Colorado State University Athletics
CSU Concludes Regular Season at Nevada On Friday Night
3/5/2021 9:11:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Rams and Wolf Pack will meet on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. MT
Opening Tip
• The Rams conclude the regular season on the road at Nevada, Friday, March 5.
• The games will be televised on CBS Sports Network, starting at 7 p.m. MT., with Ed Cohen and former Gonzaga standout and NBA veteran 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 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.
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 127-123 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 1,299-1,288 (.502) in 2,587 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 49-36 mark and has an 128-123 overall record is in his eighth season as a head coach.
• Nevada Head Coach Steve Alford (Indiana, '87) is in his second season with the Wolf Pack with a 33-16 record and 30th as a head coach overall with a 620-319 mark.
A Familiar Face In Fort Collins
• While he may be in just his second season in charge of the program, head coach Niko Medved was already a familiar face around Fort Collins and to Ram fans. Medved previously was on the coaching staff from 2007-13 under two different coaches. He was a key part of recruiting players that helped the Rams to four consecutive postseason appearances, the last two in the NCAA Tournament that included a win over Missouri in 2013.
A Quick Look at Nevada
• Returning one starter and four letterwinners from last season's 19-12 squad that was 12-6 and tied for second in the Mountain West, the Wolf Pack was picked to finish sixth in the league's preseason poll.
• Newcomer Grant Sherfield transferred in from Wichita State and the sophomore guard is the top player for Nevada, as he leads the squad in minutes, points, assists, steals and three-point percentage. Redshirt-junior guard Desmond Cambridge, a transfer from Brown, leads the Wolf Pack in three-pointers and free-throw percentage and ranks second on the team in scoring.
History Versus Nevada
• Nevada has had the better of the overall series, leading 15-10 and having won eight of the last nine meetings between the two programs.
• Last year, the Wolf Pack won by 16 in Fort Collins, but just a six-point margin in Reno. CSU exacted some revenge on Isaiah Stevens' jumper at the buzzer for a 92-91 win in Moby (box scores on pages 19-20).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 1-3 record against Nevada as a head coach.
NEVADA - 10-15
Conference: 6-8
Home: 6-4 / Away: 4-10 / Neutral: 0-1
(complete list on page 21 with returner stats)
Medved vs. Nevada -- 1-3 (1-3)
Home: 1-1 / Away: 0-2
Date School Loc. W/L Score
* 1/23/2019 Colo. St. A (@#7) L 60-100
* 2/6/2019 Colo. St. H (v #6) L 82-98
* 1/1/2020 Colo. St. A L 61-67
* 1/29/2020 Colo. St. H W 92-91
Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 152-189 (.444) 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 84-33 46-11 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 49-78 36-26 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
UNLV 19-41 14-16 5-24 0-1
Utah State 40-59 28-20 12-37 0-2
Wyoming 98-137 54-56 42-76 3-5
Totals 397-442 244-155 136-265 17-22
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 has the Rams off to their best conference 17-game start in program history with the 14-3 mark. The 14 wins are most CSU wins in any conference in history.
The Improvement Under Medved
Year School Overall Win% Conf. Post
2012-13 Furman** 6-24 .200 3-15
2013-14 Furman 9-21 .300 3-13
2014-15 Furman 11-22 .333 5-13
2015-16 Furman 19-16 .543 11-7 $
2016-17 Furman 23-11 .676 14-4 $
2016-17 Drake** 7-24 .226 5-13
2017-18 Drake 17-17 .500 10-8 $
2017-18 Colorado State** 11-21 .343 4-14
2018-19 Colorado State 12-20 .375 7-11
2019-20 Colorado State 20-12 .625 11-7 $*
2020-21 Colorado State 17-4 .810 14-3#
** Seasons prior to Medved taking over program
$ School record for conference wins in a season
$ Postseason action for the program (2020 postseason canceled due to CoVID-19)
Medved vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 6-0 4-0 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 3-1 3-0 0-1 -
Northern Arizona 1-0 1-0 - -
Saint Mary's (CA) 0-1 - 0-1 -
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
UNLV 3-3 3-1 0-2 -
Utah State 1-5 0-2 1-3 -
Wyoming 5-3 2-0 3-2 0-1
TOTALS 35-25 21-8 12-15 2-2
CSU vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 84-33 46-11 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 49-78 36-26 12-50 1-2
Northern Arizona 3-2 3-0 0-1 0-1
Saint Mary's (CA) 2-2 - 1-1 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
UNLV 19-41 14-16 5-24 0-1
Utah State 40-59 28-20 12-37 0-2
Wyoming 98-136 53-56 42-76 3-4
TOTALS 411-446 254-155 139-267 18-24
Season Quick Hits
• Colorado State picked up its 14th conference win March 3, the most wins in any conference season in program history.
