Rams Look To Continue Winning Ways Hosting UNLV Saturday Afternoon For The Annual Orange Out

2019-20 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #24 - Colorado State (15-8, 6-4 MW) vs. UNLV (11-11, 6-3 MW)
Feb. 1, 2020 • 2 p.m. MT • Moby Arena (8,083) - Fort Collins, Colo.

BUY TICKETS
Video: WatchESPN.com (Play-by-Play: Trey Bender / Color Analyst: Stan Lewter)
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 / UNLV

Opening Tip
• The Aggie/Rams are back for the annual Orange Out game, hosting UNLV on Saturday, Feb. 1 in Moby Arena. The traditional game celebrates the school's heritage as an agricultural school from 1870-1957 (Colorado Agricultural College - 1870-1935 and Colorado A&M - 1935-1957). During those years, the official school colors were pumpkin and alfalfa and the mascot was the Aggies.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 at 2 p.m. MT, with Trey Bender and Stan Lewter 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 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 1,277-1,280 (.499) in 2,557 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 27-28 mark and has an 106-115 overall record is in his seventh season as a head coach.
• UNLV Head Coach T.J. Otzelbeger (Wisconsin-Whitewater, 2001) is in his first season at UNLV with an 11-11 mark and fourth as a head coach overall with an 81-44 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 UNLV
• Returning two starters and seven letterwinners from last season's 17-14 squad that tied for fourth in the Mountain West with an 11-7 mark, the Runnin' Rebels were picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll.
• Junior guard Amauri Hardy is the leader of the Runnin' Rebels, as he paces the squad in minutes, points, three pointers and assists. Junior forward Cheikh Mbacke Diong is the force in the middle for UNLV, as he lead the team in rebounds and blocked shots.

History Versus UNLV
• Throughout the years, UNLV has controlled this series, leading overall 40-16, but just 29-15 in conference action. The two teams have split the last five meetings, with CSU going 4-2 in Moby Arena, but the Runnin' Rebels have won the last three games by a combined 12 points.
• Last year, the Runnin' Rebels took both matchups, escaping Vegas with a two-point win and then getting a five-point victory in Fort Collins. (box scores on pages 19-20).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 0-2 record against UNLV as a head coach.
UNLV - 16-40
Conference: 15-29
Home: 11-16 / Away: 5-23 / Neutral: 0-1
(complete list on page 21 with returner stats)

Medved vs. UNLV -- 0-2 (0-2)
Home: 0-1 / Away: 0-1
     Date            School     Loc.         W/L   Score
*    1/2/19          Colo. St.      A              L      76-78
*    3/9/19          Colo. St.      H              L     60-65

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 15 games overall, surpassing last year's total of 12.
• The recent five-game win streak was the longest for CSU since the Rams won seven straight during 2016-17.
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          15-8      6-4
** Seasons prior to Medved taking over program
$ Postseason action for the program

Orange Out History (8-2)
• This will be the 11th time that CSU has worn the orange uniforms for the annual Ag Day/Orange Out game. Below is each matchup in the annual tradition.
Date         Opponent                W/L     Score         Att.
2/6/10        Wyoming                   W      80-64       5,277
2/12/11        New Mexico               W      68-62      6,425
2/18/12       Wyoming                   W       54-46      *8,745
2/12/13       San Diego State          W      66-60      *8,745
2/22/14      Wyoming                   W       82-67      6,590
2/7/15        UNLV                       W       83-82        7,113
2/20/16      Wyoming                   L       66-84       7,067
2/25/17      San Diego State          W      56-55      7,856
1/20/18       UNLV                        L       74-79      4,383
2/23/19      Wyoming                   W       83-48      5,026

Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 136-184 (.425) 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         742 (42.7)      439 (25.3)     5 (0.3)    550 (31.7)
> Rebounds    276 (34.2)      120 (14.9)         0       361 (44.8)
> Assists        160 (44.7)       70 (19.6)      1 (0.3)     127 (36.0)
> Blocks         21 (50.0)         1 (2.4)           0       20 (47.6)
> Steals          42 (26.8)       45 (28.7)       1 (0.7)     69 (43.9)
> Minutes       1739 (37.0)     1305 (27.8)    12 (0.3)   1644 (35.0)

