Colorado State University Athletics

Adam Thistlewood ranks in the top 15 on CSU's career three-pointers chart
CSU Quickly Back On the Floor Hosting New Mexico Feb. 9 & 11
2/8/2021 1:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Rams and Lobos will meet for a pair of Mountain West contests on national television
Opening Tip
• The Rams return to home for a pair of key Mountain West games on national television, hosting New Mexico Feb. 9 and 11.
• Tuesday's game will tip at 9 p.m. on FS1 with Lane Grindle and former CSU head coach Tim Miles on the call. Thursday night will be a 6 p.m. MT tip on CBS Sports Network, with Rich Waltz and former Gonzaga standout and NBA player Dan Dickau 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.
Â
2020-21 Rams Quick Hits
• Colorado State is under the direction of third-year head coach Niko Medved, who took over the helm of the Rams' program in 2018-19. In his eighth season as a head coach, Medved has a 125-123 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 2020-21 season marks the 117th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,296-1,288 (.502) in 2,584 games all-time.
• CSU concluded the 2019-20 season in the Mountain West Tournament first round and finished the year with an 20-12 overall record, including 11-7 in MW play, an eight-game improvement over 2018-19.
• The Rams earned their eighth invitation for postseason play in the last 11 years, though postseason events were eventually cancelled due to the CoVID-19 virus worldwide pandemic.
• CSU returns four starters and seven letterwinners to this year's squad along with five newcomers to Division I action.
• 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 third season at CSU as head coach with a 46-36 mark and has an 125-123 overall record is in his eighth season as a head coach.
• New Mexico Head Coach Paul Weir (York, '04) is in his fourth season with the Lobos with a 57-57 record and fifth as a head coach overall with a 85-63 mark.
Â
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.
Â
A Quick Look at New Mexico
• Returning one starter and six letterwinners from last season's 19-14 squad that was 7-11 in the Mountain West, the Lobos were picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll.
• Redshirt-senior guard/forward Makuach Maluach is the lone returning starter and is the undoubted leader for the Lobos, pacing the squad in minutes, points, rebounds, three-pointers and steals.
Â
History Versus New Mexico
• New Mexico has had the better of the series, holding a 78-48 lead, including 71-47 in conference matchups. However the story is different in Fort Collins, as CSU had a 35-26 advantage, including four of the last six.
• Last year, the Rams dominated from the three-point arc for a resounding 105-72 victory, only the second time in their history they have scored 100 points or more against a Mountain West opponent (box score on page 19).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 2-1 record against New Mexico as a head coach.
Â
NEW MEXICO - 48-78
Conference: 47-71
Home: 35-26 / Away: 12-50 / Neutral: 1-2
(complete list on page 20 with returner stats)
Â
Medved vs. New Mexico -- 2-1 (2-1 at CSU)
Home: 2-0 / Away: 0-1
    Date           School    Loc.        W/L  Score
*   1/12/2019    Colo. St.     H            W    91-76
*   3/2/2019    Colo. St.     A             L     65-77
*   1/15/2020   Colo. St.     H            W   105-72
Â
Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 150-189 (.442) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.
CSU vs. Mountain West Conference
School                 Overall    Home     Away   Neut.
Air Force                82-33      44-11      34-18     4-4
Boise State              12-15        9-5        2-9       1-1
Fresno State           22-18       17-3       3-13      2-2
Nevada                  10-15        6-4        4-10      0-1
New Mexico            48-78      35-26     12-50     1-2
San Diego State       42-46      26-14      14-28     2-4
San Jose State         22-0        9-0        9-0      4-0
UNLVÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 19-41Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 14-16Â Â Â Â Â Â 5-24Â Â Â Â Â Â 0-1
Utah State              40-59     28-20     12-37     0-2
Wyoming               98-137     54-56     42-76    3-5
Totals                 394-442  241-155  136-265 17-22
Â
 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 past season, the Rams had nine non-conference wins, surpassing last year's total of five. The squad has also won 20 games overall, surpassing last year's total of 12.
• The five-game win streak during the 2020-21 season was the longest for CSU since the Rams won seven straight during 2016-17.
• This year, Medved had the Rams off to their best conference start in the modern era (WAC and Mountain West) with the 11-3 mark.
Â
The Improvement Under Medved
Year           School                 Overall  Conf     Post
2012-13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Furman**Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6-24Â Â Â Â 3-15
2013-14       Furman                  9-21    3-13       Â
2014-15       Furman                  11-22    5-13       Â
2015-16       Furman                  19-16    11-7        $
2016-17       Furman                  23-11    14-4       $
               Â
2016-17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Drake**Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7-24Â Â Â Â 5-13
2017-18       Drake                    17-17    10-8       $
Â
2017-18Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Colorado State**Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11-21Â Â Â Â 4-14
2018-19       Colorado State        12-20    7-11
2019-20      Colorado State        20-12    11-7       $*
** Seasons prior to Medved taking over program
$ Postseason action for the program (2020 postseason canceled due to CoVID-19)
Â
Medved vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School                 Overall    Home     Away   Neut.
Air Force                 4-0         2-0        2-0        -
Boise State               2-4         1-2         1-1       0-1
CSU Pueblo              1-0          1-0          -         -
Fresno State             5-1         4-0         1-1        -
Nevada                    1-3          1-1         0-2        -
New Mexico              2-1         2-0         0-1        -
Northern Arizona       1-0          1-0          -         -
Saint Mary's (CA)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -
Santa Clara               1-0           -          1-0        -
San Diego State         1-4         0-2         1-2        -
San Jose State          5-0         1-0         2-0      2-0
UNLVÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -
Utah State                1-5         0-2         1-3        -
Wyoming                 5-3         2-0        3-2      0-1
TOTALSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 32-25Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 18-8Â Â Â Â Â Â 12-15Â Â Â Â Â 2-2
Â
CSU vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School                 Overall    Home     Away   Neut.
Air Force                82-33      44-11      34-18     4-4
Boise State              12-15        9-5        2-9       1-1
CSU Pueblo              7-0         7-0          -         -
Fresno State           22-18       17-3       3-13      2-2
Nevada                  10-15        6-4        4-10      0-1
New Mexico            48-78      35-26     12-50     1-2
Northern Arizona       3-2         3-0         0-1       0-1
Saint Mary's (CA)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2-2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1-1
Santa Clara               1-1           -          1-0       0-1
San Diego State       42-46      26-14      14-28     2-4
San Jose State         22-0        9-0        9-0      4-0
UNLVÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 19-41Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 14-16Â Â Â Â Â Â 5-24Â Â Â Â Â Â 0-1
Utah State              40-59     28-20     12-37     0-2
Wyoming               98-136     53-56     42-76    3-4
TOTALSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 408-446Â Â 251-155Â Â 139-267Â 18-24
Â
Season Quick Hits
• CSU's win over Boise State was the then- third Quad 1 win for the Rams this season (the other two at Utah State and at San Diego State). However, BSU has dropped down to Quad 2.
• Colorado State has played all four teams picked above it in the preseason poll, finishing with a 5-3 record against those teams.
• The win at Utah State on Jan. 21 was the third win this year for CSU after trailing by at least 10 points, two of them on the road (at San Diego State (26), UNLV (13), at Utah State (10)).
• The 20 conference games the Rams are scheduled to play this season will be the most in league action since 1950-51 when they played 20 in three straight seasons in the Mountain States Athletic Conference.
• This was the latest start for the program since the 1942-43 season during World War II when CSU did not start until Jan. 8, 1943 with a 35-33 loss at Northern Colorado.
Â
Back-to-Back MW Players of the Week
• For the first time in the program's Mountain West history, CSU had back-to-back MW Players of the Week, with sophomore guard/forward David Roddy winning it on Jan. 5 and sophomore guard Isaiah Stevens following up with the honor on Jan. 11.
