Colorado State University Athletics
Friday, December 13
Fort Collins, Colo.
6 p.m. MT
Colorado State
vs
Colorado
Rams Host Rocky Mountain Showdown Contest With Colorado Friday At 6 p.m.
12/12/2019 11:16:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CSU to hold its annual White Out contest, hosting the Buffs on CBS Sports Network
2019-20 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #13 - Colorado State (7-5, 0-2) vs. #23 Colorado (7-2)
Dec. 13, 2019 • 6 p.m. MT • Moby Arena (8,083) - Fort Collins, Colo.
Buy Tickets Online
Video: CBS Sports Network (Play-by-Play: Rich Waltz / Color Analyst: Steve Lappas) -- DirectTV: 221 / Dish Network: 158 / Comcast Digital: 412 (HD)
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: Colorado State / Colorado
Video: CBS Sports Network (Play-by-Play: Rich Waltz / Color Analyst: Steve Lappas) -- DirectTV: 221 / Dish Network: 158 / Comcast Digital: 412 (HD)
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: Colorado State / Colorado
Opening Tip
• The Rams wrap up the two-game homestand with their annual White Out game, hosting No. 23 Colorado on Fri., Dec. 13 at 6 p.m.
• The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, with Rich Waltz and Steve Lappas handling the broadcast.
• The audio will be on 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.
• 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 97-110 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 1,269-1,277 (.498) in 2,546 games all-time.
• 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.
• Four freshman have made their debut for the Rams, as David Roddy, Isaiah Stevens, Dischon Thomas and John Tonje joined the program this year. James Moors is planned to redshirt this season.
• 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 an 19-25 mark and has a 98-112 overall record is in his seventh season as a head coach.
• Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle (Kansas, '85) is in his 10th season at Colorado with a 196-125 mark and 13th as a head coach overall with a 252-191 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 Colorado
• Returning all five starters and 13 letterwinners from last season's 23-13 squad that tied for fourth in the Pac-12 with a 10-3 record and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament, the Buffaloes were picked to finish second in the league's preseason poll.
• Junior Tyler Bey and McKinley Wright IV, both named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team, lead the Buffs in numerous key categories. Bey is the tops in points, rebounds, blocks and steals, while Wright leads in minutes and assists.
History Versus Colorado
• The two teams have met 128 times previously, with CU having a 90-38 advantage. The series is much closer in Fort Collins as the Buffs are 36-28 on the road.
• Over the last five years, the Rams have won three of the five meetings, including two in Boulder. The last time the two teams met in Fort Collins, CSU took a 72-63 victory. (box scores on pages 19-20).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 0-2 record against Colorado as a head coach and 1-3 against Pac-12 teams overall in his six-plus years. This year, he is 1-0 against the conference with a neutral-site win over Washington State.
COLORADO - 38-90
Conference: 14-54
Home: 28-36 / Away: 9-54 / Neutral: 1-0
(complete list on page 21)
CSU vs. Pac-12 Conference
School Overall H A N
Arizona 11-14 8-3 2-11 -
Arizona State 7-15 7-3 0-12 -
California 0-1 - 0-1 -
Colorado 38-90 28-36 9-54 1-0
Oregon 1-9 0-1 0-5 1-3
Oregon State 4-2 1-0 - 3-2
Southern Cal 2-6 0-3 2-3 -
Stanford 1-8 1-2 0-6 -
UCLA 3-4 1-0 1-4 1-0
Utah 46-99 28-40 17-54 1-5
Washington 2-1 1-0 1-1 -
Washington State 9-1 3-1 4-0 2-0
Totals 124-250 78-89 36-151 9-10
Medved vs. Colorado -- 0-2
Away 0-1 / Neutral: 0-1
Date Loc. W/L Score Att.
11/18/2017 Drake N L 81-86
12/1/2018 Colo. St. A L 80-86
& US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam (Lynchburg, Va.)
Medved vs. Pac-12 Conference
School Overall H A N
California 0-1 - 0-1 -
Colorado 0-2 - 0-1 0-1
Washington State 1-0 - - 1-0
Totals 1-3 - 0-2 1-1
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.
