Rams Renew In-State Rivalry Heading Down To Air Force For A Saturday Afternoon Tilt

2019-20 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #20 - Colorado State (12-7, 3-3) at Air Force (6-11, 2-3)
Jan. 18, 2020 • 2 p.m. MT • Clune Arena - USAFA, Colo.

Video: AT&T SportsNet (Play-by-Play: Drew Goodman / Color Analyst: Sed Bonner / Sideline: Jenny Cavnar)
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: Air Force
Complete Game Notes: Colorado State / Air Force

Opening Tip
• The Rams will stay in state but go back on the road, bussing to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force Saturday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. MT.
• The game will be broadcast on AT&T SportsNet, with Drew Goodman, Sed Bonner and Jenny Cavnar handling the show.
• 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 GoAirForceFalcons.com
The Leaders
• Colorado State Head Coach Niko Medved (Minnesota, '97) is in his second season at CSU as head coach with a 24-27 mark and has an 103-114 overall record is in his seventh season as a head coach.
• Air Force Head Coach Dave Pilipovich (Thiel, '86) is in his ninth season with the Falcons and as a head coach overall with a 107-140 record.

A Quick Look at Air Force
• Returning all five starters and 11 letterwinners from last season's 14-18 squad that was 8-10 in the Mountain West and finished sixth, the Falcons were picked to finish eighth in the league's preseason poll.
• Senior forward Lavelle Scottie was a preseason All-Mountain West and has stepped up to that, leading the sqaud in points and rebounds. Sophomore A.J. Walker is the team leader in minutes, assists and three-point field goal percentage.

History Versus Air Force
• Colorado State has controlled this series, owning an 80-33 lead, including 55-22 in conference play. On the road, the Rams are 33-18 overall.
• CSU has won 14 of the last 16 meetings between the two schools, with the only losses both coming in 2017-18
• Last year, CSU took both wins in decisive fashion, winning by 20+ in each contest. (box score on page 19-20).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has a 2-0 record against Air Force as a head coach. He was also part of the staff in 2011-12 and 2012-13, the first two years Dave Pilipovich led Air Force, and the Rams took all four meetings.

AIR FORCE - 80-33
Conference: 55-22
Home: 43-11 / Away 33-18 / Neutral 4-4
(complete list on page 21 with returner stats)

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 had nine non-conference wins, surpassing last year's total of five.

Non-Conference Winning Record
• With the victory over South Dakota State Dec. 10, the Rams secured a winning non-conference record.
• The nine non-conference wins is the most since CSU posted a school-best a 13-0 mark in 2014-15.

Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 133-183 (.421) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.

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 combined for 10 seasons of NCAA Division I experience, starting the year.
• However that has not hampered the Rams, as the regular rotation consists of three seniors, two sophomores and four freshmen, with the breakdown below.
2019-20 Production Breakdown (Total (%))
Category          Fr. (4)          So. (3)        Jr. (1)       Sr. (3)
> Points        609 (42.9)      344 (24.2)     5 (0.4)    461 (32.5)
> Rebounds    224 (32.8)      100 (14.7)         0      304 (44.6)
> Assists        132 (43.4)       61 (20.1)       1 (0.3)     110 (36.2)
> Blocks          17 (50.0)            0             0        17 (50.0)
> Steals          39 (28.9)       37 (27.4)       1 (0.7)     58 (43.0)
> Minutes      1427 (36.6)     1072 (27.5)    12 (0.3)   1389 (35.6)

Shooting the Lights Out On the Lobos
• CSU has now tied its win total from last year (12).
• This was the most points in a regulation 40-minute game against an opponent under Medved.
• The 19 three-pointers made are a school record (previous was 17 at Michigan on Jan. 2, 2000)
• CSU's 27 assists are tied for the second most in school history, while the three-point field goal percentage (67.9%) is the third best in program annals.
• Tonje's 10 points is his first double-digit scoring game at CSU.
• The Rams had six players score in double figures and two more added eight each.