• Roddy upped his numbers to 16.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game on 55.0 percent FG shooting and 45.5 percent from the arc in this week's opening conference games.
• After having just two double-doubles last season, the Minneapolis, Minn., native posted three consecutive double-doubles. In the sweep over Fresno State, Roddy had 19 points and tied a career-high with 13 rebounds in the opener Dec. 28 and followed it up with 17 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in the Dec. 30 win over the Bulldogs. In the historic comeback over #23 San Diego State, Roddy led the Rams to just their second win in Viejas since 2003-04 with 15 points and 12 rebounds on 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the field. He then had 15 points, hitting 4-of-7 from the floor, and five rebounds in the week's finale.
• The Allen, Texas guard led CSU to a pair of last-minute wins against UNLV, who was picked ahead of CSU in the preseason poll. For the two games, he averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists on 50.0 percent on field goals, 64.3 percent on 3-pointers and 83.3 at the free throw line.
• In Thursday's opener, he tallied 25 points (MW careeer high and one off his career high which was in a triple-overtime game) with six rebounds and four assists in leading CSU from a 13-point deficit to the victory. He then tallied 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists, including the game-winning three-pointer (one of his career-best six threes in the game) with 25.9 to play and a pair of free throws to seal it in the final 15 seconds in the second win over UNLV on Saturday.
• In the series, he had his eighth and ninth 20+ point games of his career and 21st 5+ assist game, all while leading the Rams to their best Mountain West start in program history at 5-1.
• The Rams did have it happen twice in the Western Athletic Conference -- Feb. 27 & March 6, 1989 (Joel Tribel horn, Pat Durham) and Dec. 8 & 15, 1998 (Matt Barnett, Ryan Chilton).
Â
Some Thoughts The Sweep of UNLV
• CSU's rally from 13 points down in the opener against the Runnin' Rebels tied for the 19th largest comeback in program history.
• The 16 three pointers in the second matchup on Jan. 9 are a Mountain West high this year, tied for the second most by CSU in Moby Arena and tied for the third most in program history.
• The Rams won both games in the final minute, as David Roddy hit a layup to put CSU up for good in the opener and Isaiah Stevens hit a three off a screen for the game winner in the finale.
• This was the first season series win since 2016-17 and just the fourth time the Rams won both contests in a single season.
• The sweep ran CSU's home winning streak to eight games, dating back to the final two regular season games in Moby Arena in 2019-20.
Â
The Historic Comeback at SDSU
• CSU's rally from 26 points down at #23 San Diego State on Jan. 2 made history in several ways.
• It is the largest comeback in both school and Mountain West history. The previous largest comeback in CSU history occurred under Medved last season, as the Rams rallied from 19 down at Wyoming to earn a 77-70 win on Feb. 15, 2020.
• It is the largest comeback win in Division I men's basketball this season and one of just five road comebacks of 26 points or more in a game between Division I opponents over the past 10 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
• This was the first win over a ranked opponent since Feb. 29, 2012, a 66-59 win over #17 UNLV at Moby Arena.
• This was the first road win over a ranked opponent since Jan. 5, 1973, a 93-86 win at #15 BYU.
• CSU had lost 28 straight games on the road against ranked teams before the win.
• CSU moved to 3-0 in Mountain West play for the first time in the 22-year history of the league.
Â
Non-Conference Winning Record in '19-20 & '20-21
• Unless CSU adds two more non-conference games, the Rams have secured a winning non-conference record this year at 3-1 with one game remaining against Northern Colorado.
• Last season with the victory over South Dakota State Dec.
 10, 2019, the Rams secured a winning non-conference record.
• The nine non-conference wins was the most since CSU posted a school-best a 13-0 mark in 2014-15.
Â
Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 570-240 (.704) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• With the victory over Boise State Jan. 27, the Rams guaranteed a winning record in Moby Arena for the second straight season.
• With the win over Nevada Jan. 29, CSU guaranteed a better than .500 home record in 2019-20.
• Last year's 12-4 mark had to do with some significant differences in major categories in favor of the Rams, and this year's are following some similarities, resulting in a 6-0 mark at this point in the year and eight consecutive wins entering this week's action (the longest home win streak under Medved at CSU).
Â
2019-20      PPG   FG%  Reb    PF    Ast     TO   Stl
Colorado St. 79.7   50.7  38.3   224   288    186   110
Opponents   70.2   43.8  35.7   306   197    213   90
Â
2020-21      PPG   FG%  3P%   Reb    PF     Ast   TO
Colorado St. 81.0   51.0  43.9   33.4   136     137   109
Opponents  66.6   41.9  26.8  32.9   153     91    114
Â
Defense Setting A Tone
• CSU has showed an improved defensive effort and shows clearly in the stats.
• The Rams are ranked in the top 70 nationally in defensive rebounds and three-point field goal percentage defense.
• CSU held opponents under 60 points for five consecutive games. The last time CSU held opponents each under 60 points that many consecutive games was in 2012-13 (NCAA Tournament bid and win over Missouri season), where they held six straight opponents under 60.
Â
Getting Offensive (Fouls Drawn That Is)
• Part of CSU's improved defense is drawing offensive fouls on its opponents.
• The Rams are averaging 3.4 offensive fouls drawn on their opponents and have at least 3 in 15 of the 18 games.
• CSU's season high is seven in the home win over Fresno State on Dec. 28.
Â
Starters Get It Going
• CSU's starters getting the scoring going is big this year, as the Rams are 11-1 this year when that group scores at least 54 points.
Â
More Improvement To See
• Basketball is a game where the numbers generally tell the story. For the Rams, here are some of the categories with NCAA rankings that they have improved on from last year that demonstrate why.
CSU's Team Rankings            19-20    NCAA   20-21 NCAA
Scoring Defense                  72.09    252nd   66.4   77th
Scoring Margin                    +3.44    133rd    +8.8   58th
Field Goal Percentage            46.9      31st     48.1   29th
Field Goal Percentage Def.       44.3     251st    41.3   85th
Free Throw Percentage           67.9    272nd    77.7    19th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage      36.6     35th    38.2   26th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def. 34.2    252nd   29.8   34th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game       8.06     90th      9.1    40th
3-Pt. Field Goals Attempted      705     136th    429    57th
Blocked Shots                     2.00     330th    2.4   263rd
Turnovers Forced                 12.69    219th    13.8   158th
Defensive Rebounds             26.84     85th    28.00   41st
Â
Hitting From Deep
• This year's squad that ranks in the top 20 in the country in three-point field goal percentage and made features three of the most prolific three-point shooters in school history.
• Sophomore Isaiah Stevens and juniors Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are all in CSU's top-25 for 3-point field goal percentage.
9.       .422   Andy Birley          (232-550)      1999-03
10.      .411    Antwan Scott       (97-236)         2014-16
11.       .406   Sean Morris         (89-219)        2004-06
12.      .400   Masinton-Bonner  (100-250)       2016-19
13.      .398   Ryan Yoder         (123-309)       1990-94
14.      .397   Keith Bonds         (114-287)        1991-93
15.      .397   Tyson Maroney     (73-184)         1990-94
16.      .397   Andre Mcfarland   (144-363)        2007-11
17.      .396   Isaiah Stevens      (74-187)     2019-pres.
18.      .394   Kendle Moore     (129-327)   2018-pres.
19.      .394   Jameel Mahmud   (117-297)        1994-98
20.     .389   David Evans         (150-386)       1994-96
21.      .388   Adam Nigon        (124-320)        2007-11
22.     .385   Adam Thistlewood (142-369)   2018-pres.