• This season, the Rams already have seven non-conference wins, surpassing last year's total of five, with three games to play.
Roster Size... But Inexperienced
• The Rams started the year with 12 eligible players on the roster. CSU had 14 players available to start the 2018-19 season but only 11 in 2017-18.
• Of those 12 this season, just five were a part of the program last season.
• Returners for the Rams combine for 10 seasons of NCAA Division I experience.
Non-Conference Winning Record
• With the victory over South Dakota State Dec. 10, the Rams secured a winning non-conference record.
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 557-237 (.702) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• The Rams had finished at least .500 in each of the last nine years prior to last season. This dated back to the 2008-09 season when the program was 6-9, prior to 2018-19'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.
Rams On the Tube
• The Rams' package has 18 televised games, with nine of them occurring at Moby Arena, eight of those nine league contests.
• In the 18 televised games, CSU will appear on the ESPN family of networks eight times, CBS Sports Network five times, AT&T SportsNet on four occasions and Stadium once.
• One non-conference game will be televised from Moby Arena, with the Colorado contest on Dec. 13 on CBS Sports Network.
• As part of the Mountain West conference slate, one home game and three road games were moved from Wednesday to Tuesday to accommodate broadcast requests. The game at Fresno State was moved from Feb. 5 to Feb. 4, the Utah State home game moved from Feb. 12 to 11th, at UNLV moved from Feb. 19 to Feb. 18 and the road finale at San Diego State moved from Feb. 26 to Feb. 25.
ESPN Networks (8)
Fri., Nov. 8 at Duke (ACC Network) L, 55-89
Sat., Dec. 21 at Tulsa (ESPN3) 12:30 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 15 New Mexico* (ESPN3) 7 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 22 Fresno State* (ESPN3) 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 25 at Utah State* (ESPNU) 8 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 29 Nevada* (ESPN3) 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 1 UNLV (ESPN3) 2 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 29 Air Force* (ESPN3) 2 p.m.
CBS Sports Network (5)
Fri., Dec. 13 Colorado 6 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 4 at Fresno State* 7 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 11 Utah State* 7:30 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 18 at UNLV* 8:30 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 25 at San Diego State* 9 p.m.
AT&T SportsNet (4)
Wed., Jan. 1 at Nevada* 8 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 4 Wyoming* 11 a.m.
Sat., Jan. 18 at Air Force* 2 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 15 at Wyoming* 2 p.m.
Stadium (1)
Wed., Dec. 4 San Diego State* L, 57-79
All times listed are Mountain Time
Travel Miles (including bus & to/from airport)
Non-Conference (round trip) - 4 trips/11,242 mi.
• Cayman Islands Classic (Grand Cayman) - 4,464 miles
• Duke (Durham, N.C.) - 3,036 miles
• Tulsa (Tulsa, Okla.) - 1,878 miles
• Loyola Marymount (Los Angeles, Calif.) - 1,864 miles
Mountain West (round trip) - 10 trips/12,207 mi.
• San Jose State (San Jose, Calif.) - 1,899 miles
• San Diego State (San Diego, Calif.) - 1,753 miles
• Nevada (Reno, Nev.) - 1,748 miles
• Fresno State (Fresno, Calif.) - 1,701 miles
• UNLV (Las Vegas, Nev.) - 1,289 miles
• MW Tournament (Las Vegas, Nev.) - 1,289 miles
• Boise State (Boise, Idaho) - 1,261 miles
• Utah State (Logan, Utah) - 771 miles
• Air Force (Colorado Springs, Colo.) - 256 miles
• Wyoming (Laramie, Wyo.) - 131 miles
National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through Dec. 11, 2019)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Free Throws Attempted 259th 6th
Free Throws Made 171 17th
Total Assists 169 20th
Field Goal Percentage 46.7 70th
Players (top 100 nationally)
Nico Carvacho
Free Throw Attempts 83 1st
Double-Doubles 5 12th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 7.42 20th
Rebounds Per Game 9.9 29th
Free Throws Made 44 42nd
Carvacho Growing On the Floor
• Redshirt-senior center Nico Carvacho showed his increased comfort level on the floor, growing extensively since his freshman year.
