Border War, Part Deux: Rams Head to Wyoming For Saturday Afternoon Contest

2019-20 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #27 - Colorado State (17-9, 8-5) at Wyoming (6-19, 1-12)
Feb. 15, 2020 • 2 p.m. MT • Arena-Auditorium (15,028) - Laramie, Wyo.

Video: AT&T SportsNet (Play-by-Play: Drew Goodman / Color Analyst: Dave Bollwinkel)
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: Wyoming
Complete Game Notes: Colorado State / Wyoming

Opening Tip
• Winners of eight of their last 10 (all in Mountain West play), the Rams will go on the road for their shortest road trip in Mountain West play, heading to Laramie to take on Wyoming on Saturday, Feb. 15.
• The game will be broadcast on AT&T SportsNet at 2 p.m. MT, with Drew Goodman and Dave Bollwinkel handling the commentary.
• 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 108-115 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 1,279-1,281 (.500) in 2,560 games all-time.

• 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 29-29 mark and has an 108-116 overall record is in his seventh season as a head coach.
• Wyoming Head Coach Allen Edwards (Kentucky, 2002) is in his fourth season at Wyoming and as a head coach overall with a 57-71 mark.

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 Wyoming
• Returning four starters and eight letterwinners from last season's 8-24 squad that was 4-14 in the Mountain West, the Cowboys were picked to finish 10th in the league's preseason poll.
• Redshirt-sophomore Hunter Maldonado was the leading returning scorer and has upped his numbers, leading the Cowboys in points (17.0), rebounds (5.8), total assists (100), blocks (16) and minutes per game (34.3).

History Versus Wyoming
• The longest running series for CSU, the Rams trail in the overall margin 136-95, including 117-68 in conference action.
• The Cowboys have a definitive 76-39 advantage in Laramie, including winning there last year, 74-66.
• CSU won this year's previous meeting in Fort Collins. (box scores on pages 19-20).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 2-2 record against Wyoming as a head coach.

WYOMING - 95-136
Conference: 68-117
Home: 53-56 / Away: 39-76 / Neutral: 3-4
(complete list on page 21 with returner stats)

Medved vs. Wyoming -- 2-2 (2-1 at CSU)
Home: 2-0 / Away: 0-2
     Date            School     Loc.         W/L   Score
     12/2/2017      Drake        A              L     89-96
*    2/9/2019     Colo. St.      A              L     66-74
*    2/23/2019   Colo. St.      H             W     83-48
*    1/4/2020     Colo. St.      H             W      72-61

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 16 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          17-9      8-5
** 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 138-185 (.427) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.

Stevens MW Player of the Week
• Guard Isaiah Stevens has been named Mountain West Player of the Week for his performances last week, the league announced Feb. 3. This is the first weekly award for the freshman and the first for the Rams this season.
• He is the first CSU freshman in the modern era to earn conference player of the week honors and just the 17th true freshman in MW history.
• The guard led the Rams to a pair of wins over the two teams in second place in the MW, moving CSU up into a tie for second and secure at least a .500 season record for the Rams.
• He averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the week while shooting 68.8 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from the 3-point arc.
• He hit the game winner as time expired to defeat Nevada, finishing with 12 points, a season high-tying six rebounds and four assists for the game.
• He then paced the Rams with 21 points in the win over UNLV, connecting on 7-of-8 from the field and hitting all five of his 3-point attempts, including a highly-contested three as time expired in the first half.
• The Allen, Texas native added five rebounds and five assists in the victory over the Runnin' Rebels.
• He impacted this week's team performances, as CSU posted its third and fourth highest scoring outputs of the year (second and third in regulation).

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         856 (43.2)     496 (25.0)     5 (0.3)    626 (31.6)
> Rebounds     316 (34.6)       134 (14.7)         0      406 (44.5)
> Assists        190 (46.2)       83 (20.2)      1 (0.3)     137 (33.3)
> Steals          46 (26.1)       54 (30.7)      1 (0.6)     75 (42.6)
> Blocks         28 (52.8)        2 (3.8)          0       23 (43.4)
> Minutes      1990 (37.5)     1487 (28.1)     13 (0.2)   1811 (34.2)

Better Basketball Evident
• The numbers tell the story as CSU has improved in its last 13 contests in key categories, including overall scoring (+9.4 ppg) as well as the number of players averaging 9.5 or more points a game. The result is wins in 10 of the last 13 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 13 (10-3) 49.7    40.1      +4.5     17.9     7.2         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 13 (10-3) 15.8     7.0       2.6      0.6     51.4       28.6

Stevens       PPG    RPG     APG     SPG    FG%      3P%
First 13 (7-6)   10.9     2.9       3.5      0.5    46.4      37.0
Last 13 (10-3) 16.2     3.2       5.6      1.2     53.3       43.1

Thistlewood PPG    APG      SPG    FG%    3P%      FT%
First 13 (7-6)    9.7     0.8       0.7     44.7    41.4       72.2
Last 13 (10-3) 12.4     0.5       0.5     49.4    42.6      92.6

Long Distance Charges Incurred
• The Rams have dialed long distance effectively over the last 13 games, connecting on 40.1 percent (127-of-317) of their shots beyond the arc.
• Five different CSU players are 39.0 percent or better beyond the line, led by freshman freshman John Tonje at 48.3 percent (14-of-29).
• The other four are sophomores Kendle Moore (.439) and Adam Thistlewood (42.6 percent), freshman Isaiah Stevens (43.1 percent) and redshirt-senior Kris Martin (39.0 percent).