Â
National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through Feb. 7, 2021)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Free Throw Percentage                         77.7        19th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage                    38.2       26th
Field Goal Percentage                           48.1        29th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def.              29.8       34th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game                     9.1         40th
Defensive Rebounds                            28.00      41st
3-Pt. Field Goals Attempted                   429        57th
Scoring Margin                                    +8.8       58th
Â
Players (top 100 nationally)
Isaiah Stevens
Total Assists                                       107          8th
Assists Per Game                                 5.9         16th
Free Throw Percentage                         88.9       28th
Minutes Per Game                                34:51      73rd
David Roddy
Defensive Rebounds Per Game               7.28       20th
Double-Doubles                                  7           20th
Total Rebounds                                   168       22nd
Rebounds Per Game                             9.3         34th
Free Throws Made                               70         62nd
Free Throw Attempts                            92         65th
Field-Goal Percentage                           51.6        81st
Â
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 in 2020-21.
                                                 (through Feb. 7, 2021)
CSU's Team Rankings                Rank  Avg.
Field Goal Percentage                1st     49.3
Free Throw Percentage              1st     78.6
Scoring Offense                       2nd   76.50
3-Point Field Goal Percentage      2nd    39.2
3-Point FG Percentage Defense   2nd    31.3
3-Point Field Goals Made            2nd    9.64
Defensive Rebounds Per Game    2nd   27.64
Assists                                   3rd    15.14
Â
Individual Mountain West ONLY RankS (CSU only)
Scoring                       5.   David Roddy         16.07
                              t-14.   David Roddy        30.92
CSU Scheduled To Appear On National Television 14 Times
• CSU will appear on national television broadcasts 14 times, the Mountain West and TV partners CBS Sports Network and FOX Sports announced.
 •                                                          The schedule includes shifts of eight games along with the last weekend's series at defending conference champion San Diego State.
• Colorado State will have six series and two individual games televised nationally, with the next the UNLV series on Jan. 7 (CBS Sports Network) and Jan. 9 (FS1). Of the six series on the schedule, five are splits between CBS/CBS Sports Network and FS1.
• The four series altered to accommodate broadcasts are at Utah State (Jan. 19 and 21), Boise State (Jan. 27 and 29), New Mexico (Feb. 9 and 11) and at Nevada (Feb. 20 and 22). Individual games on a broadcast are the Border War at Wyoming on Sat., Feb. 6 (CBS Sports Network) and the home finale against Air Force on March 1 (CBS Sports Network).
Â
CBS (1)
Sat., Jan. 2 - at San Diego State                   W, 70-67
CBS Sports Network (7)
Thu., Jan. 7 - UNLVÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 74-71
Tue., Jan. 19 - at Utah State                         L, 64-83
Wed., Jan. 27 - Boise State                          W, 78-56
Sat., Feb. 6 - at Wyoming                            W, 67-59
Thu., Feb. 11 - New Mexico
Mon., Feb. 22 - at Nevada
Mon., March 1 -Â Air Force
FS1 (6)
Mon., Jan. 4 - at San Diego State                  L, 65-78
Sat., Jan. 9 - UNLVÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 83-80
Thu., Jan. 21 - at Utah State                         W, 84-76
Fri., Jan. 29 - Boise State                            L, 77-85
Tue., Feb. 9 - New Mexico
Sat., Feb. 20 - at Nevada
Â
Double-Doubles
• The Rams have two players that have combined for 11 double-doubles in their young careers, including three via points-assists, as the program total is now 652 since 1965-66.
Â
David Roddy                                          9
17 pts, 11 reb; vs Tulsa, 12/21/19
19 pts, 13 reb; WYOMING, 1/4/20
25 pts, 12 reb; CSU PUEBLO, 12/12/20
19 pts, 13 reb; FRESNO STATE, 12/28/20
17 pts, 11 reb; FRESNO STATE, 12/30/20
15 pts, 12 reb; at San Diego State, 1/2/21
17 pts, 14 reb; vs. San Jose State, 1/14/21
27 pts, 15 reb; BOISE STATE, 1/27/21
15 pts, 11 reb; at Wyoming, 2/6/21
Â
Isaiah Stevens                                      3
26 pts, 12 ast; vs Tulsa, 12/21/19
11 pts, 10 ast; at San Diego State, 1/4/21
12 pts, 10 ast; BOISE STATE, 1/27/21
Â
Points/Assists Double-Double Career Leaders
(18 total in history)
1.        Ryan Yoder (1990-94)                 6
2.       Isaiah Stevens (2019-pres.)         3
Â
DOUBLE-DOUBLE RANKINGS TOTAL
(105 Players since 1965-66)
1.        Nico Carvacho (2015-20)             49
2.       Mike Childress (1969-71)              35
3.       Emmanuel Omogbo (2016-18)       28
4.       Jason Smith (2004-07)                24
5.       Tim Hall (1971-75)                       23
20.     Archie Weems (1968-70)              10
t-21.    David Roddy (2019-pres.)           9
         fourplayers with                        9
Â
Moving On Up
• Juniors Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are looked at to help lead this team as two of the four returning starters.
• For their careers, the third-year roommates have played in a combined 152 of a possible 156 games (143 starts) and contributed 18.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and better than 39 percent from the three-point arc as a duo.
• Both are now in the career top 20 for CSU in three-pointers as Thistlewood is 14th at 142 and Moore has 127 and is 17th. Moore is also tied for sixth in career steals with 110.
Â
Career 3-Pointers List
10.      149    Gian Clavell         (70 Games)     2014-17
11.       148    Wes Eikmeier       (96 Games)    2009-13
12.      144    Andre McFarland  (114 Games)     2007-11
         144    Bryan Christiansen (79 Games)    1995-98
14.      142    Adam Thistlewood (79 games)  2019-pres.
15.      130    Lynn Tryon          (115 Games)    1988-92
         130    Stephan Gilling     (61 Games)    2005-07
17.      129    Kendle Moore      (81 games)   2019-pres.
Â
Career Steals
5.       118     David Evans                            1994-96
6.       110     J.D. Paige                                 2015-19
         110     Kendle Moore     (81 games)  2019-pres.
8.       109    Eddie Hughes                           1978-82
Â
Career Free-Throw Percentage
t-12.    .810    Adam Thistlewood (79 games)   2019-pres.
Â
Career 3-Point Field Goal Percentage
18.      .394   Kendle Moore (81 games)         2019-pres.
22.     .385   Adam Thistlewood (79 games)   2019-pres.
Â
In the 2020-21 Season
• The pair both scored in double figures in the opener against CSU Pueblo, as Thsitlewood had 16 points, including three triples and 5-of-6 at the free throw line, while Moore tallied 13 points, hitting all six of his field goal attempts and adding three assists and two steals.
• Against Northern Arizona, Moore had 12 points, four rebounds and four steals, while Thistlewood chipped in nine points and four rebounds.
• In the victory at Santa Clara, Moore had 12 points and four rebounds, while Thistlewood recorded 10 points and a season-best eight rebounds.
• Moore set a season-best with 18 points at San Jose State Jan. 14 and connected on nine three pointers in the two-game set with the Spartans.
• Thistlewood tied a career high with 24 points, including a career-best five 3-pointers, against Boise State Jan. 29.
• Moore currently ranks third in scoring for CSU at 10.7 points per game while second in field goal percentage (47.5) and second in three-point percentage (39.4).
• Thistlewood is fourth at 9.4 points per game, has hit 32 three-pointers and is 85.7 percent at the free throw line.
Â
Sophomore Class Continuing Impact
• The sophomore class of guards Isaiah Stevens and John Tonje, forward David Roddy and center Dischon Thomas are showing the growth in their second year of collegiate basketball.
