CSU concludes three straight at home against South Dakota Sunday

2018-19 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #11 - Colorado State (5-5) vs. South Dakota (5-5)
Dec. 16, 2018 • 2 p.m. MT • Moby Arena (8,083) - Fort Collins, Colo.

(Game Day Information, including clear bag policy)
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Video: Mountain West Sports Network
Radio: 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), KMTS 96.7 FM (West Glenwood Springs), KRDO 105.5 FM (Colorado Springs), KKVT 100.7 FM (Grand Junction), KMTS/KKVT 99.5/100.3 FM (Rifle), KKVT 97.1 FM (Delta), KKVT 98.1 FM (Montrose), KRFD 100.1 FM (Sterling), KNEC 100.9 FM (Yuma), KNAB 1140 AM (Burlington), KLMR 920 AM (Lamar) / TuneIn App
Live Stats: https://csurams.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

Opening Tip
• The Rams wrap up three straight home games on Sun., Dec. 16, hosting South Dakota at 2 p.m.
• The contest between the Rams and Coyotes will be televised on the Mountain West Network, including CSURams.com/live.
• 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. Audio is also available via the TuneIn App on all smart phones and mobile devices.
• The game will also have live audio on CSURams.com in partnership with SIDEARM Sports and live stats on CSURams.com.

2018-19 Rams Quick Hits
• Colorado State is under new direction, as Niko Medved has taken over the helm of the Rams' program in 2018-19. In his sixth season as a head coach, Medved has a 84-92 record overall but improved on the previous season's record in each of his five years as a head coach.
• The 2018-19 season marks the 116th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,257-1,257 (.500) in 2,514 games all-time.
• Colorado State basketball is hoping to earn its eighth invitation for postseason play in the last 10 years.
• CSU returns three starters and six letterwinners to this year's squad along with seven newcomers to the program.
• Overall, the Rams return three players with 23 or more starts from the 2017-18 campaign, led by Honorable Mention All-Mountain West selection Nico Carvacho. The redshirt-junior center will be expected to pace this squad along with senior guard J.D. Paige and redshirt-junior guard Anthony Masinton-Bonner.

• 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 Leaders
• Colorado State Head Coach Niko Medved (Minnesota, '97) is in his first season at CSU as head coach and has a 84-92 overall record as he starts his sixth season as a head coach.
• South Dakota Head Coach Todd Lee (South Dakota, '86) is in his first season as leader of the Coyotes with a 5-5 mark and as a head coach overall with a 161-119 record.

A Quick Look at South Dakota
• Returning currently three starters from last season's 26-9 squad that finished second in the Summit League and advanced to the College Basketball Invitational, the Coyotes were picked to again finish second in the league's Preseason Poll as selected by the coaches, SIDs and select media.
• Two Coyotes were preseason picks as Trey Burch-Manning and Tyler Hagedorn earned preseason first and second-team honors, respectively. Hagedorn is out for the year, but Burch-Manning, a second-team all-Summit League pick last season, currently leads his squad in scoring, rebounds, threes, steals, field goal percentage and three-point percentage.

History Versus South Dakota
• This is the first meeting between the two programs.
• CSU has an 103-75 lifetime record against current Summit League opponents, including 65-29 in home contests. The vast majority of the games have come against Denver (163 of the 178).
• Head Coach Niko Medved has faced South Dakota once last season when he was at Drake. In that contest, USD came away with a home win.

SOUTH DAKOTA - FIRST MEETING

The Summit League
School                        Overall   Home    Away    Neut.
Denver                        93-70    56-29    35-41      2-0
IPFW                             2-0        2-0        -          -
IUPUI                             1-1         1-0       0-1         -
North Dakota State           2-1        2-0       0-1         -
Omaha                          2-0        2-0        -          -
Oral Roberts                   3-1        2-0       1-1         -
South Dakota State          0-2         -         0-1        0-1
Totals                         103-75   65-29   36-45      2-1

A New Leader But Familiar Face
• While he may be in his first season in charge of the program, head coach Niko Medved is already a familiar face around Fort Collins and to Rams' fans. Medved previously was on the coaching staff from 2007-13 under two different coaches. He was a key part of recruiting players that helped the Rams to four consecutive postseason appearances, the last two in the NCAA Tournament that included a win over Missouri in 2013.

