Rams To Host Fresno State Wednesday Night For Coaches Vs. Cancer Game

2019-20 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #21 - Colorado State (13-7, 4-3 MW) vs. Fresno State (6-12, 2-5 MW)
Jan. 22, 2020 • 7 p.m. MT • Moby Arena (8,083) - Fort Collins, Colo.

BUY TICKETS
Video: WatchESPN.com (Play-by-Play: Trey Bender / Color Analyst: Sed Bonner)
Radio: Colorado State Sports Network (Play-by-Play: Brian Roth / Color Analyst: Adam Nigon)
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Live Stats: Colorado State
Complete Game Notes: Colorado State / Fresno State

Opening Tip
• The Rams will come back to the friendly confines of Moby Arena to host Fresno State Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.
• Tonight will be the Coaches vs. Cancer game, with coaches on both sides wearing sneakers to recognize the battle.
• In addition, CSU will be wearing its throwback jerseys with the names of current cancer warriors on the backs instead of player names, with the jerseys presented to the warriors after the game.
• Head coach Niko Medved will also be presenting a personal $2,602 (the number of students at the Colorado game) to be split equally between Coaches vs. Cancer and UCHealth Cancer Research.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Trey Bender and Sed Bonner 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

The Leaders
• Colorado State Head Coach Niko Medved (Minnesota, '97) is in his second season at CSU as head coach with a 25-27 mark and has an 104-114 overall record is in his seventh season as a head coach.
• Fresno State Head Coach Justin Hutson (CSU Bakersfield, '94) is in his second season with the Bulldogs and as a head coach overall with a 29-21 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 Fresno State
• Returning three starters and five letterwinners from last season's 23-9 squad that was 13-5 in the Mountain West and finished third, the Bulldogs were picked to finish sixth in the league's preseason poll.
• Freshman forward Orlando Robinson tops Fresno State in points per game and field goal percentage, while senior forward Nate Grimes is the leader in rebounsd and blocks. Senior guard New Williams paces the Bulldogs in three-pointers and steals with freshman guard Jarred Hyder leading the team in minutes and free throw percentage.

History Versus Fresno State
• This is as even a series as it can be, with both teams having 18 victories in it. However, CSU has been tough in Fort Collins, posting a 14-3 record (all but two wins in Moby).
• Last year, the two teams split, each winning on its home court (box scores on page 19-20).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has a 1-1 record against Fresno State as a head coach.

FRESNO STATE - 18-18
Conference: 10-13
Home: 14-3 / Away: 2-13 / Neutral: 2-2
(complete list on page 21 with returner stats)

Medved vs. Fresno State -- 1-1 (1-1 at CSU)
Home: 1-0/ Away: 0-1
     Date            School     Loc.         W/L   Score
*    1/5/2019      Colo. St.      A              L      67-78
*    1/26/2019    Colo. St.      H             W     74-65

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. The squad has also won 13 games overall, surpassing last year's total of 12.
• The four-game win streak is the longest for CSU since opening the 2017-18 season with four consecutive wins. The four straight conference victories are the longest since the Rams won seven in a row during the 2016-17 campaign.

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 134-183 (.423) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.
CSU vs. Mountain West Conference
School                  Overall     Home      Away    Neut.
Air Force                 81-33        43-11       34-18      4-4
Boise State               11-14         8-4         2-9        1-1
Fresno State             18-18        14-3        2-13       2-2
Nevada                    9-15          5-4         4-10       0-1
New Mexico             48-78       35-26      12-50      1-2
San Diego State        41-44       26-14       13-26      2-4
San Jose State          19-0          8-0         9-0       2-0
UNLV                     16-40        11-16        5-23       0-1
Utah State               39-56       28-19       11-35      0-2
Wyoming                95-136      54-56      39-76     3-4
Totals                  377-434    231-153   131-260   15-21

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        640 (42.8)     360 (24.0)     5 (0.3)    492 (32.9)
> Rebounds    233 (32.7)      102 (14.3)         0      323 (45.4)
> Assists        139 (44.0)       63 (19.9)      1 (0.3)     113 (35.8)
> Blocks          19 (52.8)            0             0        17 (47.2)
> Steals          40 (28.0)       41 (28.7)       1 (0.7)     61 (42.7)
> Minutes       1512 (36.9)     1130 (27.6)     12 (0.3)   1446 (35.3)

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 six of the last seven games after a 7-6 start.
Category      FG%    3P%    Reb +/-   Ast      Stl   Plyr 9+ ppg
First 13 (7-6)   45.1    33.3      -1.1      13.7     6.3         3
Last 7 (6-1)    49.8    38.2      +8.3     19.7     8.7         6

Roddy         PPG    RPG     APG     SPG    FG%      3P%
First 13 (7-6)    8.5     4.6       1.2      0.7     41.2       .154
Last 7 (6-1)     16.6     7.4       2.4      0.9    52.6      25.0

Stevens       PPG    RPG     APG     SPG    FG%      3P%
First 13 (7-6)   10.9     2.9       3.5      0.5    46.4      37.0
Last 7 (6-1)     16.7     3.0       6.3      1.7     50.0      40.0

Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 560-238 (.706) 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.