• Stevens is second in scoring at 14.9 points and first with 5.8 assists (#2 MW) per game while Roddy is first in scoring at 15.9 points per game and the top rebounder at 9.3.
• Tonje is ffith at 7.6 points per game, with Thomas averaging 5.0 points and 2.9 boards a contest.
• Against Northern Arizona Dec. 14, Stevens had a game-high 23 points and nine assists, while Roddy added 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Tonje chipped in seven points and two rebounds off the bench.
• In the win at Santa Clara Dec. 22, the group combined or 45 points and 22 rebounds, with Roddy leading with 16 points and Tonje recording a career-high with 12 off the bench.
• Roddy recorded double-doubles in each of the games against Fresno State, going for 19 points and a career high-tying 13 rebounds in the opener and following it up with 17 points and 11 boards in the second victory.
• The group made a major impact on the historic comeback win over then-No. 23 San Diego State Jan. 2, combining for 41 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists. Tonje capped off the win by hitting the game-winning four-point play with a triple from the left corner with 12.3 seconds left and converting the free throw from the foul to put the Rams ahead for good.
• Roddy earned his first Mountain West Player of the Week on Jan. 5 for his efforts against Fresno State and at San Diego State.
• Stevens then garnered the award on Jan. 11 for his efforts in two thrilling wins over UNLV.
• Thomas had a season-high 15 points, including a career-best three 3-pointers in the win at Utah State, Jan. 21.
• Roddy posted career bests with 27 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Boise State Jan. 27.
In 2019-20
• Last season, head coach Niko Medved played the four freshmen in 31 of the 32 contests in 2019-20, with three playing in all 32.
• Stevens started all 32 games, while Roddy started the final 19 games of the season, while Thomas and Tonje both played at least 31 contests and contributed off the bench.
• Stevens led the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, 38.0 from the arc and 81.6 percent from the free throw line. He reached at least 10 points in 24 of the 32 games and had at least four assists in 20 of them, averaging 4.6 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 had 144 assists on the year, which is fifth on the CSU single-season chart (Milt Palacio in 4th with 147).
• Roddy was third at 11.4 points per game and second at 5.6 rebounds a contest, as the freshman scored in double figures in 22 of the last 28 games and 23 total contests last season.
• The duo earned honorablemention All-MW from the media, Stevens Third Team All-MW by the coaches and also MW Freshman of the Year by both the coaches and media.
CSU Career Ranks
Isaiah Stevens
Assists Per Game                                      2nd     5.0
Free Throw Percentage                              7th    .843
3-Point Field Goal Percentage                      17th   .396
Â
Career Assists
1.        530    Ryan Yoder                            1990-94
12.      271     Cory Lewis                             2005-07
13.      268    Alton Brandon                          1975-79
14.      259    Fred Anzures                           1973-77
15.      256    Lynn Tryon                             1988-92
16.      252    Todd Benn                              1981-85
17.      251    Isaiah Stevens                       2019-pres.
18.      240    Nico Carvacho                         2015-20
         240    John Gillon                              2014-16
Â
Coors Light Coaches' Show Is Back
• The Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show, hosted by "Voice of the Rams" Brian Roth, made its 2020 debut on Wed. Dec. 16, from 7-8 p.m., broadcast live from the Lucky Joe's Studio at Moby Arena. Due to the global pandemic, fans are not permitted at the show this year.
• The show will air on the Colorado State Sports Network powered by Canvas Credit Union, including the flagship home of the Colorado State Rams, Power 102.9 FM, in Northern Colorado and on Mile High Sports 1430 AM in the Denver Metro area.
• The one-hour weekly show provides an inside look at the Rams' men's and women's program from men's head coach Niko Medved and women's head coach Ryun Williams, including previews of the upcoming action for each squad. The show will run at the same time, with the date varying based on coach availability due to game schedules. Fans also may submit questions on social media via the Twitter account @CSURamsRadio.
• Dates are subject to change based on changes in the basketball schedule.
Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show Schedule:
Feb. 8 (Mon.), 15 (Mon.) and 24 (Wed.)
Tue. or Wed., March 2 or 3 (based on game schedules)
Â
Stevens Preseason All-MW
• Sophomore Isaiah Stevens was selected to the Preseason All-Mountain West squad.
• The second-ever league Freshman of the Year for the Rams, Stevens made an immediate impact on the program in 2019-20, starting all 32 games and leading the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, which ranks 13th in the league, and third in the Mountain West at 4.5 assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.18.
 He played more minutes than any other Ram and scored in double figures in 24 games last season.
• He hit a pair of game winners in the final seconds last year in wins over Loyola Chicago and Nevada. The Allen, Texas product also led the Rams with 26 points and a school record-tying 12 assists in the 3OT win at Tulsa Dec. 21.
• He was the first CSU freshman ever to earn Mountain West Player of the Week on Feb. 3 after leading CSU to a pair of wins over Nevada and UNLV when he averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in those contests.
• He set a new CSU freshman assists record of 144, which is fifth on the CSU single-season chart and is a Mountain West record for a freshman.
• He also broke the freshman record for Mountain West only games with 84 last year, surpassing Sam Merrill (Utah State) with 71 in 2016-17.
Â
Roster Size... But Inexperienced
• The Rams started the 2020-21 year with 12 eligible players on the roster for the second straight season. CSU had 14 players available to start the 2018-19 season but only 11 in 2017-18.
• Of those 12 this season, eight were a part of the program last season with seven seeing action.
• Returners for the Rams combined for 10 seasons of NCAA Division I experience, starting the year.
• However that did not hamper the Rams in 2019-20, as the regular rotation consisted 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       996 (42.5)    593 (25.3)    7 (0.3)    745 (31.8)
> Rebounds   378 (34.5)     162 (14.8)        0       489 (44.7)
> Assists       222 (46.0)      94 (19.5)     1 (0.3)     166 (34.4)
> Steals         55 (26.7)      63 (30.6)     1 (0.5)     87 (42.2)
> Blocks        30 (50.0)       3 (5.0)         0       27 (45.0)
> Minutes     2374 (37.7)    1749 (27.8)   14 (0.2)   2154 (34.2)
Â
Rams Playing Professionally
• J.J. Avila ('15) - Fuerza Regia Monterrey (Mexico) - league champions
• Daniel Bejarano ('15) - Fuerza Regia Monterrey (Mexico) - league champions
• Che Bob ('18) - Elitzur Ironi Netanya (Israel)
• Nico Carvacho ('20) - Rilski (Bulgaria)
• Gian Clavell ('17) - Avtodor Saratov (Russia)
• John Gillon ('17) - Darussafaka (Turkey)
• Colton Iverson ('13) - New Zealand Breakers (Australia)
• Stanton Kidd ('15) - OGM Orman (Turkey)
• Jon Octeus ('15) - Shiga Lakestars (Japan)
• Andy Ogide ('11) - Allianz Pazienza Cestistica San Severo (Italy)
• Emmanuel Omogbo ('17) - Levitec Huesca (Spain)
• J.D. Paige ('19) - Prizreni (Kosovo Superliga)
• Gerson Santo ('14) - Sao Paulo FC (Brazil)
Â
• The Rams return to home for a pair of key Mountain West games on national television, hosting New Mexico Feb. 9 and 11.
• Tuesday's game will tip at 9 p.m. on FS1 with Lane Grindle and former CSU head coach Tim Miles on the call. Thursday night will be a 6 p.m. MT tip on CBS Sports Network, with Rich Waltz and former Gonzaga standout and NBA player Dan Dickau 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.
Â
2020-21 Rams Quick Hits
• Colorado State is under the direction of third-year head coach Niko Medved, who took over the helm of the Rams' program in 2018-19. In his eighth season as a head coach, Medved has a 125-123 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 2020-21 season marks the 117th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,296-1,288 (.502) in 2,584 games all-time.
