   In a game that consisted of seven ties and 12 lead changes, including eight lead changes in the first half alone. The largest lead of the opening 20 minutes was five for UNLV, including at 36-31 with 1:12 remaining. However, CSU was able to go on a 5-0 run on a three by redshirt-junior J.D. Paige and a pair of free throws by redshirt-sophomore Raquan Mitchell to close out the first half and tie it at 36 at the intermission.
•   CSU finished the game shooting 39.7 percent (27-of-68) from the field compared to UNLV's 45.8 percent (27-of-59). UNLV also held the advantage on three-point shooting, as the Runnin' Rebels shot 34.8 percent (8-of-23) to the Rams' 26.3 percent (5-of-19). The Rams held a slight advantage in rebounding, 39-36, and oustcored the visitors' bench 38-28.
•   The Rams had four players score in the double digits, led by Paige's 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. Mitchell added a season-high 17 points off the bench to go along with a season-best seven rebounds. Junior Deion James and senior Che Bob chipped in 14 and 12, respectively. Redshirt-sophomore Nico Carvacho led the Rams with 16 total rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds. UNLV was led by forward Shakur Juiston's 19 points and eight rebounds, while Mooring added 17 points in 32 minutes of play.
(See page 19 for complete box score)

This Year's Previous Meeting
•   Colorado State had its 11-game regular-season home winning streak snapped with a tough 77-68 loss to San Diego State, Jan. 2.
•   A three-point game at the break was close throughout the second half, with San Diego State leading by no more than eight in the final 20 minutes. CSU took a brief lead at 61-60 with 5:54 to play, but the visitors closed the game on a 17-7 run, led by Trey Kell's seven points in that stretch. CSU trailed by two with 1:42 to play on a one free throw, but Kell scored five of the next seven points for SDSU on a 7-2 run that put the game away.
•   Colorado State shot just 40.3 percent (25-of-62) from the floor in the game while San Diego State hit on 48.3 percent (28-of-58) of its shots, including 60.0 percent (15-of-25) in the second half. The Aztecs dominated the glass, 45-32, and utilized it for an 18-11 advantage in second change points.
•   Redshirt-junior guard J.D. Paige posted a season-high 22 points on 9-of-18 field goals, while redshirt-sophomore guard Anthony Bonner chipped in 13. Junior guard Prentiss Nixon was the only other Ram in double figures with 11 points. San Diego State had four players in double figures led by Jalen McDaniels with 19 points, while Jeremy Hemsley added 13.
(See page 20 for complete box score)

Last Year At San Diego State
• Senior guard Gian Clavell's driving layup with 3.8 seconds remaining lifted Colorado State's men's basketball team to a thrilling 78-77 victory at defending Mountain West regular-season champion San Diego State, Jan. 28. This was the Rams' first win in San Diego since 2003.
•   CSU trailed by as many as 13 with 16:16 to play, but chipped away and got the deficit down to just 1 at 50-49 just five minutes later. From there, SDSU bounced the lead back to as many as six before the visitors were able to tie it up at 64 on a 3-pointer from senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo. The teams were again tied at 66 before Clavell refused to be denied in the final minutes, scoring CSU's final 12 points of the game, missing just a single field goal attempt down the stretch. The Rams led by as many as four at 76-72 with 1:31 to play, but the Aztecs took their final lead of the game with 10.1 seconds left on a pair of Trey Kell free throws, setting up the late game drama for the victory.
•   The two teams went back and forth in the first half, as there were five ties and six lead changes when the Rams took a 23-22 lead. However, the host Aztecs closed the last four minutes of the half on an 11-0 run and took a 33-23 advantage into the halftime break.
•   CSU hit 45.9 percent (28-of-61) of its shots, including a blistering 61.3 percent (19-of-31) in the second half. San Diego State finished at 44.8 percent (26-of-58) on its field goal attempts. The Rams connected on 7-of-8 from the three-point arc in the second half to finish 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) for the game while the Aztecs were just 6-of-22 (27.3 percent). Free throws were again a key for CSU, as the Rams were 12-of-14 (85.7 percent) from the charity stripe.
•   The Rams were led by their seniors Clavell and Omogbo, who combined for 61 points on the day. Clavell scored a career-high 37 points, including going 11-of-14 from the floor in the second half, and added eight rebounds and two blocks. Omogbo also had a career high with 24 points, including a career-best four 3-pointers, while chipping in a game-high nine rebounds and three assists. SDSU had five players in double figures, led by Mailk Pope's 19 points.
(See page 21 for complete box score)

Road Improvement Showing
•   CSU picked up its first win away from Moby Arena this year in eight tries, six of them true road contests, with the victory at San Jose State, Dec. 30. Recently, the Rams added back-to-back road wins at Utah State, Jan. 10, and Wyoming, Jan. 13, for three consecutive Mountain West road victories.
•   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.
•   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 29-39 (.426) in true road games, above the national average of 32.4 percent.