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.

National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through Jan. 20, 2020)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Total Assists                                        316           13th
Free Throws Attempted                           434        22nd
Assists Per Game                                  15.8         36th
Field Goal Percentage                            46.8         37th
Personal Fouls Per Game                        15.4         53rd
Free Throws Made                                 289         49th
Total Steals                                          143          65th

Players (top 100 nationally)
Nico Carvacho
Rebounds Per Game                              10.8           11th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game                7.95         10th
Double-Doubles                                    8            24th
Free Throw Attempts                              113          33rd
Offensive Rebounds Per Game                 2.85        90th
Isaiah Stevens
Total Assists                                        90            61st
Assist-to-Turnover Radio                         2.20         61st
Assists Per Game                                  4.5           91st

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.
• In 2017-18, 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).
• 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.
• 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 after moving up from 20th to the top spot on CSU's career rebounding chart.
• He now has a Mountain West-record 1166 (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 392 and in CSU career defensive rebounds with 774 (since tracking of the two categories began).
• He is now the leader in Mountain West-only double-doubles with 29, passing San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard (2009-11) and Nevada's Jordan Caroline. His 43 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
9.     1293     Gary Rhoades (77 Games)              1970-73
10.    1281      Jason Smith (87 Games)                 2004-07
11.    1250    Nico Carvacho (119 Games)         2016-pres.

Field Goals Made
7.               536                       Barry Young (81 Games)    1977-80
8.     501      Lonnie Wright (69 Games)              1963-66
9.     494     Nico Carvacho (119 Games)         2016-pres.

Field Goal Percentage (Minimum 75 Made)
12.    .559     David Fisher (151-270)                     1998-01
13.    .556     Nico Carvacho (494-888)            2016-pres

Rebounds
1.     1166     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

Games Started
1.      130      Dorian Green                               2009-13
2.     117       Nico Carvacho                          2016-pres.
       117        Rich Strong                                 1982-86
4.     113       Pat Durham                                1985-89

Minutes
4.     3414     Todd Benn                                  1981-85
5.     3301    Nico Carvacho                          2016-pres.

Double-Doubles
1.      43 Nico Carvacho (2016-pres.) (2nd in MW history)

Mountain West Career Rebounds (All Games)
1.      1166     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.      658     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.      43 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.       29 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                                           1166
1.       Double-Doubles                                           43
5.      Rebounding Average                                     9.7
7.            Consecutive Starts                                   117
34.    Free Throws Attempted                                484
42.    Games Played                                             120
50.    Field Goal Percentage                                 55.6

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.
• Off the bench, Martin was the spark for the Rams at Air Force Jan. 20, tallying a team-best 19 points, including a string of 11 straight points for CSU, in the road victory.
• The senior currently is sixth for CSU at 8.5 points per game while playing 24.9 minutes a contest, fifth on the team. He is shooting 37.9 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 9.6 points and fourth at 3.5 rebounds per game, while Moore is fifth at 8.6 points a contest and leads with 27 steals. Thistlewood leads the team at 42.1 percent from the three-point line, while Moore is just behind at 41.8 as each have connected 33 and 32 times, respectively, beyond the arc.

Newcomers With Impact
• Head coach Niko Medved has played four freshmen in 19 of the 20 contests so far, with three playing in all 20.
• Guard Isaiah Stevens has started all 20 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 13.0 points per game, shooting 47.8 percent from the floor, 38.3 from the arc and a team-best 80.6 percent from the free throw line. He has reached at least 10 points in 15 of the 20 games so far and had at least four assists in 13 of them, averaging 4.5 per game (3rd in the MW).
• Roddy is third at 11.4 points per game and second at 5.6 rebounds a contest, as the freshman has scored in double figures in 13 of the last 16 games and 14 total contests this season.
• Since entering the starting lineup against Tulsa seven games ago, Roddy is averaging 16.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg and shooting 52.6 percent from the floor.

Looking Ahead
• The Rams will return to the road on Saturday, Jan. 25, traveling to Logan, Utah to take on Utah State
• The game will be broadcast on ESPNU at 8 p.m. MT, with Steve Quis and Richie Schueler 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.

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