• CSU concluded the 2019-20 season in the Mountain West Tournament first round and finished the year with an 20-12 overall record, including 11-7 in MW play, an eight-game improvement over 2018-19.
• The Rams earned their eighth invitation for postseason play in the last 11 years, though postseason events were eventually cancelled due to the CoVID-19 virus worldwide pandemic.
• CSU returns four starters and seven letterwinners to this year's squad along with five newcomers to Division I action.
• 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 third season at CSU as head coach with a 46-36 mark and has an 125-123 overall record is in his eighth season as a head coach.
• New Mexico Head Coach Paul Weir (York, '04) is in his fourth season with the Lobos with a 57-57 record and fifth as a head coach overall with a 85-63 mark.
Â
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.
Â
A Quick Look at New Mexico
• Returning one starter and six letterwinners from last season's 19-14 squad that was 7-11 in the Mountain West, the Lobos were picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll.
• Redshirt-senior guard/forward Makuach Maluach is the lone returning starter and is the undoubted leader for the Lobos, pacing the squad in minutes, points, rebounds, three-pointers and steals.
Â
History Versus New Mexico
• New Mexico has had the better of the series, holding a 78-48 lead, including 71-47 in conference matchups. However the story is different in Fort Collins, as CSU had a 35-26 advantage, including four of the last six.
• Last year, the Rams dominated from the three-point arc for a resounding 105-72 victory, only the second time in their history they have scored 100 points or more against a Mountain West opponent (box score on page 19).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 2-1 record against New Mexico as a head coach.
Â
NEW MEXICO - 48-78
Conference: 47-71
Home: 35-26 / Away: 12-50 / Neutral: 1-2
(complete list on page 20 with returner stats)
Â
Medved vs. New Mexico -- 2-1 (2-1 at CSU)
Home: 2-0 / Away: 0-1
    Date           School    Loc.        W/L  Score
*   1/12/2019    Colo. St.     H            W    91-76
*   3/2/2019    Colo. St.     A             L     65-77
*   1/15/2020   Colo. St.     H            W   105-72
Â
Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 150-189 (.442) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.
CSU vs. Mountain West Conference
School                 Overall    Home     Away   Neut.
Air Force                82-33      44-11      34-18     4-4
Boise State              12-15        9-5        2-9       1-1
Fresno State           22-18       17-3       3-13      2-2
Nevada                  10-15        6-4        4-10      0-1
New Mexico            48-78      35-26     12-50     1-2
San Diego State       42-46      26-14      14-28     2-4
San Jose State         22-0        9-0        9-0      4-0
UNLVÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 19-41Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 14-16Â Â Â Â Â Â 5-24Â Â Â Â Â Â 0-1
Utah State              40-59     28-20     12-37     0-2
Wyoming               98-137     54-56     42-76    3-5
Totals                 394-442  241-155  136-265 17-22
Â
 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 past season, the Rams had nine non-conference wins, surpassing last year's total of five. The squad has also won 20 games overall, surpassing last year's total of 12.
• The five-game win streak during the 2020-21 season was the longest for CSU since the Rams won seven straight during 2016-17.
• This year, Medved had the Rams off to their best conference start in the modern era (WAC and Mountain West) with the 11-3 mark.
Â
The Improvement Under Medved
Year           School                 Overall  Conf     Post
2012-13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Furman**Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6-24Â Â Â Â 3-15
2013-14       Furman                  9-21    3-13       Â
2014-15       Furman                  11-22    5-13       Â
2015-16       Furman                  19-16    11-7        $
2016-17       Furman                  23-11    14-4       $
               Â
2016-17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Drake**Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7-24Â Â Â Â 5-13
2017-18       Drake                    17-17    10-8       $
Â
2017-18Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Colorado State**Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11-21Â Â Â Â 4-14
2018-19       Colorado State        12-20    7-11
2019-20      Colorado State        20-12    11-7       $*
** Seasons prior to Medved taking over program
$ Postseason action for the program (2020 postseason canceled due to CoVID-19)
Â
Medved vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School                 Overall    Home     Away   Neut.
Air Force                 4-0         2-0        2-0        -
Boise State               2-4         1-2         1-1       0-1
CSU Pueblo              1-0          1-0          -         -
Fresno State             5-1         4-0         1-1        -
Nevada                    1-3          1-1         0-2        -
New Mexico              2-1         2-0         0-1        -
Northern Arizona       1-0          1-0          -         -
Saint Mary's (CA)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -
Santa Clara               1-0           -          1-0        -
San Diego State         1-4         0-2         1-2        -
San Jose State          5-0         1-0         2-0      2-0
UNLVÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -
Utah State                1-5         0-2         1-3        -
Wyoming                 5-3         2-0        3-2      0-1
TOTALSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 32-25Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 18-8Â Â Â Â Â Â 12-15Â Â Â Â Â 2-2
Â
CSU vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School                 Overall    Home     Away   Neut.
Air Force                82-33      44-11      34-18     4-4
Boise State              12-15        9-5        2-9       1-1
CSU Pueblo              7-0         7-0          -         -
Fresno State           22-18       17-3       3-13      2-2
Nevada                  10-15        6-4        4-10      0-1
New Mexico            48-78      35-26     12-50     1-2
Northern Arizona       3-2         3-0         0-1       0-1
Saint Mary's (CA)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2-2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1-1
Santa Clara               1-1           -          1-0       0-1
San Diego State       42-46      26-14      14-28     2-4
San Jose State         22-0        9-0        9-0      4-0
UNLVÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 19-41Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 14-16Â Â Â Â Â Â 5-24Â Â Â Â Â Â 0-1
Utah State              40-59     28-20     12-37     0-2
Wyoming               98-136     53-56     42-76    3-4
TOTALSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 408-446Â Â 251-155Â Â 139-267Â 18-24
Â
Season Quick Hits
• CSU's win over Boise State was the then- third Quad 1 win for the Rams this season (the other two at Utah State and at San Diego State). However, BSU has dropped down to Quad 2.
• Colorado State has played all four teams picked above it in the preseason poll, finishing with a 5-3 record against those teams.
• The win at Utah State on Jan. 21 was the third win this year for CSU after trailing by at least 10 points, two of them on the road (at San Diego State (26), UNLV (13), at Utah State (10)).
• The 20 conference games the Rams are scheduled to play this season will be the most in league action since 1950-51 when they played 20 in three straight seasons in the Mountain States Athletic Conference.
• This was the latest start for the program since the 1942-43 season during World War II when CSU did not start until Jan. 8, 1943 with a 35-33 loss at Northern Colorado.
Â
Back-to-Back MW Players of the Week
• For the first time in the program's Mountain West history, CSU had back-to-back MW Players of the Week, with sophomore guard/forward David Roddy winning it on Jan. 5 and sophomore guard Isaiah Stevens following up with the honor on Jan. 11.
• Roddy upped his numbers to 16.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game on 55.0 percent FG shooting and 45.5 percent from the arc in this week's opening conference games.
• After having just two double-doubles last season, the Minneapolis, Minn., native posted three consecutive double-doubles. In the sweep over Fresno State, Roddy had 19 points and tied a career-high with 13 rebounds in the opener Dec. 28 and followed it up with 17 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in the Dec. 30 win over the Bulldogs. In the historic comeback over #23 San Diego State, Roddy led the Rams to just their second win in Viejas since 2003-04 with 15 points and 12 rebounds on 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the field. He then had 15 points, hitting 4-of-7 from the floor, and five rebounds in the week's finale.
• The Allen, Texas guard led CSU to a pair of last-minute wins against UNLV, who was picked ahead of CSU in the preseason poll. For the two games, he averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists on 50.0 percent on field goals, 64.3 percent on 3-pointers and 83.3 at the free throw line.