Moby Arena Homecourt Advantage
•   CSU has a record of 545-221 (.711) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• The Rams are 79-23 (.775) under Larry Eustachy in games played at Moby Arena, including this year's 7-4 mark.
• CSU completed the 2016-17 regular-season home slate at 14-5 (7-2 in Mountain West), giving the program a winning home record for the eighth straight season, including all five under head coach Larry Eustachy.
•   Colorado State finished the 2015-16 regular season 12-5 at Moby Arena.
•    At 15-5 in 2016-17 at Moby Arena, it marked the fifth time in program history that CSU won at least 15 home games. Last season's 15 victories was the sixth season of 15-plus wins at the Rams' arena.
• The Rams finished the 2014-15 regular-season one win shy (15-2) of the best home mark in program history (16-1 in 2012-13). CSU went 15-2 at Moby in 1987-88.

Non-Conference Highlights
•   CSU completed its non-conference slate with a winning record for the sixth time in six years under head coach Larry Eustachy.
•   CSU was undefeated in non-conference home games this season at 7-0.

Fall Semester Wrapped Up
•   The Rams concluded the fall semester of classes in a solid way with a team GPA of better than 2.5.
•   All student-athletes also have met NCAA and CSU standards for eligibility, including progress towards degree requirements.

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 101-35 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.
•   This season, it is again a key for the Rams, as they have on the boards 12 times, including seven of the 10 wins.

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 107-9 (43-5 MW) when leading with five minutes to play under head coach Larry Eustachy and 112-8 (48-5 MW) when leading with two minutes to go.
•   The 22-point loss at Boise State, Dec. 27, 2017 was a rarity, as it was just the third time that a Eustachy-led CSU team lost to a MW foe by more than 15 points (16-3 in his six years in MW games decided by 16 points or more).
•   The Rams are 103-30 (42-14 MW) when shooting more free throws than their opponent and 106-28 (46-13 MW) when opponent commits more fouls overall.
•   When Colorado State forces more turnovers than it gives up, the good guys have posted a 73-21 overall record.
•   When the Rams shoot at least 45 percent from the floor, they are 66-6 (28-4 MW) in five years under Eustachy.

Nixon Does It All
•    Junior Prentiss Nixon became an integral part of the CSU lineup the last two seasons.
•    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 then-career-high 30 points against Kansas State and surpassed his high from 2015-16 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, followed by 15 at New Mexico State, Nov. 22. He missed the Northwestern State game with a concussion but returned to the lineup with 20 points at Missouri State, Nov. 28.
•   He scored a career-high 31 points on 8-of-13 field goal attempts (5-of-8 three pointers) and 10-of-11 free throws along with four rebounds at Arkansas, Dec. 5. He then followed it up with 25 at Oregon, Dec. 8.
•    In double-figure scoring 18 of 19 games played, Nixon leads CSU in scoring at 17.9 points per game and has hit a team-best 50 three-pointers. He also has led the Rams in scoring in 13 games this season.
•   With 964 career points, if he averages 18.0 points per game from this point on, he will surpass the 1,000 point mark in two contests. However, he will miss the next game due to an ankle injury suffered in the final minute against Air Force, Jan. 17.
•    He also continues to do the job on the defensive end, as he has drawn 45 offensive fouls (a season-high five against Fresno State, Jan. 6) in his first 19 games along with grabbing a team-best 28 steals (career-high four in the win at Utah State, Jan. 10). Last year, he finished with 37 drawn fouls.

Nixon's MW/National Rankings   Stat   MW   NCAA
Points Per Game   17.9   4th   114th
3-Pt FG Per Game   2.63   6th   99th
3-Pt Field Goal Attempts   141   2nd   141st
Free-Throw Percentage   88.2   1st   36th
Free Throws Made   82   7th   106th
3-Pt FG Percentage   35.5   6th   122nd
Minutes Per Game   33:31   6th   188th

Bob Learning the Ropes
• Senior Che (said CHAY not SHAY) Bob is figuring out ways to contribute to the Rams' effort in all phases.
•   Getting the start in 17 of 21 games played this year, Bob is averaging 10.1 points per game (third for CSU) and 7.2 rebounds per contest (seventh in the Mountain West).
•   Bob had a streak of four straight games with a double-double (five total in his CSU career), with the performance of 13 points and 12 boards at Missouri State, Nov. 28. He added the sixth of his career with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Long Beach State, Dec. 23.
•   He tied a career high with 21 points at New Mexico State, Nov. 24, including connecting on seven free throws and a pair of three pointers.
•   In the win over Colorado Dec. 2, Bob scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots.
•   In the last two road wins at Utah State (Jan. 10) and Wyoming (Jan. 13), Bob has averaged 18.0 points per game while connecting on 10-of-15 field goal attempts and 14-of-18 at the free throw line.