Better Basketball Evident
• The numbers tell the story as CSU has improved in its last six contests in key categories, including the number of players averaging 10 or more points a game. The result is wins in five of the last six games after a 7-6 start.
Category       FG%     3P%    Reb +/-   Ast       Stl   Plyr 10+
First 13 (7-6)    45.1      33.3      -1.1      13.7      6.3       2
Last 6 (5-1)     50.0     38.5     +11.3     16.0      8.8       5

Travel Miles (including bus & to/from airport)
Total Travel So Far: 7 trips - 16,150 miles
Remaining: 7 trips - 7,299 miles

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 Jan. 16, 2020)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Total Assists                                        304          12th
Free Throws Attempted                           408         23rd
Assists Per Game                                  16.0         33rd
Personal Fouls Per Game                        15.2         40th
Field Goal Percentage                            46.8       42nd
Free Throws Made                                 274         46th

Players (top 100 nationally)
Nico Carvacho
Rebounds Per Game                              10.7          13th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game                7.84         13th
Free Throw Attempts                              110          28th
Double-Doubles                                    7            29th
Offensive Rebounds Per Game                 2.84        96th
Isaiah Stevens
Total Assists                                        88            51st
Assist-to-Turnover Radio                         2.15          71st
Assists Per Game                                  4.6          84th

A Big Night At Tulsa
• The Rams had a lot of moments in the triple-overtime win at Tulsa Dec. 21.
• CSU is now 28-36 all-time in overtime games and 1-1 in triple overtime. The previous 3OT game was in 1986-87 at Air Force, a 71-67 loss for CSU (the first year of the three-pointer in the college game)
• The 12 assists by Stevens tied the school record was the first time a Ram had 10 or more in a game since John Gillon handed out 11 against Nevada on Jan. 14, 2015.
• This was the first time this season that CSU has had two players with 20 or more points as well as two players with 10 or more rebounds.
• The last time CSU scored 100 points in a game was Nov. 7, 2018, a 100-66 win to open the year over Colorado Christian.
• The 111 points is the second-most ever scored by CSU against a Division I opponent, the most ever in a road game and the fourth most in school history (119 vs. Fort Lewis in 1992-93, 117 in 1970-71 vs. West Texas A&M (then D-I) and 113 in 1991-92 vs. Fort Lewis)
• The 14 three-pointers tie for the fifth-most in program history, while the 25 assists tie for eighth-most in a game.
• The 55 rebounds are the fourth-most in a single game.

Carvacho Growing On the Floor
• Redshirt-senior center Nico Carvacho showed his increased comfort level on the floor, growing extensively since his freshman year.
• He now has a Mountain West-record 1153 (tops in NCAA Division I among current active players), passing previous leader Pat Durham (1985-89) at 851.
• Carvacho also is first in CSU offensive rebounds with 389 and in CSU career defensive rebounds with 764 (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 42 career double-doubles are second in the league's history (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
12.    1246     Lonnie Wright (69 Games)             1963-66
13.    1229     Andy Ogide (94 Games)                  2007-11
14.    1240    Nico Carvacho (119 Games)         2016-pres.
15.    1210      J.D. Paige (124 Games)                     2015-19

Field Goals Made
9.     489     Nico Carvacho (119 Games)         2016-pres.
9.     486     Andy Ogide (94 Games)                  2007-11

Field Goal Percentage (Minimum 75 Made)
12.    .559     David Fisher (151-270)                     1998-01
13.    .555     Nico Carvacho (489-882)            2016-pres

Rebounds
1.     1153     Nico Carvacho (119 Games)       2016-pres.
2.     851      Pat Durham (125 Games)                1985-89

Rebounding Average (Minimum 35 Games)
3.     9.7       Nico Carvacho (119 Games)        2016-pres.
4.     9.6      Bill Green (76 Games)                    1960-63

Defensive Rebounds
1.     764      Nico Carvacho (119 Games)        2016-pres.

Offensive Rebounds
1.     389     Nico Carvacho (119 Games)         2016-pres.

Blocked Shots
10.    80       Alan Cunningham                         1976-78
11.    71        Nico Carvacho                          2016-pres.
Games Started
1.      130      Dorian Green                               2009-13
2.     117        Rich Strong                                 1982-86
3.     116       Nico Carvacho                          2016-pres.
4.     113       Pat Durham                                1985-89

Minutes
6.     3289    Matt Barnett                                1994-98
7.               3278                                 Nico Carvacho    2016-pres.

