Rams Open Two-Game Home Swing Hosting Nevada Wednesday Night

2019-20 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #23 - Colorado State (14-8, 5-4 MW) vs. Nevada (13-8, 6-3 MW)
Jan. 29, 2020 • 7 p.m. MT • Moby Arena (8,083) - Fort Collins, Colo.

BUY TICKETS
Video: WatchESPN.com (Play-by-Play: Trey Bender / Color Analyst: Kelly Stewart)
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 / Nevada

Opening Tip
• The Rams will come back to Moby Arena for a pair of home tilts, starting with a rematch against Nevada on Wednesday, Jan. 29
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. MT.
• 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 a 105-115 record overall but improved on the previous season's record in each of his seven years as a head coach, including both years now at CSU.
• The 2019-20 season marks the 116th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,276-1,280 (.499) in 2,556 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.

• 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 26-28 mark and has an 105-115 overall record is in his seventh season as a head coach.
• Nevada Head Coach Steve Alford (Indiana, '87) is in his first season at Nevada with a 13-8 mark and 25th as a Division I head coach overall with a 522-277 record. Alford previously coached in the Mountain West at New Mexico.

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 Nevada
• Returning no starters and three letterwinners from last season's 29-5 squad that tied for the Mountain West regular season title with a 15-3 mark and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, the Wolf Pack were picked to finish fourth in the league's preseason poll.
• Senior guard Lindsey Drew returns after missing last year due to injury and leads the Wolf Pack in rebounds, assists and steals. Returning guard Jazz Johnson is the top Nevada player in minutes, three-pointers and three-point field goal percentage, while junior Jalen Harris has paced the squad in points and is second in rebounds after sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules.

History Versus Nevada
• Nevada has had the better of the overall series, leading 15-9 and having won the last eight meetings between the two programs, with two of those in Fort Collins. The last CSU win was Feb. 6, 2016, a 76-67 victory in Moby Arena.
• Last year, the Wolf Pack won by 16 in Fort Collins, but this year's game was just a six-point margin in Reno. (box scores on pages 19-20).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 0-3 record against Nevada as a head coach.

NEVADA - 9-15
Conference: 5-8
Home: 5-4 / Away: 4-10 / Neutral: 0-1
(complete list on page 21 with returner stats)

Medved vs. Nevada -- 0-3 (0-3)
Home: 0-1 / Away: 0-2
     Date            School     Loc.         W/L   Score
*    1/23/2019    Colo. St. A (@#7)         L   60-100
*    2/6/2019     Colo. St. H (v #6)         L      82-98
*    1/1/2020      Colo. St.      A              L      61-67

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 14 games overall, surpassing last year's total of 12.
• The five-game win streak is the longest for CSU since the Rams won seven in a row during the 2016-17 campaign.
The Improvement Under Medved
Year            School                  Overall   Conf      Post
2012-13         Furman**                 6-24     3-15
2013-14         Furman                   9-21     3-13
2014-15         Furman                   11-22     5-13
2015-16         Furman                   19-16     11-7         $
2016-17         Furman                   23-11     14-4        $

2016-17         Drake**                    7-24     5-13
2017-18         Drake                     17-17     10-8        $
2017-18         Colorado State**        11-21     4-14
2018-19         Colorado State         12-20     7-11
2019-20        Colorado State          14-8      5-4
** Seasons prior to Medved taking over program
$ Postseason action for the program

Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 135-184 (.423) 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         709 (43.1)      401 (24.4)     5 (0.3)    529 (32.2)
> Rebounds    265 (34.3)       114 (14.7)         0      345 (44.6)
> Assists         151 (44.4)       66 (19.4)      1 (0.3)     122 (33.9)
> Blocks          19 (48.7)            0             0        20 (51.3)
> Steals          41 (26.8)       42 (27.5)       1 (0.7)     69 (45.1)
> Minutes       1668 (37.1)     1247 (27.7)    12 (0.3)   1573 (35.0)

Better Basketball Evident
• The numbers tell the story as CSU has improved in its last nine contests in key categories, including overall scoring (+10.4 ppg) as well as the number of players averaging 10 or more points a game. The result is wins in seven of the last eight 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 9 (7-2)    48.9    38.2      +5.8     18.0     7.9         5

Roddy         PPG    RPG     APG     SPG    FG%      3P%
First 13 (7-6)    8.5     4.6       1.2      0.7     41.2       15.4
Last 9 (7-2)    16.9     7.3       2.7      0.7    52.9      30.4

Stevens       PPG    RPG     APG     SPG    FG%      3P%
First 13 (7-6)   10.9     2.9       3.5      0.5    46.4      37.0
Last 9 (7-2)    16.2     2.7       5.4      1.4     49.5      40.0

Long Distance Charges Incurred
• The Rams have dialed long distance effectively over the last nine games, connecting on 38.2 percent (87-of-228) of their shots beyond the arc.
• Five different CSU players are 37.0 percent or better beyond the line, led by freshman freshman John Tonje at 45.5 percent (10-of-22).
• The other four are sophomore Adam Thistlewood (44.8 percent), sophomore Kendle Moore (43.2 percent) freshman Isaiah Stevens (40.0 percent) and redshirt-senior Kris Martin (37.0 percent).