Better Basketball Evident
• The numbers tell the story as CSU has improved in its last 10 contests in key categories, including overall scoring (+9.7 ppg) as well as the number of players averaging 10 or more points a game. The result is wins in eight of the last 10 games after a 7-6 start.
Category      FG%    3P%    Reb +/-   Ast      Stl   Plyr 10+ ppg
First 13 (7-6)   45.1    33.3      -1.1      13.7     6.3         2
Last 10 (8-2) 49.3    38.4      +5.4     18.0     7.5         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 10 (8-2)   17.0     7.1       2.6      0.6     52.1       28.0

Stevens       PPG    RPG     APG     SPG    FG%      3P%
First 13 (7-6)   10.9     2.9       3.5      0.5    46.4      37.0
Last 10 (8-2)   15.8     3.0       5.3      1.3     49.5      39.6

Thistlewood PPG    APG      SPG    FG%    3P%      FT%
First 13 (7-6)    9.7     0.8       0.7     44.7    41.4       72.2
Last 10 (8-2)   12.9     0.5       0.5     52.7    45.7      88.9

Long Distance Charges Incurred
• The Rams have dialed long distance effectively over the last 10 games, connecting on 38.4 percent (96-of-250) of their shots beyond the arc.
• Five different CSU players are 35.0 percent or better beyond the line, led by freshman freshman John Tonje at 45.8 percent (11-of-24).
• The other four are sophomore Adam Thistlewood (45.7 percent), sophomore Kendle Moore (44.0 percent) freshman Isaiah Stevens (39.6 percent) and redshirt-senior Kris Martin (35.4 percent).

Valuing the Basketball
• The Rams have done a great job taking care of possessions, especially the last three games.
• CSU is a +1.4 over the last 10 games (going 8-2), 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. 29, 2020)
CSU's Team Rankings                 Rank   Avg.
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage           3rd     37.2
Def. Rebound Percentage             2nd     78.1
Assists                                     1st     15.70
Turnover Margin                         2nd    +1.00
Assist/Turnover Ratio                  2nd     1.37

Individual Mountain West ONLY RankS (CSU only)
Scoring                       12.    David Roddy           15.10

16. Isaiah Stevens 13.80

Rebounding 1. Nico Carvacho 10.80

                                  9.    David Roddy           6.40
Field Goal Percentage     4.    David Roddy           49.6
Free Throw Percentage   15.    Isaiah Steevns         75.8
3-Pt. FG Made               t-11.    Adam Thistlewood   2.00
Assists                         5.    Isaiah Stevens          4.10

Steals t-14. Hyron Edwards 1.10

                                t-14.    Kendle Moore           1.10
Assist-to-Turnover          5.    Isiaah Stevens         2.05
Blocked Shots              t-6.    David Roddy           0.80

Offensive Rebounds t-1. Nico Carvacho 3.50

                                  3.    David Roddy           2.50
Defensive Rebounds        1.    Nico Carvacho        7.30
Minutes Played             12.    Isaiah Stevens       33.24

Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 562-238 (.708) 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 Nevada Jan. 29, CSU guaranteed a better than .500 home record this year.
• This year's 9-3 mark has to do with some significant differences in major categories in favor of the Rams.