• In Thursday's opener, he tallied 25 points (MW careeer high and one off his career high which was in a triple-overtime game) with six rebounds and four assists in leading CSU from a 13-point deficit to the victory. He then tallied 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists, including the game-winning three-pointer (one of his career-best six threes in the game) with 25.9 to play and a pair of free throws to seal it in the final 15 seconds in the second win over UNLV on Saturday.
• In the series, he had his eighth and ninth 20+ point games of his career and 21st 5+ assist game, all while leading the Rams to their best Mountain West start in program history at 5-1.
• The Rams did have it happen twice in the Western Athletic Conference -- Feb. 27 & March 6, 1989 (Joel Tribel horn, Pat Durham) and Dec. 8 & 15, 1998 (Matt Barnett, Ryan Chilton).
Â
Some Thoughts The Sweep of UNLV
• CSU's rally from 13 points down in the opener against the Runnin' Rebels tied for the 19th largest comeback in program history.
• The 16 three pointers in the second matchup on Jan. 9 are a Mountain West high this year, tied for the second most by CSU in Moby Arena and tied for the third most in program history.
• The Rams won both games in the final minute, as David Roddy hit a layup to put CSU up for good in the opener and Isaiah Stevens hit a three off a screen for the game winner in the finale.
• This was the first season series win since 2016-17 and just the fourth time the Rams won both contests in a single season.
• The sweep ran CSU's home winning streak to eight games, dating back to the final two regular season games in Moby Arena in 2019-20.
Â
The Historic Comeback at SDSU
• CSU's rally from 26 points down at #23 San Diego State on Jan. 2 made history in several ways.
• It is the largest comeback in both school and Mountain West history. The previous largest comeback in CSU history occurred under Medved last season, as the Rams rallied from 19 down at Wyoming to earn a 77-70 win on Feb. 15, 2020.
• It is the largest comeback win in Division I men's basketball this season and one of just five road comebacks of 26 points or more in a game between Division I opponents over the past 10 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
• This was the first win over a ranked opponent since Feb. 29, 2012, a 66-59 win over #17 UNLV at Moby Arena.
• This was the first road win over a ranked opponent since Jan. 5, 1973, a 93-86 win at #15 BYU.
• CSU had lost 28 straight games on the road against ranked teams before the win.
• CSU moved to 3-0 in Mountain West play for the first time in the 22-year history of the league.
Â
Non-Conference Winning Record in '19-20 & '20-21
• Unless CSU adds two more non-conference games, the Rams have secured a winning non-conference record this year at 3-1 with one game remaining against Northern Colorado.
• Last season with the victory over South Dakota State Dec.
 10, 2019, the Rams secured a winning non-conference record.
• The nine non-conference wins was the most since CSU posted a school-best a 13-0 mark in 2014-15.
Â
Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 570-240 (.704) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• With the victory over Boise State Jan. 27, the Rams guaranteed a winning record in Moby Arena for the second straight season.
• With the win over Nevada Jan. 29, CSU guaranteed a better than .500 home record in 2019-20.
• Last year's 12-4 mark had to do with some significant differences in major categories in favor of the Rams, and this year's are following some similarities, resulting in a 6-0 mark at this point in the year and eight consecutive wins entering this week's action (the longest home win streak under Medved at CSU).
Â
2019-20      PPG   FG%  Reb    PF    Ast     TO   Stl
Colorado St. 79.7   50.7  38.3   224   288    186   110
Opponents   70.2   43.8  35.7   306   197    213   90
Â
2020-21      PPG   FG%  3P%   Reb    PF     Ast   TO
Colorado St. 81.0   51.0  43.9   33.4   136     137   109
Opponents  66.6   41.9  26.8  32.9   153     91    114
Â
Defense Setting A Tone
• CSU has showed an improved defensive effort and shows clearly in the stats.
• The Rams are ranked in the top 70 nationally in defensive rebounds and three-point field goal percentage defense.
• CSU held opponents under 60 points for five consecutive games. The last time CSU held opponents each under 60 points that many consecutive games was in 2012-13 (NCAA Tournament bid and win over Missouri season), where they held six straight opponents under 60.
Â
Getting Offensive (Fouls Drawn That Is)
• Part of CSU's improved defense is drawing offensive fouls on its opponents.
• The Rams are averaging 3.4 offensive fouls drawn on their opponents and have at least 3 in 15 of the 18 games.
• CSU's season high is seven in the home win over Fresno State on Dec. 28.
Â
Starters Get It Going
• CSU's starters getting the scoring going is big this year, as the Rams are 11-1 this year when that group scores at least 54 points.
Â
More Improvement To See
• Basketball is a game where the numbers generally tell the story. For the Rams, here are some of the categories with NCAA rankings that they have improved on from last year that demonstrate why.
CSU's Team Rankings            19-20    NCAA   20-21 NCAA
Scoring Defense                  72.09    252nd   66.4   77th
Scoring Margin                    +3.44    133rd    +8.8   58th
Field Goal Percentage            46.9      31st     48.1   29th
Field Goal Percentage Def.       44.3     251st    41.3   85th
Free Throw Percentage           67.9    272nd    77.7    19th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage      36.6     35th    38.2   26th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def. 34.2    252nd   29.8   34th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game       8.06     90th      9.1    40th
3-Pt. Field Goals Attempted      705     136th    429    57th
Blocked Shots                     2.00     330th    2.4   263rd
Turnovers Forced                 12.69    219th    13.8   158th
Defensive Rebounds             26.84     85th    28.00   41st
Â
Hitting From Deep
• This year's squad that ranks in the top 20 in the country in three-point field goal percentage and made features three of the most prolific three-point shooters in school history.
• Sophomore Isaiah Stevens and juniors Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are all in CSU's top-25 for 3-point field goal percentage.
9.       .422   Andy Birley          (232-550)      1999-03
10.      .411    Antwan Scott       (97-236)         2014-16
11.       .406   Sean Morris         (89-219)        2004-06
12.      .400   Masinton-Bonner  (100-250)       2016-19
13.      .398   Ryan Yoder         (123-309)       1990-94
14.      .397   Keith Bonds         (114-287)        1991-93
15.      .397   Tyson Maroney     (73-184)         1990-94
16.      .397   Andre Mcfarland   (144-363)        2007-11
17.      .396   Isaiah Stevens      (74-187)     2019-pres.
18.      .394   Kendle Moore     (129-327)   2018-pres.
19.      .394   Jameel Mahmud   (117-297)        1994-98
20.     .389   David Evans         (150-386)       1994-96
21.      .388   Adam Nigon        (124-320)        2007-11
22.     .385   Adam Thistlewood (142-369)   2018-pres.
Â
National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through Feb. 7, 2021)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Free Throw Percentage                         77.7        19th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage                    38.2       26th
Field Goal Percentage                           48.1        29th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def.              29.8       34th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game                     9.1         40th
Defensive Rebounds                            28.00      41st
3-Pt. Field Goals Attempted                   429        57th
Scoring Margin                                    +8.8       58th
Â
Players (top 100 nationally)
Isaiah Stevens
Total Assists                                       107          8th
Assists Per Game                                 5.9         16th
Free Throw Percentage                         88.9       28th
Minutes Per Game                                34:51      73rd
David Roddy
Defensive Rebounds Per Game               7.28       20th
Double-Doubles                                  7           20th
Total Rebounds                                   168       22nd
Rebounds Per Game                             9.3         34th
Free Throws Made                               70         62nd
Free Throw Attempts                            92         65th
Field-Goal Percentage                           51.6        81st
Â
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 in 2020-21.
                                                 (through Feb. 7, 2021)
CSU's Team Rankings                Rank  Avg.