• Last season, Carvacho was effective, recording double-doubles in a school-record 22 games and averaged a team-high 16.1 points and a nation-leading 12.9 rebounds per game while shooting a league-best 59.2 percent from the floor (31st in NCAA).
• Carvacho also was named First Team All-Mountain West and All-Defensive Team by the league's media, in 2018-19.
• In addition, Carvacho was honored on the US Basketball Writers Association All-District squad last season.
• Carvacho started the 2018-19 season No. 20 on the CSU career rebounding chart. With his 12 rebounds against San Diego State Feb. 12, he became the all-time leading rebounder at CSU.
• He now has a Mountain West-record 1069 (tops in NCAA among current active players), passing previous leader Pat Durham (1985-89) at 851.
• Carvacho also is first in CSU offensive rebounds with 365 and in CSU career defensive rebounds with 704 (since tracking of the two categories began).
• He is now the leader in Mountain West-only double-doubles with 27, passing San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard (2009-11) and Nevada's Jordan Caroline. His 40 career double-doubles are tied for second in the league's history (tied for first among current active NCAA Division I players).
• Carvacho became the 29th CSU player in history to reach the 1,000 point mark in his career, accomplishing that feat in the opening round of the 2019 MW Championship.
• With his five rebounds against Arkansas State Nov. 20, 2019, he became the first player in league history with 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
• He was also named to the preseason watch list for the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced. Last year, he was a finalist as one of final 10 players from which the top center in men's college basketball will be recognized.
• Carvacho was named to the Preseason All-MW team entering this season by the league's media representatives.
• For his play against Omaha and in the three contests in Grand Cayman as CSU went 3-1 combined, Carvacho was named to the Cayman Islands Classic All-Tournament Team. He posted a pair of double-doubles and averaged 14.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in those games.
CSU Career Ranks
Points
15. 1199 Wes Eikmeier (96 Games) 2009-13
16. 1162 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
17. 1160 Cliff Shegogg (72 Games) 1966-70
Field Goals Made
11. 465 Cliff Shegogg (72 Games) 1966-70
12. 456 Jason Smith (87 Games) 2004-07
16. 453 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
Field Goal Percentage (Minimum 75 Made)
12. .559 David Fisher (151-270) 1998-01
13. .552 Nico Carvacho (453-821) 2016-pres
Rebounds
1. 1069 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
2. 851 Pat Durham (125 Games) 1985-89
Rebounding Average (Minimum 35 Games)
3. 9.6 Bill Green (76 Games) 1960-63
4. 9.5 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
Defensive Rebounds
1. 704 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
Offensive Rebounds
1. 365 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
Blocked Shots
10. 80 Alan Cunningham 1976-78
11. 66 Michael Harrison 2005-06
66 Ceedric Goodwyn 1998-00
66 Nico Carvacho 2016-pres.
Games Started
1. 130 Dorian Green 2009-13
2. 117 Rich Strong 1982-86
3. 113 Pat Durham 1985-89
4. 109 Nico Carvacho 2016-pres.
Minutes
7. 3192 John Sivesind 1997-01
8. 3071 Nico Carvacho 2016-pres.
9. 3038 Pierce Hornung 2009-13
Double-Doubles
1. 40 Nico Carvacho (2016-pres.) (t-2nd in MW history)
Mountain West Career Rebounds (All Games)
1. 1069 Nico Carvacho (CSU, 112 gm) 2016-pres.
2. 958 Jordan Caroline (Nevada, 105 gm) 2016-19
3. 943 Luke Nevill (Utah) 2005-09
Mountain West Career Double-Doubles
1. 44 Jordan Caroline (Nevada) 2016-19
2. 40 Nico Carvacho (CSU) 2016-pres.
