Rams Open 2019-20 Campaign Hosting Denver Nov. 5

2019-20 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #1 - Colorado State (0-0) vs. Denver (0-0)
Nov. 5, 2019 • 7 p.m. MT • Moby Arena (8,038) - Fort Collins, Colo.

Buy Tickets Online
Video: MW 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: Colorado State
Complete Game Notes: CSU / Denver

Opening Tip
• The Rams open the 2019-20 regular season Tue., Nov. 5 at 7 p.m., when CSU hosts in-state rival Denver in Moby Arena.
• The game will stream on the MW Network and also air across the Colorado State Sports Radio Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth and Adam Nigon on the call.
• Live audio is available on the Colorado State Sports Network, including Power 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 stats on CSURams.com.

2019-20 Rams Quick Hits
• Colorado State is under the direction of second-year head coach Niko Medved, who took over the helm of the Rams' program in 2018-19. In his seventh season as a head coach, Medved has an 91-107 record overall but improved on the previous season's record in each of his six years as a head coach, including last year at CSU.
• The 2019-20 season marks the 116th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,263-1,272 (.498) in 2,535 games all-time.
• CSU concluded the 2018-19 season in the Mountain West Tournament first round and finished the year with an 12-20 overall record, including 7-11 in MW play.
• The Rams are hoping to earn their eighth invitation for postseason play in the last 11 years.
• CSU returns four starters and five letterwinners to this year's squad along with seven newcomers to the program.
• Overall, the Rams return three players with 25 or more starts from the 2018-19 campaign, led by First Team All-Mountain West and All-District selection Nico Carvacho. The redshirt-senior center, who led the nation in rebounding average last season, is pacing this squad along with senior guards Kris Martin and Hyron Edwards and sophomores Adam Thistlewood and Kendle Moore.
• Among the seven newcomers, two bring collegiate experience to the roster, as junior guard Kyle Lukasiewicz played two years of junior college basketball and sophomore guard P.J. Byrd spent last year at VCU.
• Five freshman could make their debut for the Rams, as James Moors, David Roddy, Isaiah Stevens, Dischon Thomas and John Tonje joined the program this year.
• 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 second season at CSU as head coach with a 12-20 mark and has a 91-107 overall record is in his seventh season as a head coach.
• Denver Head Coach Rodney Billups (Denver, '05) is in his fifth season at Denver as head coach and overall, with a 39-51 record.

A Familiar Face In Fort Collins
• While he may be in just his second season in charge of the program, head coach Niko Medved was already a familiar face around Fort Collins and to Ram 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.

A Quick Look at Denver
• Returning two starters and six letterwinners from last season's 8-22 squad that finished ninth with a 3-13 mark in the Summit League, the Pioneers were picked to finish ninth in the league's preseason poll.
• Senior guard Ade Murkey is the leading returner at team bests of 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

History Versus Denver
• This is the second-most played series in CSU annals with its 164th edition tonight, with the Rams holding a 93-70 advantage.
• CSU has held a decisive margin in the series since 1968, having won 36 of the last 42 meetings.
• The last meeting was Dec. 19, 2014, as the Rams pulled out a thrilling 85-84 win at DU.
• CSU leader Niko Medved has not faced Denver as a head coach, though was a part of seven meetings as a CSU assistant, going 5-2.
DENVER - 93-70
Conference: 46-58
Home: 56-29 / Away: 35-41 / Neutral: 2-0
Last Five Meetings
    Date              Loc.       W/L      Score           Att.
    11/18/2010       Away        W       77-66         4851
    1/11/2012        Home       W       79-75        2946
    11/21/2012       Away        W       60-53        4883
    12/11/2013       Home        L        70-80        3968
    12/19/2014       Away        W       85-84           4111
(Complete list of matchups on page 14)

CSU vs. The Summit League
School                  Overall     Home      Away    Neut.
Denver                   93-70      56-29      35-41      2-0
IPFW                        2-0          2-0           -          -
North Dakota             1-0           1-0           -          -
North Dakota State      2-1          2-0          0-1         -
Omaha                     2-0          2-0           -          -
Oral Roberts              3-1          2-0          1-1         -
South Dakota             0-1           0-1           -          -
South Dakota State     0-2          0-1           -         0-1
Totals                    103-75      65-31      36-43      2-1

Season Openers Quick Hits
• Overall 87-28 (Home: 62-15)
• Modern NCAA Division I Era (starts 1937-38) Overall: 64-17 (Home: 49-7)
• Won 37 of 38 last season openeres and 11 consecutive - last loss was Nov. 9, 2007 at Montana
• Season Openers vs. Denver: 6-1
•   Last One: 11/27/76 -- at Denver - W, 77-68

Home Openers Quick Hits
• Home Openers: 90-25
• Modern NCAA Division I Era (starts 1937-38) : 69-12
• Won 38 straight home openers, dating back to the 1980-81 season, a 79-64 loss to Oklahoma State
• Won 43 of last 45 home openers
• Home Openers vs. Denver: 6-4 (2-1 Modern Era)
•   Last One - 12/1/73 - L, 64-71

Improvement Always
• 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.
• In his first year at CSU in 2018-19, he continued that trend, surpassing the previous season's win totals at CSU, both overall and in Mountain West play.

Returning/Lost...By the Numbers
• The Rams added several key newcomers for 2019-20 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 despite having just five returners from last year's lineup
• Here is a quick look at what the Rams returned in major statistical categories:
Category      Returning / Lost      Total           % Return
> Scoring         1449 / 944         2,393             60.6
> Rebounding    737 / 344           1,081              68.2
> Assists           302 / 170            472               64.0
> Blocks             48 / 28              76                63.2
> Steals             124 / 75             199               62.3
> Minutes        4099 / 2326        6,425             63.8

Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 553-235 (.702) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• The Rams had finished at least .500 in each of the last nine years prior to this season, dating back to the 2008-09 season when the program was 6-9, prior to last year's 8-9 mark.
• 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.

Looking Ahead
• The Rams open the road portion of the 2019-20 regular season on Fri., Nov. 8, when CSU travels to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on #4 Duke.
• Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
• The game will be broadcast on the ESPN/ACC Network and also air across the Colorado State Sports Radio 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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