CSU Heads To First Meeting of the Year Against New Mexico, Jan. 27

2017-18 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #23 - Colorado State (10-12, 3-6) at New Mexico (10-11, 5-3)
January 27, 2018 • 7 p.m. MT • Dreamstyle Arena/The Pit (15,411) - Albuquerque, N.M.

Video: ESPN 3 (WatchESPN.com) -- Play-by-Play: Trey Bender / Color Analyst: Richie Schueler
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 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 with Trey Bender (play-by-play) and Richie Schueler (analysis) handling the duties.
•   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.
• 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 1,250-1,243 (.501) in 2,493 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 121-72 (.627) record at CSU and 523-330 (.613) 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 Head Coach Paul Weir (York, '04) is in his first season as leader of the Lobos with a 10-11 record and second season as a head coach overall with a 38-17 mark.

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.

Scouting New Mexico
• The Lobos enter the game at 10-11 and 5-3 in the Mountain West following a 79-75 win over San Diego State, Jan. 20.
•   Picked to finish ninth in the Mountain West, New Mexico returns one starter and five letterwinners from last year's team that finished 17-14 and 10-8 in the Mountain West to finish fifth.
•   The Lobos are led by junior guard Anthony Mathis, who paces the squad in points (11.3 ppg), three pointers (56), three-point field goal percentage (.459) and free-throw percentage (.846). Senior forward Joe Furstinger is the top UNM player in minutes per game (26.4), rebounds (7.0 rpg) and blocks (29).

A Win Over New Mexico Would...
•   End the Rams' three-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 122nd meeting ever between the two schools, with New Mexico having a decisive 75-46 advantage, including 48-12 in Albuquerque. However, CSU did get the road win last season, 68-56, splitting the season series.
•    CSU head coach Larry Eustachy is just 3-7 all-time against New Mexico, including one win (last year's) in five appearances at The Pit. Eustachy has coached CSU to victories in three of the last four meetings.
•    Against all current teams from the Mountain West Conference, CSU is 365-410 and 126-248 in road games. Head coach Larry Eustachy is 91-73 overall in his career against the MW, including 30-44 on road floors.
NEW MEXICO - 46-75
(Conference: 45-68)
Home: 33-25 / Away: 12-48 / Neutral: 1-2
(Complete Game-by-Game Results on Page 14)

Eustachy vs. New Mexico
Overall: 3-7 (3-6 at CSU)
(Home: 2-3 / Away: 1-4 / Neutral: 0-0)
Date   Loc   Coached   W/L   Score
12/6/08   A   Southern Miss   L   58-60
1/23/13   A   Colorado State   L   61-66
2/23/13   H   Colorado State   L   82-91
1/4/14   A   Colorado State   L   73-80
1/25/14   H   Colorado State   L   66-68
1/3/15   A   Colorado State   L   53-66
2/10/15   H   Colorado State   W   70-59
2/23/16   H   Colorado State   W   86-69
1/14/17   H   Colorado State   L   71-84
2/21/17   A   Colorado State   W   68-56

Mountain West Record
•   Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 122-165 (.425) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.
•   Head coach Larry Eustachy is 55-42 (.567) in MW regular-season action in his time at Colorado State and 60-47 (.561) 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   41-42   26-12   13-26   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   365-410   224-143   126-248   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   5-9   3-3   1-5   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   60-47   33-15   21-25   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   3-7   2-3   1-4   0-0
San Diego State   6-10   3-3   1-5   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   91-73   50-20   30-44   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 523-330 (.613), 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   193   121   72   .627
   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

Last Time Out...
•   Colorado State could not find an answer for a hot shooting San Diego State squad and suffered a 97-78 road defeat, Jan. 24.
•   The Rams did not lead in the opening 20 minutes and had two ties at seven and 14. A triple from Max Montana put the Aztecs up for good on a three pointer to kick a 12-2 run for the hosts over the next three-and-a-half minutes for a 26-16 lead. The Rams got it down to a five-point margin at 36-31, but CSU was held to just one basket the last 3:15 of the half as San Diego State closed on a 11-2 run to take a 47-33 lead into the halftime break, a period in which the host squad shot better than 62 percent from the field.
•   CSU had it down to 12 on two separate occasions in the second half. However, a 19-4 run by San Diego State put the game out of reach in the final half with the largest lead of the contest at 27. The Rams were unable to get any closer than 20 the remainder of the game until the final margin.
•   Colorado State shot a respectable 48.3 percent (29-of-60) from the field and 44.0 percent (11-of-25) from behind the arc, but San Diego State was better, hitting on 55.6 percent (35-of-63) of its field goal attempts and 43.3 percent (13-of-3) from the three point line. The Aztecs went 14-of-21 at the free throw line, while the Rams went just 11 times, hitting nine of them. CSU held a slim advantage on the boards 31-28, but gave up 16 turnovers to the Aztecs' nine.
•   CSU was led by redshirt-sophomore Anthony Bonner with a career-high 22 points on 7-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-6 on three pointers. Freshman Logan Ryan chipped in a season-high 13 points, while redshirt-sophomore Nico Carvacho posted his fifth double-double of the year with 14 points and 12 rebounds. San Diego State had six players in double figures, led by Max Montana's 20 points off the bench and Trey Kell's 17.
(See page 19 for complete box score)