Category      PPG    FG%   Reb     PF     Ast      TO    Stl
Colorado St. 78.6    49.5   34.1    167     210     138    85
Opponents   68.8    43.8   31.8    228    148     169    65

Shooting the Lights Out On the Lobos
• From the win over New Mexico Jan. 15, CSU 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 were a school record (previous was 17 at Michigan on Jan. 2, 2000)
• CSU's 27 assists were tied for the second most in school history, while the three-point field goal percentage (67.9%) was the third best in program annals.
• Tonje's 10 points was 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. 30, 2020)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Total Assists                                        358          12th
Free Throws Attempted                           490         23rd
Personal Fouls Per Game                        15.0         24th
Field Goal Percentage                            47.0        30th
Assists Per Game                                  15.6          31st
Free Throws Made                                 331          44th
Assist-to-Turnover Radio                         1.19          48th
Total 3-Pointers Made                            183           61st
3-Point Field Goal Percentage                  35.8        66th

Players (top 100 nationally)
Nico Carvacho
Rebounds Per Game                              10.6          12th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game                7.74          12th
Double-Doubles                                    9            26th
Free Throw Attempts                              127          37th
Offensive Rebounds Per Game                 2.87         76th
Isaiah Stevens
Total Assists                                        99          68th
Assist-to-Turnover Radio                         2.06       72nd

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), 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 USBWA 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.
• He currently leads the Mountain West in rebounding at 10.6 bpg, ranks in the top 20 in scoring and has nine double-doubles on the year.

NCAA D-I Active Career Rankings (through Jan. 30, 2020)
1.       Total Rebounds                                           1194
1.       Double-Doubles                                           44
5.      Rebounding Average                                     9.7
7.            Consecutive Starts                                  120
34.    Free Throws Attempted                                498
37.    Games Played                                             123

NCAA Overall Career Rebound Leaders since 1983-84
42.    Nico Carvacho                                           1194

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

Other notables coming up on the list soon
34.    Dale Davis (Clemson)                                    1216
32.    Shaquille O'Neal (LSU)                                  1217
25.    David Robinson (Navy)                                  1314
24.    Patrick Ewing (Georgetown)                           1316

Martin Stepping Up His Role
• Redshirt-senior Kris Martin has emerged as one of the leaders this season.
• 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 7.7 points per game while playing 23.4 minutes a contest, fifth on the team. He is shooting 35.6 percent from the field while also adding 3.5 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.
• The duo was strong in the thrilling win over Nevada Jan. 29. Thistlewood tallied a career-high 24 points, 22 of them coming in the second half, including hitting 7-of-10 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 at the charity stripe. Moore added 14 of his own and grabbed a pair of key steals.
• Thistlewood is now fourth on the team at 10.8 points and fourth at 3.3 rebounds per game, while Moore is fifth at 8.8 points a contest and leads with 29 steals. Thistlewood leads the team at 43.0 percent from the three-point line, while Moore is just behind at 40.9 as each have connected 40 and 38 times, respectively, beyond the arc.

Newcomers With Impact
• Head coach Niko Medved has played four freshmen in 22 of the 23 contests so far, with three playing in all 23.
• Guard Isaiah Stevens has started all 23 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.
• Both played key roles in the Nevada win on Jan. 29. After combining for just 13 points in the first half, the duo finished wtih 30 points (Roddy 18, Stevens 12), including Stevens hitting the 18-foot game-winner as time expired. Roddy also had a key block in the final minutes that helped the Rams rally from a 10-point, second-half deficit for the victory.
• Stevens is currently leading the team in scoring at 13.0points per game, shooting 47.9 percent from the floor, 38.3 from the arc and a team-best 80.0 percent from the free throw line. He has reached at least 10 points in 17 of the 23 games so far and had at least four assists in 14 of them, averaging 4.3 per game (4th in the MW).
• Roddy is third at 12.2 points per game and second at 5.7 rebounds a contest, as the freshman has scored in double figures in 16 of the last 19 games and 19 total contests this season.
• In conference action only, the pair rank among the top 20 scorers in the Mountain West, with Roddy 12th at 15.1 points per game and Stevens 16th at 13.8. Roddy is also ninth in MW rebounding at 6.40 boards a game, while Stevens is fifth in assists at 4.1 per contest.
• Since entering the starting lineup against Tulsa 10 games ago, Roddy is averaging a team-best 17.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg and shooting 52.1 percent from the floor.

Looking Ahead
• The Rams will go back out on the road quickly, traveling to California to take on Fresno State on Tuesday, Feb. 4
• The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network 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.

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