Valuing the Basketball
• The Rams have done a great job taking care of possessions, especially the last two games.
• CSU is a +1.5 over the last nine games (going 7-2), including season lows of six at Air Force, Jan. 18, followed by a new low of five versus Fresno State, Jan. 22.
• This season, Colorado State is 9-2 (3-1 in MW) when the opponent has more turnovers as compared to just 4-7 (MW 2-7) last year in the same situation.

Conference Only Rankings
Here are the team categories the Rams' rank in the top three in Mountain West only games and where the individual players appear in the rankings
                                (through games of Jan. 26, 2020)
CSU's Team Rankings                 Rank   Avg.
Scoring Defense                        3rd     70.44
Field Goal Percentage                 2nd     46.0
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage           2nd     36.8
Def. Rebound Percentgae             2nd     78.6
Assists                                     1st     15.44
Turnover Margin                         2nd     +1.11
Assist/Turnover Ratio                  2nd     1.32

Individual Mountain West ONLY RankS (CSU only)
Scoring                       12.    David Roddy          14.78

16. Isaiah Stevens 14.00

Rebounding 1. Nico Carvacho 10.33

                                 t-6.    David Roddy           6.56
Field Goal Percentage     4.    David Roddy           50.0
3-Pt. FG Made               14.    Adam Thistlewood    1.86
Assists                         4.    Isaiah Stevens           4.11
Steals                        t-12.    Hyron Edwards        1.22
Assist-to-Turnover          5.    Isiaah Stevens          1.95
Blocked Shots             t-10.    David Roddy           0.67

Offensive Rebounds 2. Nico Carvacho 3.33

t-3. David Roddy 2.44

Defensive Rebounds 1. Nico Carvacho 7.00

Minutes Played 13. Isaiah Stevens 33.38

Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 561-238 (.707) 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. With the win over Fresno State Jan. 22, CSU guaranteed at least a .500 home record this year.
• 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
• From the win over New Mexico Jan. 15, 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. 26, 2020)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Total Assists                                        340          13th
Personal Fouls Per Game                        15.1          29th
Free Throws Attempted                           460        32nd
Assists Per Game                                  15.5         38th
Field Goal Percentage                            46.7        38th
Assist-to-Turnover Radio                         1.17          58th
Free Throws Made                                 308         64th
Total 3-Pointers Made                            174          66th

Players (top 100 nationally)
Nico Carvacho
Rebounds Per Game                              10.4          14th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game                7.64         14th
Double-Doubles                                    8              31st
Free Throw Attempts                              119         42nd
Offensive Rebounds Per Game                 2.77         93rd
Isaiah Stevens
Total Assists                                        95          68th
Assist-to-Turnover Radio                         2.02       82nd

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), earning Honorable Mention All-Mountain West by both the league's coaches and media members.
• 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 was named First Team All-Mountain West and All-Defensive Team by the league's media, in 2018-19 and honored on the US Basketball Writers Association All-District squad after moving to the top spot on CSU's career rebounding chart.
• He now has a Mountain West-record 1179 (tops in NCAA Division I among current active players), passing previous leader Pat Durham (1985-89) at 851.
• 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. Last year, he was a finalist as one of final 10 players for the top center in men's college basketball.
• 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.

NCAA D-I Active Career Rankings (through Jan. 26, 2020)
1.       Total Rebounds                                           1179
1.       Double-Doubles                                           43
6.      Rebounding Average                                     9.7
7.            Consecutive Starts                                   119
35.    Free Throws Attempted                                490
37.    Games Played                                             122

NCAA Overall Career Rebound Leaders since 1985-86
47.    Nico Carvacho                                           1179

Passed This Year
        Alonzo Mourning (Georgetown)                      1032
        Draymond Green (Michigan State)                  1096
        Christian Laettner (Duke)                               1149
        Pervis Ellison (Louisville)                                1149
        Paul Millsap (La. Tech/Denver Nuggets)             1172

Other notables coming up on the list soon
44.    Raef LaFrentz (Kansas)                                  1186
34.    Dale Davis (Clemson)                                    1216
32.    Shaquille O'Neal (LSU)                                  1217

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, 2019.
• 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 8.0 points per game while playing 23.8 minutes a contest, fifth on the team. He is shooting 36.4 percent from the field while also adding 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 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 10.1 points and fourth at 3.3 rebounds per game, while Moore is fifth at 8.5 points a contest and leads with 27 steals. Thistlewood leads the team at 42.5 percent from the three-point line, while Moore is just behind at 40.2 as each have connected 37 and 35 times, respectively, beyond the arc.

Newcomers With Impact
• Head coach Niko Medved has played four freshmen in 21 of the 22 contests so far, with three playing in all 22.
• Guard Isaiah Stevens has started all 22 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.
• Against Fresno State Jan. 22, the duo combined for 47 points (Roddy 26, Stevens 21) to lead the Rams to their fifth consecutive win.
• Stevens is currently leading the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game, shooting 47.8 percent from the floor, 38.5 from the arc and a team-best 80.3 percent from the free throw line. He has reached at least 10 points in 16 of the 22 games so far and had at least four assists in 13 of them, averaging 4.3 per game (4th in the MW).
• Roddy is third at 12.0 points per game and second at 5.7 rebounds a contest, as the freshman has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 18 games and 18 total contests this season.
• Since entering the starting lineup against Tulsa nine games ago, Roddy is averaging 16.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg and shooting 52.9 percent from the floor.

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 stay at home to take on UNLV for the annual Orange Out game on Saturday, Feb. 1.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 at 2 p.m. MT.
• 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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