Double-Doubles
1.      42 Nico Carvacho (2016-pres.) (2nd in MW history)

Mountain West Career Rebounds (All Games)
1.      1153     Nico Carvacho (CSU, 119 gm)      2016-pres.
2.      958     Jordan Caroline (Nevada, 105 gm)     2016-19
3.      943     Luke Nevill (Utah)                        2005-09

Mountain West Only Game Career Rebounds
1.      645     Nico Carvacho (CSU)                2016-pres.
2.      486     Jordan Caroline (Nevada)                2016-19
3.      460     Luke Nevill (Utah)                        2005-09

Mountain West Career Double-Doubles
1.       44 Jordan Caroline (Nevada)                     2016-19
2.      42 Nico Carvacho (CSU)                     2016-pres.
3.      40 Kawhi Leonard (SDSU)                        2009-11
        40 Andrew Bogut (Utah)                         2003-05

Mountain West Games Only Career Double-Doubles
1.       28 Nico Carvacho (CSU)                     2016-pres.
2.      22 Jordan Caroline (Nevada)                     2016-19
3.      21   Kawhi Leonard (SDSU)                        2009-11

NCAA D-I Active Career Rankings (through Jan. 12, 2020)
1.       Total Rebounds                                           1153
1.       Double-Doubles                                           42
6.      Rebounding Average                                     9.7
7.            Consecutive Starts                                   116
32.    Free Throws Attempted                                 481
40.    Games Played                                              119
49.    Field Goal Percentage                                 55.5

Martin Stepping Up His Role
• Redshirt-senior Kris Martin has emerged as one of the leaders this season.
• He started last 16 of 27 games played in 2018-19, averaging 9.2 points (fourth for the Rams), 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 29.5 minutes a game
• He scored in double digits in 13 games, with two of 20+
• The guard made his season debut in 2018-19 against South Dakota State, Nov. 21, and tallied 11 points in 30 minutes of action.
• He led CSU with 21 points at Colorado, Dec. 1.
• 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 17 points (career-high tying 5 three-pointers) in the win over Doane, Dec. 28.
• The senior currently is sixth for CSU at 7.9 points per game while playing 25.2 minutes a contest, fifth on the team. He is shooting 37.3 percent from the field while also adding 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists a game.

Moving On Up
• Sophomores Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are 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.

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 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.
• Moore had a 23-point outing and Thistlewood contributed 12 points, in limited minutes, in the triple-overtime win at Tulsa Dec. 21.
• In the win over New Mexico Jan. 15, the duo combined for 33 points on 11-of-14 field goal shooting, 8-of-9 from the three-point arc, a pair of assists and four steals.
• Thistlewood is now fourth on the team at 10.0 points and fourth at 3.6 rebounds per game, while Moore is fifth at 8.6 points a contest and leads with 25 steals. Thistlewood leads the team at 44.3 percent from the three-point line, while Moore is just behind at 42.5 as each have connected a team-high 31 times this year.•

Newcomers With Impact
• Head coach Niko Medved has played four freshmen in 18 of the 19 contests so far, with three playing in all 19.
• Guard Isaiah Stevens has started all 18 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 17 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 led the Rams with 26 points, including 10 free throws, and a school record-tying 12 assists in the triple-overtime win at Tulsa Dec. 21. Roddy had his first CSU double-double as well with 17 points and 11 rebounds, both season highs.
• The duo were also key in the win over Wyoming Jan. 4. Roddy had season highs of 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Stevens added 17 points, six assists and three steals.
• They also combined for 42 points in the win at San Jose State, Jan. 11, including nine in the crucial final 3:48.
• In the domination over New Mexico Jan. 15, Stevens (19 points), Roddy (12) and Tonje (10) all played key roles, as Stevens also added eight assists and Roddy had six rebounds in the win.
• Stevens is currently leading the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game, shooting 48.0 percent from the floor, 38.5 from the arc and a team-best 82.1 percent from the free throw line. He has reached at least 10 points in 14 of the 19 games so far and had at least four assists in 13 of them, averaging 4.6 per game (3rd in the MW).
• Roddy is third at 11.3 points per game and second at 5.7 rebounds a contest, as the freshman has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 15 games and 13 total contests this season.
• Since entering the starting lineup against Tulsa six games ago, he is averaging 18.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg and shooting 53.0 percent from the floor.

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.
• January: 20 & 27
• February: 10 & 20 (Thur.)

All-Time Overtime
Overall: 28-36
                1-ot       2-ot     3-ot       Tot
Home:      10-15      6-2      0-0     16-17
Road:       10-15       1-1        1-1      12-17
Neutral:      0-1        0-1       0-0       0-2
Totals      20-31      7-4       1-1     28-36

Looking Ahead
• The Rams will come back to the friendly confines of Moby Arena to host Fresno State Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.
• The game will be broadcast 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.

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