40 Kawhi Leonard (SDSU) 2009-11
40 Andrew Bogut (Utah) 2003-05
NCAA D-I Active Career Rankings (through Dec. 11, 2019)
1. Total Rebounds 1069
t-1. Double-Doubles 40
5. Rebounding Average 9.5
7. Consecutive Starts 108
35. Games Played 112
40. Field Goal Percentage 55.2
Martin Stepping Up His Role
• Redshirt-senior Kris Martin has emerged as one of the leaders this season.
• He led CSU with 21 points at Colorado, Dec. 1, 2018.
• Martin recorded his first CSU career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Utah State, March 5.
• The guard led CSU in its opening win over Denver, Nov. 5, scoring a team-high 18 points and adding five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• He had 12 points and three steals in the victory over South Dakota State, Dec. 10.
• The senior currently is fourth for CSU at 8.7 points per game while playing 26.8 minutes a contest, fifth on the team. He is shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 68.4 from the charity stripe while also adding 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists a game.
Moving On Up
• Sophomores Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are going to be looked at to help lead this team as two of the four returning starters.
• Thistlewood was fifth on last year's team at 8.9 points per game and Moore is sixth at 8.8 points per game. Thistlewood scored in double figures in 16 contests, with Moore with 11 10+ point games.
• Thistlewood scored in double figures in each of the last six games and ranked third in the MW in three-point field goal percentage in conference games.
• Moore and Thistlewood each shot 78 percent or better from the charity stripe.
This season
• Thistlewood and Moore both had a solid game in the win over Omaha, Nov. 13.
• Thistlewood was 5-for-11 on field goals, including 5-for-8 from the three-point arc, and hit all four free throws for a career-high 19 points. He also added seven rebounds, two off his career best earlier this year against Denver.
• Moore tallied a season-best 16 points, including five triples against the Mavericks.
• Moore was solid in the thrilling win over Loyola Chicago Nov. 26, as he had a game-high 15 points, including 6-of-9 FG and 3-5 from the arc.
• Thistlewood was a standout against Washington State Nov. 27, as he had a game high and career-high 20 points on 6-of-9 FG, including tying a career-high with five three-pointers and chipped in four rebounds.
• Thistlewood also hit a long three with 16.9 seconds to play to lift the Rams to a win over South Dakota State, Dec. 10.
• Thistlewood is now third on the team at 9.8 points and third at 4.0 rebounds per game, while Moore is sixth at 7.9 points a contest and leads in steals with 16.
Newcomers With Early Impact
• Head coach Niko Medved has played four freshmen in nine of the 10 contests so far, with three playing in all 10.
• Guard Isaiah Stevens has started all 10 games and tied for game-high honors with forward David Roddy with 12 points at #4 Duke, Nov. 8.
• Roddy also added six rebounds and a steal in his 21 minutes of action.
• Dischon Thomas and John Tonje have both played at least eight contests and contributed off the bench.
• Stevens followed it up with against Omaha, Nov. 13, tallying 11 points and a team season-high five assists in the win and at Loyola Marymount, Nov. 16, with a game-high 21 points, five rebounds and five assists in the come-from-behind win.
• Stevens and Roddy both had a presence against Arkansas State Nov. 20. Stevens then had 11 points, six rebounds and a team season-high eight assists while Roddy had a personal-best 14 points with three blocks.
• Roddy scored in double figures in all three games in Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands Classic, averaging 11.0 points per game on 50.0 percent shooting from the field.
• Against Utah Valley Dec. 1, two other newcomers made a major contribution. Thomas scored a game-high 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and hitting all four free throws while adding six rebounds. Sophomore P.J. Byrd come off the bench and tallied eight points in 10 minutes in his first action of the season.
• Stevens is currently second on the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game, shooting 46.6 percent from the floor, 37.8 from the arc and a team-best 82.6 percent from the free throw line. He has reached at least 10 points in seven of the 12 games so far and had at least four assists in eight of them.
• Roddy is fifth at 8.5 points per game and second at 4.6 rebounds a contest, as the freshman has scored in double figures in six of the last eight games and seven total contests this season.
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 (other than the first and last shows) to hear their thoughts on the previous week and look forward to upcoming action.
• December: 16
• January: 6, 13, 20 & 27
• February: 10 & 20 (Thur.)