Last Year's Meetings
• With their school record-tying fifth straight conference road win, Colorado State's men's basketball team got a 68-56 win at New Mexico, Feb. 21. In earning their first win in The Pit since 2007, the Rams split the season series with the Lobos, each winning on the road court.
• Leading by seven at the break, CSU pushed it to nine on the opening possession of the final period on a dunk by redshirt-freshman Nico Carvacho. At that point, the Rams hit a cold spell from the floor and the Lobos cut the margin to two with 15:22 to play in the game. However as has been the case on the road over this stretch. CSU again had an answer, this time with an 8-0 run over a 2:25 span, all from senior guard Gian Clavell, to take a 48-38 lead with 11:03 to play. Colorado State took control the remainder of the second half with solid defense, limiting New Mexico to just 37.5 percent from the floor and never letting the Lobos get closer than seven.
• Colorado State got off to a good start on the road, building an early 13-9 lead with just over 12 minutes to go in the first half. New Mexico fought back to take the lead at 16-15 but it was short lived as the Rams put together a 7-0 run to go back up 22-16. The Lobos chipped away at it again to take another one-point lead at 24-23, but CSU again put together a 9-0 surge to go back up 32-24 with 2:29 to play in the opening period. The teams then exchanged buckets to close out the half, with the Rams entering the break leading 36-29.
• For the contest, Colorado State shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) from the floor, while New Mexico was at 42.0 percent (21-of-50) on its field goal attempts. CSU got to the line 17 times, connecting on 12 (70.6 percent), while holding league-leading UNM in getting to the charity stripe to just 12 attempts, making only seven (58.3 percent). CSU won the battle of the boards, 35-33, and committed just five turnovers, while scoring 17 points off 11 Lobo miscues.
•   The Rams were led by Clavell's game-high 24 points, six rebounds and three steals, while senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo tallied another double-double with 17 points and a game-best 14 rebounds. Sophomore guard Prentiss Nixon was the other CSU player in double figures with 11 points. New Mexico also had three score in double figures, led by Elijah Brown with 20 points and six boards.
(See page 20 for complete box score)

•   Colorado State could not stop a hot-shooting New Mexico team and lost the physical contest to the visiting Lobos, 84-71 at Moby Arena, Jan. 14. Colorado State dropped the physical contest to New Mexico 84-71.
•   The game was back and forth in the first 10 minutes of the game, with a CSU season-high 10 lead changes in that span. UNM took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Jordan Hunter with 10:30 to go in the first half, starting a 7-0 run for the Lobos. From there, the game got no closer than four in the rest of the first half, with New Mexico holding a 44-34 halftime advantage.
• Behind 60.9 percent shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes, the Lobos continued to push the lead higher the second half, building their advantage to as many as 21 at 72-51 with 9:54 to go in the game. CSU did trim it down to 13 with just over four minutes to go in the game but could get no closer.
• For the game, CSU shot just 35.8 percent (19-of-53) from the floor while New Mexico was (55.6 percent (30-of-54), including 6-of-9 from the 3-point line. New Mexico won the rebounding battle 39-29 and outscored the hosts 32-16 in the paint. Colorado State struggled from the charity strip during the contest shooting 66.7 percent (26-of-39) while the Lobos were also 66.7 percent (18-of-27) on free throws.
•   Senior guard Gian Clavell led the Rams with 22 points, six rebounds and a season-high five steals, while senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo picked up 14 points, eight rebounds and a career-high four blocks in 38 minutes of play. Sophomore guard Prentiss Nixon finished with 19 points, including 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Elijah Brown led UNM with 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while Tim Williams added 15 points and nine boards.
(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 before the loss at San Diego State, Jan. 24.
•   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 29-40 (.420) 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 101-36 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 13 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 (now 18-4 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 66-7 (28-5 MW) in five-plus 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 has been out 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   5th   114th
3-Pt FG Per Game   2.63   5th   97th
3-Pt Field Goal Attempts   141   2nd   76th
Free-Throw Percentage   88.2   1st   38th
Free Throws Made   82   7th   121st
3-Pt FG Percentage   35.5   7th   126th
Minutes Per Game   33:31   6th   193rd
Steals Per Game   1.47   5th   211th

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 18 of 22 games played this year, Bob is averaging 9.9 points per game (third for CSU) and 7.0 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   1.50   4th   110th
Rebounds Per Game   7.0   7th   196th
Offensive Rebounds Per Game   2.18   7th   225th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game   4.86   9th   233rd
Double-Doubles   5   7th   105th

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 10.4 points per game, second on the team and has a team-high 2.5 assists per game. However, he will be out the next 3-4 weeks with a broken non-shooting hand suffered at San Diego State, Jan. 24.

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 9.3 points and third in rebounding at 4.6 boards, while shooting 46.1 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 205 boards (81 offensive) in the first 22 games. His 9.3 boards per game average ranks third in the Mountain West, as he has double-digit boards in the last six games (averaging 14.7 per game in that span). He is averaging 10.1 points and 11.9 rebounds in Mountain West play.
•   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   9.3   3rd   36th
Offensive Rebounds Per Game   3.68   1st   13th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game   5.64   6th   107th
Double-Doubles   5   7th   105th
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   41-42   26-12   13-26   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   428-516   271-121   139-310   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, 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 is back home for the Border War on Wed., Jan. 31 at 7 pm, as the Rams host Wyoming.
•   The contest between the Rams and Cowboys will be televised on AT&T SportsNet, as Conor McGahey will be play-by-play and Sed Bonner the analyst
•   CSU will sport their "State Pride" uniforms, specially designed by Under Armour and featuring the state flag.
•   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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