Postseason Experience
• Head coach Niko Medved has had extensive success wherever he has coached, both as a head and an assistant.
• As an assistant coach, he helped turn around the CSU program to improving its win totals from his first year in each successive year, ending in four straight postseason appearances.
• He continued that trend at Furman and Drake, improving both programs' win totals from the previous year in each of his five seasons as a head coach, finishing his last three years in postseason play.

Medved vs. 2018-19 Opponents
School                  Overall     Home      Away    Neut.
Air Force                           First Meeting
Arkansas                   0-1           0-1           -          -
Arkansas-Pine Bluff     1-0           1-0           -          -
Boise State                        First Meeting
Colorado                  0-2            -           0-1        0-1
Colorado Christian      1-0           1-0           -          -
Florida Gulf Coast       1-2           0-1          1-1         -
Fresno State                      First Meeting
Long Beach State                First Meeting
Louisiana                  0-2          0-1           -         0-1
Montana State            1-0           1-0           -          -
Nevada                             First Meeting
New Mexico                       First Meeting
New Mexico State               First Meeting
Sam Houston State      1-0           1-0           -          -
San Diego State                  First Meeting
San Jose State                   First Meeting
South Dakota             0-1            -           0-1         -
South Dakota St.         0-2            -           0-1        0-1
Southern Illinois          1-2          0-2          1-0         -
UNLV                               First Meeting
Utah State                         First Meeting
Wyoming                  0-1            -           0-1         -
Totals                     6-13         4-5         2-5       0-3

Basketball Staff
• Head coach Niko Medved brought four members of his staff from Drake with him. Dave Thorson, JR Blount and Ali Farokhmanesh were assistant coaches with Medved, while Aaron Katsuma joined him again as Director of Basketball Operations. Thorson has extensive experience as a high school coach and had previously worked with Medved at the University of Minnesota. Blount and Farokhmanesh also bring extensive recent playing experience with them as Blount played at Loyola Chicago, graduating in 2009, and Farokhmanesh was a key part of a Northern Iowa squad that knocked off No. 1 Kansas in the NCAA Tournament in his senior year in 2010.

Coors Light Coaches Show Is Back
• The Coors Light Basketball Head Coaches Show returns to Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon in Old Town Fort Collins this year. Join men's head coach Niko Medved and women's head coach Ryun Williams starting at 6 p.m. on the Mondays listed below to hear their thoughts on the previous week and look forward to upcoming action
• January: 7, 14, 21 & 28
• February: 4, 11, 18 & 25

2018-19 Schedule Is Home Laden
• The Rams will play a good schedule in head coach Niko Medved's first season as the leader in Fort Collins.
• Of the 13 non-conference games on the schedule, eight of them are in the friendly confines of Moby Arena, including the first three to start the season, with the Rams currently 4-2 in those games.
• The program first played away from home on Nov. 19-21 at the Gulf Coast Showcase, a three-game tournament that had two neutral games and one against co-host Florida Gulf Coast.
• CSU is scheduled for just a pair of true road games and only a single plane trip for those. The Rams played their first true road contest at Colorado on Sat. Dec. 1, with the flight trip to Long Beach to take on the 49ers on Dec. 22.
• The Rams welcomed a Southeastern Conference team to Moby Arena on Dec. 5, as Arkansas made the return trip after last year's meeting in Fayetteville. This was just the third meeting with a SEC foe since 2010 and the first time a squad from that league has come to Moby since Nov. 28, 2005, when the Rams defeated Auburn, 77-67. Versus the SEC, CSU is 5-1 all-time at home and 10-7 overall.
• Non-conference play wraps up on Dec. 30, with CSU hosting New Mexico State.

Roster Size... But Inexperienced
• The Rams started the year with 14 eligible players on the roster, one of the largest opening day rosters in recent history. CSU had 11 players available to start the 2017-18 season. Of those 14 this season, a total of 11 were part of the program last season, with seven having played, with four returners who did play and also four newcomers to the lineup this year.
• Last year's Rams combined for just 7.5 seasons of NCAA Division I experience to start the season, but this year's squad comes in with 17 combined Division I seasons, a marked improvement.