Valuing the Basketball
• The Rams have done a great job taking care of possessions, especially during this stretch run.
• CSU is a +1.1 over the last 13 games (going 10-3), 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 10-2 (4-1 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 Feb. 13, 2020)
CSU's Team Rankings                 Rank   Avg.
Scoring Offense                         3rd     77.23
Field Goal Percentage                 1st      47.7
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage           2nd     39.2
Assists                                     1st     16.15
Turnover Margin                         3rd     +0.85
Assist/Turnover Ratio                 1st      1.43

Individual Mountain West ONLY RankS (CSU only)
Scoring                       12.    Isaiah Stevens        14.69

14. David Roddy 14.31

Rebounding 1. Nico Carvacho 11.08

12. David Roddy 6.46

Field Goal Percentage 3. Isaiah Stevens 51.1

6. David Roddy 49.3

3-Pt. FG Made 10. Adam Thistlewood 2.09

                                t-15.    Kendle Moore          1.92
Assists                         2.    Isaiah Stevens         4.69
Steals                         t-7.    Kendle Moore          1.38
Assist-to-Turnover          3.    Isiaah Stevens          2.18
Blocked Shots               5.    David Roddy            1.08

Offensive Rebounds 1. Nico Carvacho 3.62

                                 t-5.    David Roddy            2.31
Defensive Rebounds        1.    Nico Carvacho        7.46
Minutes Played             10.    Isaiah Stevens       33.36

Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 563-239 (.702) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• The Rams had finished at least .500 in each of the last nine years prior to last season. This dated back to the 2008-09 season when the program was 6-9, prior to 2018-19's 8-9 mark.
• With the win over Nevada Jan. 29, CSU guaranteed a better than .500 home record this year.
• This year's 10-4 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. 79.3    50.4   33.7    191     248     160    94
Opponents   69.9    44.1    31.9    264    176     189    78

National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through Feb. 13, 2020)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Total Assists                                        411           15th
Personal Fouls Per Game                        14.8          17th
Assists Per Game                                  15.8          21st
Field Goal Percentage                            47.5       22nd
3-Point Field Goal Percentage                  37.0          31st
Assist-to-Turnover Radio                         1.24         38th
Free Throws Attempted                           547          41st
Scoring Offense                                    76.3        54th
Total 3-Pointers Made                            214          57th
Free Throws Made                                 371          70th

Players (top 100 nationally)
Nico Carvacho
Defensive Rebounds Per Game                7.77           11th
Rebounds Per Game                              10.8          13th
Double-Doubles                                    11            26th
Free Throw Attempts                              147           41st
Offensive Rebounds Per Game                 3.00        57th
Isaiah Stevens
Assist-to-Turnover Radio                         2.13        62nd
Total Assists                                        119          56th
Assists Per Game                                  4.6          88th

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 1230 (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 32, passing San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard (2009-11) and Nevada's Jordan Caroline. His 46 career double-doubles are also first 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 10.8 rpg and has 11 double-doubles on the year.

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 10.9 points and fourth at 3.0 rebounds per game, while Moore is fifth at 8.7 points a contest and leads with 36 steals. Thistlewood is second on the team at 42.0 percent from the three-point line, while Moore is third at 41.3 as each have connected 47 and 45 times, respectively, beyond the arc.

Newcomers With Impact
• Head coach Niko Medved has played four freshmen in 25 of the 26 contests so far, with three playing in all 26.
• Guard Isaiah Stevens has started all 26 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 23 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 13.6 points per game, shooting 50.2 percent from the floor, 40.4 from the arc and 79.7 percent from the free throw line. He has reached at least 10 points in 20 of the 26 games so far and had at least four assists in 17 of them, averaging 4.58 per game (3rd in the MW).
• Roddy is third at 12.2 points per game and second at 5.8 rebounds a contest, as the freshman has scored in double figures in 19 of the last 22 games and 22 total contests this season.
• In conference action only, the pair rank among the top 20 scorers in the Mountain West, with Stevens in 12th with 14.69 points per game and Roddy 14th with 14.31. Roddy is also 12th in MW rebounding at 6.46 boards a game, while Stevens is second in assists at 4.69 per contest.
• Since entering the starting lineup against Tulsa 12 games ago, Roddy is averaging 15.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg and shooting 51.4 percent from the floor.

Coors Light Coaches Show Is Back
• The Coors Light Basketball Head Coaches Show returnsed 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.
• February: 20 (Thur.)

Looking Ahead
• The Rams will remain on the road with a quick turnaround, headed to the home of the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas to take on UNLV on Tuesday night.
• The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network at 8:30 pm 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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