Looking Ahead
• The Rams will take finals and then head to the Central time zone to take on Tulsa as part of tke BOK Showcase at the BOK Center in Tulsa, playing at 12:30 pm MT. Oklahoma State and Minnesota will play the second game of the doubleheader.
• The game will be televised on ESPN3.
• The audio will be on 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.
• The Rams wrap up the two-game homestand with their annual White Out game, hosting No. 23 Colorado on Fri., Dec. 13 at 6 p.m.
• The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, with Rich Waltz and Steve Lappas handling the broadcast.
• The audio will be on 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.
• 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 97-110 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 1,269-1,277 (.498) in 2,546 games all-time.
• 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.
• Four freshman have made their debut for the Rams, as David Roddy, Isaiah Stevens, Dischon Thomas and John Tonje joined the program this year. James Moors is planned to redshirt this season.
• 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 an 19-25 mark and has a 98-112 overall record is in his seventh season as a head coach.
• Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle (Kansas, '85) is in his 10th season at Colorado with a 196-125 mark and 13th as a head coach overall with a 252-191 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 Colorado
• Returning all five starters and 13 letterwinners from last season's 23-13 squad that tied for fourth in the Pac-12 with a 10-3 record and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament, the Buffaloes were picked to finish second in the league's preseason poll.
• Junior Tyler Bey and McKinley Wright IV, both named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team, lead the Buffs in numerous key categories. Bey is the tops in points, rebounds, blocks and steals, while Wright leads in minutes and assists.
History Versus Colorado
• The two teams have met 128 times previously, with CU having a 90-38 advantage. The series is much closer in Fort Collins as the Buffs are 36-28 on the road.
• Over the last five years, the Rams have won three of the five meetings, including two in Boulder. The last time the two teams met in Fort Collins, CSU took a 72-63 victory. (box scores on pages 19-20).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 0-2 record against Colorado as a head coach and 1-3 against Pac-12 teams overall in his six-plus years. This year, he is 1-0 against the conference with a neutral-site win over Washington State.
COLORADO - 38-90
Conference: 14-54
Home: 28-36 / Away: 9-54 / Neutral: 1-0
(complete list on page 21)
CSU vs. Pac-12 Conference
School Overall H A N
Arizona 11-14 8-3 2-11 -
Arizona State 7-15 7-3 0-12 -
California 0-1 - 0-1 -
Colorado 38-90 28-36 9-54 1-0
Oregon 1-9 0-1 0-5 1-3
Oregon State 4-2 1-0 - 3-2
Southern Cal 2-6 0-3 2-3 -
Stanford 1-8 1-2 0-6 -
UCLA 3-4 1-0 1-4 1-0
Utah 46-99 28-40 17-54 1-5
Washington 2-1 1-0 1-1 -
Washington State 9-1 3-1 4-0 2-0
Totals 124-250 78-89 36-151 9-10
Medved vs. Colorado -- 0-2
Away 0-1 / Neutral: 0-1
Date Loc. W/L Score Att.
11/18/2017 Drake N L 81-86
12/1/2018 Colo. St. A L 80-86
& US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam (Lynchburg, Va.)
Medved vs. Pac-12 Conference
School Overall H A N
California 0-1 - 0-1 -
Colorado 0-2 - 0-1 0-1
Washington State 1-0 - - 1-0
Totals 1-3 - 0-2 1-1
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.
• This season, the Rams already have seven non-conference wins, surpassing last year's total of five, with three games to play.
Roster Size... But Inexperienced
• The Rams started the year with 12 eligible players on the roster. CSU had 14 players available to start the 2018-19 season but only 11 in 2017-18.
• Of those 12 this season, just five were a part of the program last season.
• Returners for the Rams combine for 10 seasons of NCAA Division I experience.
Non-Conference Winning Record
• With the victory over South Dakota State Dec. 10, the Rams secured a winning non-conference record.
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 557-237 (.702) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• The Rams had finished at least .500 in each of the last nine years prior to last season. This dated back to the 2008-09 season when the program was 6-9, prior to 2018-19'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.
