Rams To Host Air Force For Regular-Season Finale Saturday Afternoon

2019-20 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #31 - Colorado State (19-11, 10-7 MW) vs. Air Force (11-18, 5-12 MW)
Feb. 29, 2020 • 2 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)
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 / Air Force

Opening Tip
• The Rams will return home for Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 29, hosting in-state rival Air Force at 2 p.m. CSU will recognize its three seniors (Nico Carvacho, Kris Martin, Hyron Edwards) in a pre-game ceremony.
• The game will be televised 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

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 110-118 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 1,281-1,283 (.500) in 2,564 games all-time.
• 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 31-31 mark and has an 110-118 overall record is in his seventh season as a head coach.
• Air Force Head Coach Dave Pilipovich (Thiel, '86) is in his eighth season with the Falcons and as a head coach overall with a 109-149 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 Air Force
• Returning all five starters and 11 letterwinners from last season's 14-18 squad that was 8-10 in the Mountain West and finished sixth, the Falcons were picked to finish eighth in the league's preseason poll.
• Senior forward Lavelle Scottie was a preseason All-Mountain West and has stepped up to that, leading the sqaud in minutes, points and rebounds. Senior center Ryan Swan paces the team in steals and field goal percentage.

History Versus Air Force
• Colorado State has controlled this series, owning an 81-33 lead, including 56-22 in conference play. At home, CSU has gone 43-11 overall
• CSU has won 15 of the last 17 meetings between the two schools, with the only losses both coming in 2017-18.
• Last year, CSU took the win at Moby Arena, 87-64, and won this season's previous meeting in Colorado Springs, 78-65. (box score on page 19-20).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has a 3-0 record against Air Force as a head coach. He was also part of the staff in 2011-12 and 2012-13, the first two years Dave Pilipovich led Air Force, and the Rams took all four meetings.

AIR FORCE - 81-33
Conference: 56-22
Home: 43-11 / Away 34-18 / Neutral 4-4
(complete list on page 21 with returner stats)

Medved vs. Air Force -- 3-0 (3-0 at CSU)

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 19 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          19-11      10-7
** Seasons prior to Medved taking over program
$ Postseason action for the program

Current MW Tournament Breakdown
• No matter what happens in Saturday's action, the Rams will be the sixth seed in the upcoming Air Force Reserve Mountain West Championship, as unfortunately, CSU holds none of the tiebreakers against UNLV and Boise State.
• The top five teams in the league receive byes in the first round of the Air Force Reserve Mountain West Championship.
• CSU will play in the 5 pm PT game on Wednesday, March 4 against the 11th seed, which will be either San Jose State or Wyoming.
• To not be the 11th seed, Wyoming (2-15 MW) must win at Fresno State and San Jose State (3-14 MW) lose to UNLV to move up to the 10th seed. Otherwise, the Rams and Cowboys will meet for the third time this year.

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         961 (42.6)      561 (22.9)      7 (0.3)    725 (32.2)
> Rebounds    366 (34.3)      154 (14.4)         0      480 (45.0)
> Assists        209 (45.6)       92 (20.1)      1 (0.3)     156 (34.1)
> Steals          52 (26.4)       60 (30.5)      1 (0.5)     84 (42.6)
> Blocks         29 (49.2)         3 (5.1)           0       27 (45.8)
> Minutes      2293 (37.6)     1712 (28.1)     14 (0.2)   2082 (34.1)

Better Basketball Evident
• The numbers tell the story as CSU has improved in its last 17 contests in key categories, including overall scoring (+6.2 ppg) as well as the number of players averaging 9.4 or more points a game. The result is wins in 12 of the last 17 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 17 (12-5) 48.2    38.1      +4.6     16.5     6.8         5

Stevens       PPG    RPG     APG     SPG    FG%      3P%
First 13 (7-6)   10.9     2.9       3.5      0.5    46.4      37.0
Last 17 (12-5) 14.5     3.1       5.2       1.1     48.0      38.8

Roddy         PPG    RPG     APG     SPG    FG%      3P%
First 13 (7-6)    8.5     4.6       1.2      0.7     41.2       15.4
Last 17 (12-5) 14.0     6.6       2.1      0.6    50.3      25.7

Long Distance Charges Incurred
• The Rams have dialed long distance effectively over the last 17 games, connecting on 38.1 percent (150-of-394) of their shots beyond the arc.
• Five different CSU players are 35.5 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 (43.9 percent) and Adam Thistlewood (38.2), freshman Isaiah Stevens (38.8 percent) and redshirt-senior Kris Martin (35.5 percent).

Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 564-239 (.704) 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 11-4 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. 79.2    50.4   34.1    209    263     178    101
Opponents   69.9    43.5   31.6    287    182     202    86

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 1274 (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 34, passing San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard (2009-11) and Nevada's Jordan Caroline. His 48 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 13 double-doubles on the year.
• His 324 boards this year ranks 7th on CSU's single-season chart, seven behind his 2017-18 total in sixth.

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.
• He came off the bench to tally a game-high 19 points (4-7 3-pointers, 7-8 free throws) in 19 minutes of action in the win at Air Force Jan 18.
• Martin was key in the win over Wyoming Feb. 15, as he scored all 13 points and grabbed all five rebounds in the second half of the win, including hitting the game-winning three pointer in the final minute.
• The senior currently is sixth for CSU at 7.6 points per game while playing 22.6 minutes a contest, fifth on the team. He is shooting 36.2 percent from the field while also adding 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 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 10.3 points and fifth at 2.9 rebounds per game, while Moore is fifth at 8.7 points a contest and leads with 38 steals. Moore is second on the team at 41.6 percent from the three-point line, while Thistlewood is third at 39.6 as each have connected 52 and 53 times, respectively, beyond the arc.

Newcomers With Impact
• Head coach Niko Medved has played four freshmen in 29 of the 30 contests so far, with three playing in all 30.
• Guard Isaiah Stevens has started all 30 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 29 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 12.9 points per game, shooting 47.4 percent from the floor, 38.1 from the arc and 81.1 percent from the free throw line. He has reached at least 10 points in 22 of the 30 games so far and had at least four assists in 19 of them, averaging 4.50 per game (3rd in the MW).
• Against Wyoming Feb. 15, Stevens set CSU's freshman assist record, surpassing Michael Morris (2002-03) at 121. He currently has 135 assists on the year, which is tied for eighth on the CSU single-season chart. (140 is tied for 5th).
• Roddy is third at 11.6 points per game and second at 5.8 rebounds a contest, as the freshman has scored in double figures in 20 of the last 26 games and 24 total contests this season.
• In conference action only, the pair rank among the top 20 scorers in the Mountain West, with Stevens in 14th with 13.29 points per game and Roddy 17th with 12.88. Roddy is also tied for 11th in rebounding at 6.24 boards per MW game, while Stevens is third in assists at 4.53 per contest.
•  Since entering the starting lineup against Tulsa 17 games ago (CSU is 12-5 in those games), Roddy is averaging 14.0 ppg, 66 rpg and shooting 50.3 percent from the floor.

Looking Ahead
• The Rams will head to Las Vegas for the Air Force Reserve Mountain West Championship, March 3-7.
• The first round will be on the Mountain West Network with the next two rounds on CBS Sports Network. The championship game will be broadcast on CBS.
• 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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