Returning/Lost...By the Numbers
• The Rams added several key newcomers for 2018-19 as Colorado State looked to fill some gaps from last year's production on the floor, though CSU returns a significant portion on all categories.
• Here is a quick look at what the Rams returned in major statistical categories:
Category                Total (R/L)                   % Returning
> Scoring               2314 (1353 / 961)                  58.5%
> Rebounding         1126 (764 / 362)                   67.9%
> Assists                409 (251 / 158)                     61.4%
> Blocks                 102 (55 / 47)                       53.9%
> Steals                 190 (100 / 90)                      52.6%
> Minutes               6475 (4110 / 2365)               63.5%

Newcomers (Lots of)
• The Rams have a strong group of newcomers to the floor this year, made up of three transfers and four freshmen.
• The class distribution among those that could see the floor for CSU the first time this season is:
   -- Juniors (Hyron Edwards, Kris Martin, Zo Tyson)
   -- Freshmen (Sam Bannec, Kendle Moore,
          Jack Schoemann, Adam Thistlewood)

Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 550-228 (.707) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• The Rams have finished at least .500 in each of the last nine years, dating back to the 2008-09 season when the program was 6-9.
• Current head coach Niko Medved was part of a coaching staff at CSU that posted two of the top records in program history at home, as the 2012-13 team set the best mark at 16-1 with the 2011-12 team going 14-1. Overall as an assistant at CSU, he was part of a team that went 97-97 overall and 59-30 in Moby Arena and improved their overall record in each successive season.

Moby & Record Improvement WIth Medved (CSU Asst.)
               Overall    Moby    Total Attend. Avg Att.
2012-13      26-9       16-1         92,488       5,440
2011-12      20-12       14-1         62,889        4,193
2010-11       19-13       9-5         68.305       4.879
2009-10    16-16       11-4         50,878       3,392
2008-09    9-22       6-9         48,858       3,257
2007-08    7-25       3-10         43,588       3,353
Totals        97-97     59-30

Last Time Out...
• Keyed by a second half comeback, Colorado State defeated Sam Houston State, 71-65 in Moby Arena Dec. 8. With the win, the Rams improved to 5-5 on the season, while the Bearkats dropped to 3-7.
• CSU trailed by as many as 11 points in the game and for a majority of the second half, as the Rams tried to claw back. CSU's defense was the theme of the second stanza, with each team opening on just 1-of-7 shooting. Sam Houston State built a seven-point lead with 13:27 remaining, but it was the Rams who attacked back, taking a 55-54 lead behind redshirt-senior guard J.D. Paige's contested layup with 6:24 left to play, a key part of a 12-2 run that pushed the lead to 60-54 with 3:33 remaining. Though it got down to a one-possession game on three occasions in the closing minutes, Colorado State wouldn't look back, taking advantage of 12-of-14 made free throws in the final minutes to seal the victory.
• Redshirt-junior Nico Carvacho matched each of the Bearkats' first six points in a closely-contested first half of play. Following redshirt-junior Lorenzo Jenkins' four-point play to put CSU up 12-6, Sam Houston State would go onto a 10-0 run over the next 3:04 to take a 16-12. The Bearkats, behind a big 12-2 run would build their largest lead of the afternoon at 33-22 advantage with 5:38 remaining in the first half. CSU closed out the half strong, going a 11-3 run, capped off by freshman Kendle Moore taking the steal coast-to-coast, to enter the break down, 36-33.
• Colorado State finished the game shooting 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the field but just 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from beyond the three-point line. The Rams' stellar defensive play held the Bearkats to just 36.4 percent (24-of-66) from the field and 37.0 percent (10-of-27) from deep. CSU won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Sam Houston State, 42-34, converting that to an 11-4 advantage on second-chance points.
• Led by Paige's 23, the Rams had three players score in double figures on the contest. Carvacho was dominant in the paint en route to 20 points and 19 rebounds, each season highs. Redshirt-junior Anthony Masinton-Bonner added another 10 points, while Moore totaled eight points and three steals. Chad Bowie led Sam Houston State in scoring with 14.
(See page 18 for complete box score)

National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through Dec. 12, 2018)
Team (Top 60 of 351 Division I teams)
Turnovers (Fewest)                                11.2           31st
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game                      9.3          58th
Players (top 100 nationally)
Anthony Masinton-Bonner
3-Point Field Goal Percentage                  45.6        43rd
Nico Carvacho
Double Doubles                                   6              7th
Rebounds Per Game                              11.2            7th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game                7.60         14th
Offensive Rebounds Per Game                 3.60       22nd
Free Throw Attempts                              62           59th

Sharing the Load
• Through 10 games, seven different Rams have either led or tied for the team-high points in a game.
• Redshirt-senior J.D. Paige (3), redshirt-juniors Anthony Masinton-Bonner (3) and Kris Martin (2) and freshman Kendle Moore (3) are the only CSU players with more than one game leading in scoring.