Rams On the Tube
• The Rams' package has 18 televised games, with nine of them occurring at Moby Arena, eight of those nine league contests.
• In the 18 televised games, CSU will appear on the ESPN family of networks eight times, CBS Sports Network five times, AT&T SportsNet on four occasions and Stadium once.
• One non-conference game will be televised from Moby Arena, with the Colorado contest on Dec. 13 on CBS Sports Network.
• As part of the Mountain West conference slate, one home game and three road games were moved from Wednesday to Tuesday to accommodate broadcast requests. The game at Fresno State was moved from Feb. 5 to Feb. 4, the Utah State home game moved from Feb. 12 to 11th, at UNLV moved from Feb. 19 to Feb. 18 and the road finale at San Diego State moved from Feb. 26 to Feb. 25.
ESPN Networks (8)
Fri., Nov. 8 at Duke (ACC Network) L, 55-89
Sat., Dec. 21 at Tulsa (ESPN3) 12:30 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 15 New Mexico* (ESPN3) 7 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 22 Fresno State* (ESPN3) 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 25 at Utah State* (ESPNU) 8 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 29 Nevada* (ESPN3) 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 1 UNLV (ESPN3) 2 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 29 Air Force* (ESPN3) 2 p.m.
CBS Sports Network (5)
Fri., Dec. 13 Colorado 6 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 4 at Fresno State* 7 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 11 Utah State* 7:30 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 18 at UNLV* 8:30 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 25 at San Diego State* 9 p.m.
AT&T SportsNet (4)
Wed., Jan. 1 at Nevada* 8 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 4 Wyoming* 11 a.m.
Sat., Jan. 18 at Air Force* 2 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 15 at Wyoming* 2 p.m.
Stadium (1)
Wed., Dec. 4 San Diego State* L, 57-79
All times listed are Mountain Time
Travel Miles (including bus & to/from airport)
Non-Conference (round trip) - 4 trips/11,242 mi.
• Cayman Islands Classic (Grand Cayman) - 4,464 miles
• Duke (Durham, N.C.) - 3,036 miles
• Tulsa (Tulsa, Okla.) - 1,878 miles
• Loyola Marymount (Los Angeles, Calif.) - 1,864 miles
Mountain West (round trip) - 10 trips/12,207 mi.
• San Jose State (San Jose, Calif.) - 1,899 miles
• San Diego State (San Diego, Calif.) - 1,753 miles
• Nevada (Reno, Nev.) - 1,748 miles
• Fresno State (Fresno, Calif.) - 1,701 miles
• UNLV (Las Vegas, Nev.) - 1,289 miles
• MW Tournament (Las Vegas, Nev.) - 1,289 miles
• Boise State (Boise, Idaho) - 1,261 miles
• Utah State (Logan, Utah) - 771 miles
• Air Force (Colorado Springs, Colo.) - 256 miles
• Wyoming (Laramie, Wyo.) - 131 miles
National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through Dec. 11, 2019)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Free Throws Attempted 259th 6th
Free Throws Made 171 17th
Total Assists 169 20th
Field Goal Percentage 46.7 70th
Players (top 100 nationally)
Nico Carvacho
Free Throw Attempts 83 1st
Double-Doubles 5 12th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 7.42 20th
Rebounds Per Game 9.9 29th
Free Throws Made 44 42nd
Carvacho Growing On the Floor
• Redshirt-senior center Nico Carvacho showed his increased comfort level on the floor, growing extensively since his freshman year.
• Last season, Carvacho was effective, recording double-doubles in a school-record 22 games and averaged a team-high 16.1 points and a nation-leading 12.9 rebounds per game while shooting a league-best 59.2 percent from the floor (31st in NCAA).
• Carvacho also was named First Team All-Mountain West and All-Defensive Team by the league's media, in 2018-19.
• In addition, Carvacho was honored on the US Basketball Writers Association All-District squad last season.
• Carvacho started the 2018-19 season No. 20 on the CSU career rebounding chart. With his 12 rebounds against San Diego State Feb. 12, he became the all-time leading rebounder at CSU.