Field Goal Percentage                1st     49.3
Free Throw Percentage              1st     78.6
Scoring Offense                       2nd   76.50
3-Point Field Goal Percentage      2nd    39.2
3-Point FG Percentage Defense   2nd    31.3
3-Point Field Goals Made            2nd    9.64
Defensive Rebounds Per Game    2nd   27.64
Assists                                   3rd    15.14
Â
Individual Mountain West ONLY RankS (CSU only)
Scoring                       5.   David Roddy         16.07
                                10.   Isaiah Stevens       14.79
Rebounding                 1.   David Roddy         9.64
                              t-16.   Isaiah Stevens        5.00
Field Goal Percentage    2.   David Roddy          54.1
Free Throw Percentage  3.   Isaiah Stevens        86.5
Field Goal Percentage    2.   David Roddy          54.1
                                 7.   David Roddy          73.2
3-Pt. FG Made              9.   Kendle Moore        2.23
Assists                        2.   Isaiah Stevens      6.29
Assist-to-Turnover         4.   Isiaah Stevens        1.83
Blocked Shots           t-10.   David Roddy          0.79
3-Pt. FG Made              9.   Kendle Moore        2.23
Assists                        2.   Isaiah Stevens      6.29
Assist-to-Turnover         4.   Isiaah Stevens        1.83
                              t-10.   Adam Thistlewood  0.79
Steals                         7.   Isaiah Stevens        1.36
                                10.   Kendle Moore         1.31
Offensive Rebounds       7.   David Roddy          2.33
Defensive Rebounds      1.   David Roddy         7.50
Offensive Rebounds       7.   David Roddy          2.33
                                 8.   Isaiah Stevens         4.71
Minutes Played             3.   Isaiah Stevens       35.15                              t-14.   David Roddy        30.92
                              t-14.   Adam Thistlewood 30.92
 CSU Scheduled To Appear On National Television 14 Times
• CSU will appear on national television broadcasts 14 times, the Mountain West and TV partners CBS Sports Network and FOX Sports announced.
 •                                                          The schedule includes shifts of eight games along with the last weekend's series at defending conference champion San Diego State.
• Colorado State will have six series and two individual games televised nationally, with the next the UNLV series on Jan. 7 (CBS Sports Network) and Jan. 9 (FS1). Of the six series on the schedule, five are splits between CBS/CBS Sports Network and FS1.
• The four series altered to accommodate broadcasts are at Utah State (Jan. 19 and 21), Boise State (Jan. 27 and 29), New Mexico (Feb. 9 and 11) and at Nevada (Feb. 20 and 22). Individual games on a broadcast are the Border War at Wyoming on Sat., Feb. 6 (CBS Sports Network) and the home finale against Air Force on March 1 (CBS Sports Network).
Â
CBS (1)
Sat., Jan. 2 - at San Diego State                   W, 70-67
CBS Sports Network (7)
Thu., Jan. 7 - UNLVÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 74-71
Tue., Jan. 19 - at Utah State                         L, 64-83
Wed., Jan. 27 - Boise State                          W, 78-56
Sat., Feb. 6 - at Wyoming                            W, 67-59
Thu., Feb. 11 - New Mexico
Mon., Feb. 22 - at Nevada
Mon., March 1 -Â Air Force
FS1 (6)
Mon., Jan. 4 - at San Diego State                  L, 65-78
Sat., Jan. 9 - UNLVÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 83-80
Thu., Jan. 21 - at Utah State                         W, 84-76
Fri., Jan. 29 - Boise State                            L, 77-85
Tue., Feb. 9 - New Mexico
Sat., Feb. 20 - at Nevada
Â
Double-Doubles
• The Rams have two players that have combined for 11 double-doubles in their young careers, including three via points-assists, as the program total is now 652 since 1965-66.
Â
David Roddy                                          9
17 pts, 11 reb; vs Tulsa, 12/21/19
19 pts, 13 reb; WYOMING, 1/4/20
25 pts, 12 reb; CSU PUEBLO, 12/12/20
19 pts, 13 reb; FRESNO STATE, 12/28/20
17 pts, 11 reb; FRESNO STATE, 12/30/20
15 pts, 12 reb; at San Diego State, 1/2/21
17 pts, 14 reb; vs. San Jose State, 1/14/21
27 pts, 15 reb; BOISE STATE, 1/27/21
15 pts, 11 reb; at Wyoming, 2/6/21
Â
Isaiah Stevens                                      3
26 pts, 12 ast; vs Tulsa, 12/21/19
11 pts, 10 ast; at San Diego State, 1/4/21
12 pts, 10 ast; BOISE STATE, 1/27/21
Â
Points/Assists Double-Double Career Leaders
(18 total in history)
1.        Ryan Yoder (1990-94)                 6
2.       Isaiah Stevens (2019-pres.)         3
Â
DOUBLE-DOUBLE RANKINGS TOTAL
(105 Players since 1965-66)
1.        Nico Carvacho (2015-20)             49
2.       Mike Childress (1969-71)              35
3.       Emmanuel Omogbo (2016-18)       28
4.       Jason Smith (2004-07)                24
5.       Tim Hall (1971-75)                       23
20.     Archie Weems (1968-70)              10
t-21.    David Roddy (2019-pres.)           9
         fourplayers with                        9
Â
Moving On Up
• Juniors Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are looked at to help lead this team as two of the four returning starters.
• For their careers, the third-year roommates have played in a combined 152 of a possible 156 games (143 starts) and contributed 18.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and better than 39 percent from the three-point arc as a duo.
• Both are now in the career top 20 for CSU in three-pointers as Thistlewood is 14th at 142 and Moore has 127 and is 17th. Moore is also tied for sixth in career steals with 110.
Â
Career 3-Pointers List
10.      149    Gian Clavell         (70 Games)     2014-17
11.       148    Wes Eikmeier       (96 Games)    2009-13
12.      144    Andre McFarland  (114 Games)     2007-11
         144    Bryan Christiansen (79 Games)    1995-98
14.      142    Adam Thistlewood (79 games)  2019-pres.
15.      130    Lynn Tryon          (115 Games)    1988-92
         130    Stephan Gilling     (61 Games)    2005-07
17.      129    Kendle Moore      (81 games)   2019-pres.
Â
Career Steals
5.       118     David Evans                            1994-96
6.       110     J.D. Paige                                 2015-19
         110     Kendle Moore     (81 games)  2019-pres.
8.       109    Eddie Hughes                           1978-82
Â
Career Free-Throw Percentage
t-12.    .810    Adam Thistlewood (79 games)   2019-pres.
Â
Career 3-Point Field Goal Percentage
18.      .394   Kendle Moore (81 games)         2019-pres.
22.     .385   Adam Thistlewood (79 games)   2019-pres.
Â
In the 2020-21 Season
• The pair both scored in double figures in the opener against CSU Pueblo, as Thsitlewood had 16 points, including three triples and 5-of-6 at the free throw line, while Moore tallied 13 points, hitting all six of his field goal attempts and adding three assists and two steals.
• Against Northern Arizona, Moore had 12 points, four rebounds and four steals, while Thistlewood chipped in nine points and four rebounds.
• In the victory at Santa Clara, Moore had 12 points and four rebounds, while Thistlewood recorded 10 points and a season-best eight rebounds.
• Moore set a season-best with 18 points at San Jose State Jan. 14 and connected on nine three pointers in the two-game set with the Spartans.
• Thistlewood tied a career high with 24 points, including a career-best five 3-pointers, against Boise State Jan. 29.
• Moore currently ranks third in scoring for CSU at 10.7 points per game while second in field goal percentage (47.5) and second in three-point percentage (39.4).
• Thistlewood is fourth at 9.4 points per game, has hit 32 three-pointers and is 85.7 percent at the free throw line.
