2017-18 CSU Men's Basketball Season Wrapup

Closing Time
•   Colorado State wrapped up the 2017-18 season at the 2018 Mountain West Basketball Championship as the No. 10 seed, losing 76-65 to No. 7 Utah State, Wed., March 7.
•   The Rams had only one season on the roster that will be departing, senior forward Che Bob.

Rams Quick Hits
• The 2017-18 season marks the 116th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,251-1,252 (.500) in 2,503 games all-time.
• Colorado State basketball has had seven invitations for postseason play in the last nine years, advancing to the second round of the 2017 National Invitation Tournament.
• Overall, the Rams returned three players from the 2016-17 season 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.
• This year, those three were leaders for the Rams, as Nixon was the leader in scoring and minutes played, Carvacho led the Rams in rebounding (and ranked second in the Mountain West) and Paige was tops in assists per game.
•   Heading into the 2017-18 season, CSU had lost two of last year's five starters, including 2017 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.
• 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 Coach
• Colorado State Interim Head Coach Jase Herl (Colorado Mesa, 2010) is in his second season at CSU, first at the helm of the Rams and as a Division I head coach with an 1-5 (.167) record. 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.

Mountain West Record
•   Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 123-171 (.418) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.

Last Time Out...
•   No. 10 Colorado State let a 15-point first-half lead slip away and eventually fell to No. 7 Utah State, 76-65, in the Mountain West Tournament First Round, March 7. With the loss, the Rams ended their season at 11-21, while the Aggies improved to 16-16 and advanced to tomorrow's quarterfinal meeting with No. 2 seed Boise State.
•   With just two points separating the teams at the break, Utah State grabbed its first lead of the game on a conventional three-point play by Koby McEwen. The teams exchanged small leads before the Aggies grabbed the lead for good on back-to-back jumpers by Sam Merrill to go up 47-44 with 14:13 remaining. CSU cut it to one on several occasions and had it down to a one-possession game at 68-65 with 4:28 to play. However, those would be the last points the Rams would score, as the Aggies scored the final eight points of the game over the last 4:28 to earn the victory.
•   The Rams opened the game strong, scoring 20 of the first 25 points in the contest to take a 15-point lead with 11:22 to go in the first half. Utah State chipped away at the lead, eventually tying at 30 with under two minutes to go. The teams exchanged three pointers before redshirt-sophomore Nico Carvacho hit a pair of free throws and the Rams made a stop on the final possession to give CSU a slim 35-33 halftime lead. Junior Prentiss Nixon led CSU with 11 points, while Julion Pearre had 12 in the opening 20 minutes for Utah State.
•   Colorado State finished the game at just 39.1 percent (25-of-64) from the floor but a solid 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from beyond the arc. Utah State was 50.0 percent (28-of-56) on field goal attempts but just 28.0 percent (7-of-25) on three pointers. The Aggies were 13-of-18 at the free throw line as compared to just 7-of-14 for the Rams. USU won the boards 40-31, but turned over seven more times (15 to 8) that resulted in a 14-2 advantage in points off turnovers for CSU.
•   CSU was paced by redshirt-sophomore Anthony Bonner's 15 points, with Nixon right behind at 14 and seven rebounds. Senior Che Bob finished with 12 while Carvacho and junior Deion James tied for game-high honors with 10 rebounds each. Utah State had four players in double figures, led by McEwen with 25 points along with six rebounds and four assists.
(See page 19 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. 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 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.

Moby Arena Homecourt Advantage
•   CSU has a record of 546-226 (.707) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• 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.
•   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.
•   CSU has struggled in conference action at home this year, dropping the first six games by a combined 36 points, with four of those six losses decided by five points or less.

Non-Conference Highlight
•   CSU was undefeated in non-conference home games this season at 7-0.

Rebounding Emphasis Noted
•   The Rams won the battle of the boards in 22 of their 36 games in 2016-17, going 19-3 in those contests.
•   Colorado State was +2.6 on the glass in its 36 games in 2016-17 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 was again a key for the Rams, as they had the lead on the boards 18 times, including eight of the 11 wins.

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 was the leader on the glass for CSU with 331 boards (125 offensive) in 32 games (the only Ram to start all 32 this 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.
•   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 is 9.6 per game). He also had seven of the top 14 single-game totals in MW action.
•   He had double-doubles in 10 of the last 16 games he has played in and had a higher rebound average in MW league contests than Emmanuel Omogbo had last season (10.9).
•   He had his third career double-double with 11 points and a career-best 20 boards (still a league season-best mark) in the home win over Winthrop, Nov. 14.
•   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 posted a career-high 26 points and tied a career best with 20 rebounds in the win over San Jose State, Feb. 10. The last Ram to have a 20-point/20-rebound game was current Washington Wizards' Jason Smith, with 27 & 22 in a win over Wyoming on Feb. 24, 2007.
•   With his 20-rebound game against San Jose State, he moved up from 17th to eighth on CSU's single-season list. He finished the season in fifth with 331 boards, surpassing former standout and current Washington Wizard Jason Smith in sixth.
•   For his play this year, Carvacho was named Honorable Mention All-Mountain West by both the league's coaches and media members in two separate votes.

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 22 of 27 games played, Nixon led CSU in scoring at 16.1 points per game and hit a team-best 66 three-pointers. He also has led the Rams in scoring in 15 games this season.
•   He returned to action with 18 minutes of play against Nevada (scoring four points) after having been out due to an ankle injury in the final minute against Air Force, Jan. 17.
•   With his 27-point outing at Nevada, Feb. 25, Nixon surpassed the career 1,000 point mark and become the 28th Ram to accomplish that feat. He finished his junior year at 1,058 points in 20th in CSU history.
•    He also continued to do the job on the defensive end, as he drew 55 offensive fouls (a season-high five against Fresno State, Jan. 6) in his 27 games played along with grabbing a team-best 40 steals (career-high five against New Mexico, Feb. 28) -- a staggering total of 95 turnovers created (23.4 percent of CSU's opponent turnovers). Last year, he finished with 37 drawn fouls.

James Making An Impact
•   Junior forward Deion James got more comfortable on the court as the season went along in his first year at CSU, and the stats show it.
•   James was third on the team in scoring at 10.4 points and third in rebounding at 5.3 boards, while shooting 45.3 percent on his field goal attempts.
•   He scored in double figures 16 times and grabbed five or more boards on 17 occasions.
•   He tallied a then-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.
•   He posted his first CSU double-double of 11 points and a season-high 14 rebounds against Air Force, Jan. 17.
•   He followed it up with a season-best 24 points and 14 rebounds (tying season-high) against Wyoming, Jan. 31.
•   In CSU's 10 wins he played in, his numbers go up as he is averaging 10.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Bob Wrapping Up His Career
• Senior Che (said CHAY not SHAY) Bob is figuring out ways to contribute to the Rams' effort in all phases.
•   Getting the start in 28 of 32 games played this year, Bob averaged 9.9 points per game (fourth for CSU) and 5.9 rebounds per contest (14th 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.

Paige Wheels & Deals
•    Redshirt-junior J.D. 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.
•   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 is now averaging 10.4 points per game, third on the team, and has a team-high 2.6 assists per game.
•   However, Paige was suspended for a violation of team rules prior to the Nevada game, Feb. 25, and was out for the final three games.

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 had 11 players available to start 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.

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