• He now has a Mountain West-record 1069 (tops in NCAA among current active players), passing previous leader Pat Durham (1985-89) at 851.
• Carvacho also is first in CSU offensive rebounds with 365 and in CSU career defensive rebounds with 704 (since tracking of the two categories began).
• He is now the leader in Mountain West-only double-doubles with 27, passing San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard (2009-11) and Nevada's Jordan Caroline. His 40 career double-doubles are tied for second in the league's history (tied for first among current active NCAA Division I players).
• Carvacho became the 29th CSU player in history to reach the 1,000 point mark in his career, accomplishing that feat in the opening round of the 2019 MW Championship.
• With his five rebounds against Arkansas State Nov. 20, 2019, he became the first player in league history with 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
• He was also named to the preseason watch list for the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced. Last year, he was a finalist as one of final 10 players from which the top center in men's college basketball will be recognized.
• Carvacho was named to the Preseason All-MW team entering this season by the league's media representatives.
• For his play against Omaha and in the three contests in Grand Cayman as CSU went 3-1 combined, Carvacho was named to the Cayman Islands Classic All-Tournament Team. He posted a pair of double-doubles and averaged 14.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in those games.
CSU Career Ranks
Points
15. 1199 Wes Eikmeier (96 Games) 2009-13
16. 1162 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
17. 1160 Cliff Shegogg (72 Games) 1966-70
Field Goals Made
11. 465 Cliff Shegogg (72 Games) 1966-70
12. 456 Jason Smith (87 Games) 2004-07
16. 453 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
Field Goal Percentage (Minimum 75 Made)
12. .559 David Fisher (151-270) 1998-01
13. .552 Nico Carvacho (453-821) 2016-pres
Rebounds
1. 1069 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
2. 851 Pat Durham (125 Games) 1985-89
Rebounding Average (Minimum 35 Games)
3. 9.6 Bill Green (76 Games) 1960-63
4. 9.5 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
Defensive Rebounds
1. 704 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
Offensive Rebounds
1. 365 Nico Carvacho (112 Games) 2016-pres.
Blocked Shots
10. 80 Alan Cunningham 1976-78
11. 66 Michael Harrison 2005-06
66 Ceedric Goodwyn 1998-00
66 Nico Carvacho 2016-pres.
Games Started
1. 130 Dorian Green 2009-13
2. 117 Rich Strong 1982-86
3. 113 Pat Durham 1985-89
4. 109 Nico Carvacho 2016-pres.
Minutes
7. 3192 John Sivesind 1997-01
8. 3071 Nico Carvacho 2016-pres.
9. 3038 Pierce Hornung 2009-13
Double-Doubles
1. 40 Nico Carvacho (2016-pres.) (t-2nd in MW history)
Mountain West Career Rebounds (All Games)
1. 1069 Nico Carvacho (CSU, 112 gm) 2016-pres.
2. 958 Jordan Caroline (Nevada, 105 gm) 2016-19
3. 943 Luke Nevill (Utah) 2005-09
Mountain West Career Double-Doubles
1. 44 Jordan Caroline (Nevada) 2016-19
2. 40 Nico Carvacho (CSU) 2016-pres.
40 Kawhi Leonard (SDSU) 2009-11
40 Andrew Bogut (Utah) 2003-05
NCAA D-I Active Career Rankings (through Dec. 11, 2019)
1. Total Rebounds 1069
t-1. Double-Doubles 40
5. Rebounding Average 9.5
7. Consecutive Starts 108
35. Games Played 112
40. Field Goal Percentage 55.2
Martin Stepping Up His Role
• Redshirt-senior Kris Martin has emerged as one of the leaders this season.
• He led CSU with 21 points at Colorado, Dec. 1, 2018.
• Martin recorded his first CSU career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Utah State, March 5.
• The guard led CSU in its opening win over Denver, Nov. 5, scoring a team-high 18 points and adding five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• He had 12 points and three steals in the victory over South Dakota State, Dec. 10.
• The senior currently is fourth for CSU at 8.7 points per game while playing 26.8 minutes a contest, fifth on the team. He is shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 68.4 from the charity stripe while also adding 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists a game.