Carvacho Growing On the Floor
• Redshirt-junior center Nico Carvacho showed his increased comfort level on the floor, growing extensively as a sophomore in 2017-18.
• In the 2017-18 season, Carvacho was the leader on the glass for CSU with 331 boards (125 offensive) in 32 games (the only Ram to start all 32 last year). His 10.3 boards per game average ranked second in the Mountain West, as he had double-digit boards in the last 16 games (averaging 13.6 per game in that span). He also just had the sixth-ever individual 300-rebound season in CSU history, surpassing the mark at Nevada, Feb. 25.
• Last year, he averaged 11.1 points and 12.3 rebounds in Mountain West play, leading by a wide margin in rebounding for league games only (next was 9.6 per game). He also had seven of the top 14 single-game totals in MW action.
• He has had double-doubles in 10 of the last 16 games he played in 2017-18 and had a higher rebound average in MW league contests than Emmanuel Omogbo had in 2016-17 (10.9).
• Carvacho posted a career-high 26 points and tied a career best with 20 rebounds in the win over San Jose State, Feb. 10, 2018. The last Ram to have a 20-point/20-rebound game prior to that one was current Washington Wizards' Jason Smith, with 27 & 22 in a win over Wyoming on Feb. 24, 2007.
• He finished the season in fifth with 331 boards, surpassing former standout and current Washington Wizard Jason Smith in sixth.
• For his play in '17-18, Carvacho was named Honorable Mention All-Mountain West by both the league's coaches and media members in two separate votes.
• This season, Carvacho has started out effectively, recording double-doubles in six games and is currently averaging 12.8 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 54.0 percent from the floor.
• He had CSU game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Nov. 10.
• Most recently, he barely missed his second career 20-20 game when he finished with 20 points and 19 rebounds in the win over Sam Houston State, Dec. 8.
• Carvacho started the season No. 20 on the CSU career rebounding chart and moved up to 11th after his play against Sam Houston State as he now stands at 649, just passing recent grad Emmanuel Omogbo (2015-17) and Larry Hoffner (1957-60) at 638 and Richard Gregory (1955-58) at 642. Two more are in sight, as Tim Hall (1972-75) is currently 10th at 663 and Brian Greene (1999-03) is ninth at 665.

Carvacho's '17-18 MW/Nat'l Rankings Stat      MW    NCAA
Rebounds Per Game                     10.3      2nd      15th
Offensive Rebounds Per Game        3.91      1st       7th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game       6.44      5th      49th
Double-Doubles                            11        4th      55th
Total Rebounds                            331      2nd      17th

Carvacho's Career Double-Doubles Date      Pts      Reb
Northern Colorado                     12/10/16    13         11
Wyoming                                  2/28/17     10        10
Sacramento State                       11/10/17     11        20
Fresno State                               1/6/18      10        19
at Utah State                              1/10/18     10        15
Air Force                                   1/17/18     12        13
at San Diego State                      1/24/18     14        12
at New Mexico                           1/27/18     14        15
Wyoming                                  1/31/18     10        13
at Air Force                                2/6/18     16        12
San Jose State                           2/10/18    26       20
at Fresno State                           2/17/18     14         11
at Nevada                                 2/25/18    13        14
Colorado Christian                      11/7/18     14        15
Arkansas-Pine Bluff                     11/10/18     18         11
Montana State                           11/14/18     15        13
at Colorado                               12/1/18     15        12
Arkansas                                  12/5/18     12         11
Sam Houston State                     12/8/18    20        19

CSU Career Rebounding Ranks
1.      851      Pat Durham (52O-799D)                 1985-89
------
6.     726      Bill Green (76 Games)                    1960-63
7.               694                 Daniel Bejarano (185O-509D)    2011-15
8.     683     Jason Smith (223O-460D)              2004-07
9.     665     Brian Greene (212O-453D)              1999-03
10.    663     Tim Hall (79 Games)                       1972-75
11.    649     Nico Carvacho (76 Games)              2016-19
12.    642     Richard Gregory (75 Games)            1955-58
13.    638     Larry Hoffner (70 Games)                1957-60
       638     Emmanuel Omogbo (203O-435D)      2015-17
15.    627      Andy Ogide (185O-442D)                2007-11