Bob's MW/National Rankings   Stat   MW   NCAA
Blocks Per Game   1.52   4th   106th
Rebounds Per Game   7.2   7th   171st
Offensive Rebounds Per Game   2.19   8th   216th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game   5.05   9th   197th
Double-Doubles   5   7th   102nd

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 the last two years.
•   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, 2017.
•   This season, Paige picked up a season-high 22 points versus San Diego State (1/2), making a career-high field goals.
•   He tied for team-high honors with 16 points and earned a career-best seven boards in the win over Colorado, Dec. 2.
•   Paige has scored in double figures in five of the last six games, including the performance at San Diego State and a 14-point, six-rebound outing in the win at Wyoming, Jan. 13. He also had 19 points against UNLV, Jan. 20.
•   With his recent performances, Paige is now averaging an improved 10.6 points per game, second on the team and has a team-high 2.5 assists per game.

James Starting To Make Impact
•   Junior forward Deion James is getting more comfortable on the court in his first year at CSU, and the stats show it.
•   James is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.6 points and third in rebounding at 4.8 boards, while shooting 45.7 percent on his field goal attempts and 72.5 percent at the line.
•   He has scored in double figures 10 times and grabbed five or more boards on 11 occasions.
•   He tallied a season-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win over Arkansas-Fort Smith, Dec. 19.
•   He scored 14 points and had seven boards in the win over Long Beach State, Dec. 23.
•   Recently, he posted his first CSU double-double of 11 points and a season-high 14 rebounds against Air Force, Jan. 17.
•   In CSU's nine wins he played in, his numbers go up as he is averaging 10.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

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 the leader on the glass for CSU with 193 boards (77 offensive) in the first 21 games. His 9.2 boards per game average ranks third in the Mountain West, as he has double-digit boards in the last five games (averaging 15.2 per game in that span).
•   He had his third career double-double with 11 points and a career-best 20 boards in the home win over Winthrop, Nov. 14.
•   He tallied a season-high 12 points with a team-high five boards at Oregon, Dec. 8.
•   Recently, he posted another double-double with 10 points, 19 rebounds (one off his career high) and a career-best tying four blocks against Fresno State, Jan. 6.
•   In the win at Utah State, Jan. 10, Carvacho had 10 points, a game-high 15 rebounds for his second straight double-double and a career-high four assists.
Carvacho's MW/National Rankings   Stat   MW   NCAA
Rebounds Per Game   9.2   3rd   38th
Offensive Rebounds Per Game   3.67   1st   12th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game   5.52   6th   123rd
Double-Doubles   4   8th   148th

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 21 games, the Rams have shot 73.0 percent from the free throw line, better than the opponents 69.3 percent. However, CSU has gone to the line 41 more times total than its foes, making 335 of its 459 shots.

CSU All-Time Vs. 2017-18 Opponents
       Overall   Home   Road   Neutral
Air Force   78-32   42-11   32-17   4-4
Arkansas   0-1   -   0-1   -
Arkansas-Fort Smith   4-0   4-0   -   -
Boise State   10-9   8-2   1-7   1-0
Colorado   38-89   28-36   9-53   1-0
Florida State   0-2   -   -   0-2
Fresno State   17-16   13-3   2-11   2-2
Long Beach State   3-2   2-1   1-1   -
Missouri State   1-1   -   0-1   1-0
Nevada   9-10   5-2   4-7   0-1
New Mexico   46-75   33-25   12-48   1-2
New Mexico State   5-2   4-0   1-2   -
Northwestern State   3-0   2-0   1-0   -
Oregon   1-9   0-1   0-5   1-3
Sacramento State   5-0   4-0   1-0   -
San Diego State   41-41   26-12   13-25   2-4
San Jose State   16-0   7-0   7-0   2-0
Texas State   2-0   2-0   -   -
Tulane   0-1   -   -   0-1
UNLV   16-38   11-15   5-22   0-1
Utah State   39-53   28-18   11-34   0-1
Winthrop   1-0   1-0   0-0   0-0
Wyoming   93-134   51-55   39-75   3-4
Totals   428-515   271-121   139-309   18-25

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:
•   January: Mondays, 22 & 29
•   February: Thursday, Feb. 8 and Mondays, Feb. 12 & 19
•   March: Thursday, March 1

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... But Inexperienced
•   CSU has 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.
•   However, the Rams combine for just 7.5 seasons of NCAA Division I experience to start the season, four of those coming from juniors J.D. Paige and Prentiss Nixon.

Looking Ahead
•   Colorado State will head to The Pit to take on New Mexico, Sat., Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. MT (time change from 8 pm).
•   The contest between the Rams and Lobos will be televised on ESPN3.
•   The game will air across the Colorado State Sports Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth and Adam Nigon on the call.
•   CSU Sports Network broadcasts can be also accessed on mobile devices through the Tune In app (free app  - available on all Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Amazon Kindle devices) – once app has downloaded, then search "Colorado St. Rams Sports Network" in the app for the games and coaches' show broadcasts.

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