Moving On Up
• Sophomores Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are going to be looked at to help lead this team as two of the four returning starters.
• Thistlewood was fifth on last year's team at 8.9 points per game and Moore is sixth at 8.8 points per game. Thistlewood scored in double figures in 16 contests, with Moore with 11 10+ point games.
• Thistlewood scored in double figures in each of the last six games and ranked third in the MW in three-point field goal percentage in conference games.
• Moore and Thistlewood each shot 78 percent or better from the charity stripe.
This season
• Thistlewood and Moore both had a solid game in the win over Omaha, Nov. 13.
• Thistlewood was 5-for-11 on field goals, including 5-for-8 from the three-point arc, and hit all four free throws for a career-high 19 points. He also added seven rebounds, two off his career best earlier this year against Denver.
• Moore tallied a season-best 16 points, including five triples against the Mavericks.
• Moore was solid in the thrilling win over Loyola Chicago Nov. 26, as he had a game-high 15 points, including 6-of-9 FG and 3-5 from the arc.
• Thistlewood was a standout against Washington State Nov. 27, as he had a game high and career-high 20 points on 6-of-9 FG, including tying a career-high with five three-pointers and chipped in four rebounds.
• Thistlewood also hit a long three with 16.9 seconds to play to lift the Rams to a win over South Dakota State, Dec. 10.
• Thistlewood is now third on the team at 9.8 points and third at 4.0 rebounds per game, while Moore is sixth at 7.9 points a contest and leads in steals with 16.
Newcomers With Early Impact
• Head coach Niko Medved has played four freshmen in nine of the 10 contests so far, with three playing in all 10.
• Guard Isaiah Stevens has started all 10 games and tied for game-high honors with forward David Roddy with 12 points at #4 Duke, Nov. 8.
• Roddy also added six rebounds and a steal in his 21 minutes of action.
• Dischon Thomas and John Tonje have both played at least eight contests and contributed off the bench.
• Stevens followed it up with against Omaha, Nov. 13, tallying 11 points and a team season-high five assists in the win and at Loyola Marymount, Nov. 16, with a game-high 21 points, five rebounds and five assists in the come-from-behind win.
• Stevens and Roddy both had a presence against Arkansas State Nov. 20. Stevens then had 11 points, six rebounds and a team season-high eight assists while Roddy had a personal-best 14 points with three blocks.
• Roddy scored in double figures in all three games in Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands Classic, averaging 11.0 points per game on 50.0 percent shooting from the field.
• Against Utah Valley Dec. 1, two other newcomers made a major contribution. Thomas scored a game-high 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and hitting all four free throws while adding six rebounds. Sophomore P.J. Byrd come off the bench and tallied eight points in 10 minutes in his first action of the season.
• Stevens is currently second on the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game, shooting 46.6 percent from the floor, 37.8 from the arc and a team-best 82.6 percent from the free throw line. He has reached at least 10 points in seven of the 12 games so far and had at least four assists in eight of them.
• Roddy is fifth at 8.5 points per game and second at 4.6 rebounds a contest, as the freshman has scored in double figures in six of the last eight games and seven total contests this season.
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 (other than the first and last shows) to hear their thoughts on the previous week and look forward to upcoming action.
• December: 16
• January: 6, 13, 20 & 27
• February: 10 & 20 (Thur.)
Looking Ahead
• The Rams will take finals and then head to the Central time zone to take on Tulsa as part of tke BOK Showcase at the BOK Center in Tulsa, playing at 12:30 pm MT. Oklahoma State and Minnesota will play the second game of the doubleheader.
• The game will be televised on ESPN3.
• The audio will be on 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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballColorado State Basketball (M): Ali Farokhmanesh Post-Game (Boise State)
Saturday, March 07
Colorado State Basketball (M): Kyle Jorgensen (L) & Jevin Muniz (R) Post-Game (Boise State)
Saturday, March 07
Rams Live: Jevin Muniz MBB Senior Spotlight
Friday, March 06
Rams Live: Ali Farokhmanesh Boise State Pregame Preview
Friday, March 06