Â
Sophomore Class Continuing Impact
• The sophomore class of guards Isaiah Stevens and John Tonje, forward David Roddy and center Dischon Thomas are showing the growth in their second year of collegiate basketball.
• Stevens is second in scoring at 14.9 points and first with 5.8 assists (#2 MW) per game while Roddy is first in scoring at 15.9 points per game and the top rebounder at 9.3.
• Tonje is ffith at 7.6 points per game, with Thomas averaging 5.0 points and 2.9 boards a contest.
• Against Northern Arizona Dec. 14, Stevens had a game-high 23 points and nine assists, while Roddy added 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Tonje chipped in seven points and two rebounds off the bench.
• In the win at Santa Clara Dec. 22, the group combined or 45 points and 22 rebounds, with Roddy leading with 16 points and Tonje recording a career-high with 12 off the bench.
• Roddy recorded double-doubles in each of the games against Fresno State, going for 19 points and a career high-tying 13 rebounds in the opener and following it up with 17 points and 11 boards in the second victory.
• The group made a major impact on the historic comeback win over then-No. 23 San Diego State Jan. 2, combining for 41 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists. Tonje capped off the win by hitting the game-winning four-point play with a triple from the left corner with 12.3 seconds left and converting the free throw from the foul to put the Rams ahead for good.
• Roddy earned his first Mountain West Player of the Week on Jan. 5 for his efforts against Fresno State and at San Diego State.
• Stevens then garnered the award on Jan. 11 for his efforts in two thrilling wins over UNLV.
• Thomas had a season-high 15 points, including a career-best three 3-pointers in the win at Utah State, Jan. 21.
• Roddy posted career bests with 27 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Boise State Jan. 27.
In 2019-20
• Last season, head coach Niko Medved played the four freshmen in 31 of the 32 contests in 2019-20, with three playing in all 32.
• Stevens started all 32 games, while Roddy started the final 19 games of the season, while Thomas and Tonje both played at least 31 contests and contributed off the bench.
• Stevens led the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, 38.0 from the arc and 81.6 percent from the free throw line. He reached at least 10 points in 24 of the 32 games and had at least four assists in 20 of them, averaging 4.6 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 had 144 assists on the year, which is fifth on the CSU single-season chart (Milt Palacio in 4th with 147).
• Roddy was third at 11.4 points per game and second at 5.6 rebounds a contest, as the freshman scored in double figures in 22 of the last 28 games and 23 total contests last season.
• The duo earned honorablemention All-MW from the media, Stevens Third Team All-MW by the coaches and also MW Freshman of the Year by both the coaches and media.
CSU Career Ranks
Isaiah Stevens
Assists Per Game                                      2nd     5.0
Free Throw Percentage                              7th    .843
3-Point Field Goal Percentage                      17th   .396
Â
Career Assists
1.        530    Ryan Yoder                            1990-94
12.      271     Cory Lewis                             2005-07
13.      268    Alton Brandon                          1975-79
14.      259    Fred Anzures                           1973-77
15.      256    Lynn Tryon                             1988-92
16.      252    Todd Benn                              1981-85
17.      251    Isaiah Stevens                       2019-pres.
18.      240    Nico Carvacho                         2015-20
         240    John Gillon                              2014-16
Â
Coors Light Coaches' Show Is Back
• The Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show, hosted by "Voice of the Rams" Brian Roth, made its 2020 debut on Wed. Dec. 16, from 7-8 p.m., broadcast live from the Lucky Joe's Studio at Moby Arena. Due to the global pandemic, fans are not permitted at the show this year.
• The show will air on the Colorado State Sports Network powered by Canvas Credit Union, including the flagship home of the Colorado State Rams, Power 102.9 FM, in Northern Colorado and on Mile High Sports 1430 AM in the Denver Metro area.
• The one-hour weekly show provides an inside look at the Rams' men's and women's program from men's head coach Niko Medved and women's head coach Ryun Williams, including previews of the upcoming action for each squad. The show will run at the same time, with the date varying based on coach availability due to game schedules. Fans also may submit questions on social media via the Twitter account @CSURamsRadio.
• Dates are subject to change based on changes in the basketball schedule.
Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show Schedule:
Feb. 8 (Mon.), 15 (Mon.) and 24 (Wed.)
Tue. or Wed., March 2 or 3 (based on game schedules)
Â
Stevens Preseason All-MW
• Sophomore Isaiah Stevens was selected to the Preseason All-Mountain West squad.
• The second-ever league Freshman of the Year for the Rams, Stevens made an immediate impact on the program in 2019-20, starting all 32 games and leading the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, which ranks 13th in the league, and third in the Mountain West at 4.5 assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.18.
 He played more minutes than any other Ram and scored in double figures in 24 games last season.
• He hit a pair of game winners in the final seconds last year in wins over Loyola Chicago and Nevada. The Allen, Texas product also led the Rams with 26 points and a school record-tying 12 assists in the 3OT win at Tulsa Dec. 21.
• He was the first CSU freshman ever to earn Mountain West Player of the Week on Feb. 3 after leading CSU to a pair of wins over Nevada and UNLV when he averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in those contests.
• He set a new CSU freshman assists record of 144, which is fifth on the CSU single-season chart and is a Mountain West record for a freshman.
• He also broke the freshman record for Mountain West only games with 84 last year, surpassing Sam Merrill (Utah State) with 71 in 2016-17.
Â
Roster Size... But Inexperienced
• The Rams started the 2020-21 year with 12 eligible players on the roster for the second straight season. CSU had 14 players available to start the 2018-19 season but only 11 in 2017-18.
• Of those 12 this season, eight were a part of the program last season with seven seeing action.
• Returners for the Rams combined for 10 seasons of NCAA Division I experience, starting the year.
• However that did not hamper the Rams in 2019-20, as the regular rotation consisted 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       996 (42.5)    593 (25.3)    7 (0.3)    745 (31.8)
> Rebounds   378 (34.5)     162 (14.8)        0       489 (44.7)
> Assists       222 (46.0)      94 (19.5)     1 (0.3)     166 (34.4)
> Steals         55 (26.7)      63 (30.6)     1 (0.5)     87 (42.2)
> Blocks        30 (50.0)       3 (5.0)         0       27 (45.0)
> Minutes     2374 (37.7)    1749 (27.8)   14 (0.2)   2154 (34.2)
Â
Rams Playing Professionally
• J.J. Avila ('15) - Fuerza Regia Monterrey (Mexico) - league champions
• Daniel Bejarano ('15) - Fuerza Regia Monterrey (Mexico) - league champions
• Che Bob ('18) - Elitzur Ironi Netanya (Israel)
• Nico Carvacho ('20) - Rilski (Bulgaria)
• Gian Clavell ('17) - Avtodor Saratov (Russia)
• John Gillon ('17) - Darussafaka (Turkey)
• Colton Iverson ('13) - New Zealand Breakers (Australia)
• Stanton Kidd ('15) - OGM Orman (Turkey)
• Jon Octeus ('15) - Shiga Lakestars (Japan)
• Andy Ogide ('11) - Allianz Pazienza Cestistica San Severo (Italy)
• Emmanuel Omogbo ('17) - Levitec Huesca (Spain)
• J.D. Paige ('19) - Prizreni (Kosovo Superliga)
• Gerson Santo ('14) - Sao Paulo FC (Brazil)
Â
Players Mentioned
Colorado State Basketball (M): Season 1 - Ep. 1
Sunday, August 10
Ramily - CSU Men's Basketball
Tuesday, August 05
Ram Line - Shoot Around with Josh Pascarelli & Darnez Slater (MBB)
Monday, August 04
Behind the White Board - Ken DeWeese
Monday, August 04