Paige Wheels & Deals
• Redshirt-senior J.D. Paige adjusted well to his new role within CSU's offense the last two years.
• In 2016-17, 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 (11/23/16), 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.
• Last season, Paige picked up a season-high 22 points versus San Diego State (1/2/18), making a career-high field goals.
• Paige scored in double figures in five of his last six games in 2017-18, 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.
• After missing six games with a broken hand suffered at San Diego State on Jan. 24, Paige returned to the lineup against Boise State (Feb. 21) with 12 points and averaged 10.4 points per game, third on the team, and had a team-high 2.6 assists per game.
• Paige missed the season opener but returned with 14 points (4-of-5 3-pointers) and a career-high tying six assists in the win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Nov. 10.
• He tied his career high against Montana State, Nov. 14, tallying a team-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field in the win.
• Recently, he again tied his career best with a game-high 23 points in the home win over Sam Houston State, Dec. 8.
• Paige currently leads CSU at 16.1 points per game, connecting on 50.0 percent from the floor, including 40.9 percent from the arc, as well as 80.8 percent (21-of-26) from the free throw line.
• Currently with 871 career points, if Paige stays healthy and averages 15.0 points per game for the next nine games, he would reach the career 1,000-point plateau at Nevada on Jan. 23. He would be the 29th Ram in history to accomplish the feat.

A Little Different Name, Same Face
• Redshirt-junior guard Anthony Masinton-Bonner (the guard previously known as Anthony Bonner but always "AB") is expected to take up more of the scoring load this season.
• Last year, Masinton-Bonner started in 21 of the 32 games he played in, averaging 8.9 points per contest in 27.1 minutes per game.
• He was the team leader at the three-point arc at 43.2 percent and was second from the charity stripe, connecting on 82.1 percent of his attempts.
• In the season opener against Colorado Christian, Masinton-Bonner was not only effective but efficient. He tallied a career-high tying 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, including 6-of-7 from the three-point arc. He also chipped in five rebounds and four assists.
• Against Montana State Nov. 14, Masinton-Bonner was inspired after suffering an ankle injury late in the first half, as he returned in the second half to score 12 of his 14 points in the win.
• In the first 10 contests, he is second on the team in scoring at 14.6 points along with 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists a game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field, 45.6 percent from the three-point line and 83.3 percent from the charity stripe.

Newcomers Jumping In Early
• Five Rams made their debut in the Green and Gold in season-opening win over Colorado Christian.
• Freshman Kendle Moore started and scored a game-high 26 points in 32 minutes of action. He was solid, going 9-of-11 from the floor, 4-of-5 from the arc and 4-of-5 at the charity stripe. He also added four rebounds, four assists and one steal.
• Freshman Adam Thistlewood had 10 points in starting his first collegiate game, while also grabbing five rebounds in 26 minutes of play.
• Also seeing time were redshirt-junior Zo Tyson and freshmen Jack Schoemann and Sam Bannec. Tyson had six points and four rebounds, while Bannec hit a three-pointer late.
• Redshirt-junior Kris Martin made his season debut against South Dakota State, Nov. 21, and tallied 11 points in 30 minutes of action. He has at least tied for the team lead in scoring over the next two games, including 21 points at Colorado, Dec. 1. Recently, he recorded a collegiate career-best eight assists against Arkansas, Dec. 5.
• Moore is fourth at 11.4 point per game, Martin is fifth at 10.8 points per game with and Thistlewood sixth at 8.7 points a contest. Moore has scored in double figures in six contests, with Thistlewood having scored 10 or more in five while making 27 of 34 free throw attempts (79.4 percent).

Looking Ahead
• The Rams take to the skies for their final non-conference road trip, traveling to Long Beach State to take on the 49ers Sat., Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. PT/3 p.m. MT
• The contest between will be streamed on BigWest.TV.
• 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 TuneIn app (free on all Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Amazon Kindle devices) – once downloaded, search "Colorado St. Rams Sports Network" in the app for the games and coaches' show broadcasts.

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