• The Rams are the only team in the Mountain West not to get swept in a season series and have had five series sweeps. Against the other teams that will be seeded in the top four, the Rams split with all three, with two of them (San Diego State and Utah State) occuring on the road.
• Colorado State has played all four teams picked above it in the preseason poll, finishing with a 5-3 record against those teams.
• 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.
• 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.
Mountain West Seeding Scenarios
• With Wednesday night's result, the Rams are guaranteed a top-three seed in next week's Air Force Reserve Mountain West Championship.
Possible Scenarios If All Games Are Played
CSU wins or Utah State loss: 15-3 (CSU 2, USU 3)
CSU loses: 14-4 / Utah State wins: 15-4 (USU 2, CSU 3)
Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 571-240 (.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 10-1 mark this year, tying for fifth-best single-season win percentage at Moby.
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
2020-21 PPG FG% 3P% Reb PF Ast TO
Colorado St. 80.1 51.1 40.2 34.9 188 192 153
Opponents 63.5 41.2 26.5 30.4 211 129 157
Defense Setting A Tone
• CSU has showed an improved defensive effort and shows clearly in the stats, despite having the 311th club in the country in terms of experience entering the year.
• The Rams are ranked in the top 70 nationally in scorin defense, field goal percentage defense, three-point field goal percentage defense and defensive rebounds.
• 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.
• The Rams had back-to-back games holding an opponent under 50 points on Feb. 27 and March 1. This was the first time it has happened since the 2014-15 season and the first time it has happened in head coach Niko Medved's eight-year career spanning three schools.
• Colorado State also gave up just 44 points to Air Force March 1, the lowest opponent output since Jan. 17, 2015, a 70-41 win at San Jose State. It was also the third-lowest overall opponent scoring total in Medved's career (second lowest vs Division I school).
Getting Offensive (Fouls Drawn That Is)
• Part of CSU's improved defense is drawing offensive fouls on its opponents.
• The Rams are averaging 3.7 offensive fouls drawn on their opponents and have at least 3 in 18 of the 21 games.
• CSU's season high is seven in the home win over Fresno State on Dec. 28 and the Feb. 27 win over Air Force.
Starters Get It Going
• CSU's starters getting the scoring going is big this year, as the Rams are 14-1 this year when that group scores at least 54 points.
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 64.9 49th
Scoring Margin +3.44 133rd +10.7 29th
Field Goal Percentage 46.9 31st 48.5 24th
Field Goal Percentage Def. 44.3 251st 41.0 56th
Free Throw Percentage 67.9 272nd 78.4 15th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def. 34.2 252nd 29.3 18th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game 8.06 90th 8.9 45th
Blocked Shots 2.00 330th 2.4 266th
Turnovers Forced 12.69 219th 13.9 132nd
Defensive Rebounds 26.84 85th 27.90 36th
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-30 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. .402 Isaiah Stevens (82-204) 2019-pres.
13. .400 A.Masinton-Bonner (100-250) 2016-19
14. .398 Ryan Yoder (123-309) 1990-94
15. .397 Keith Bonds (114-287) 1991-93
16. .397 Tyson Maroney (73-184) 1990-94
17. .397 Andre Mcfarland (144-363) 2007-11
18. .394 Jameel Mahmud (117-297) 1994-98
19. .393 Adam Thistlewood (152-387) 2018-pres.
20. .389 David Evans (150-386) 1994-96
21. .388 Adam Nigon (124-320) 2007-11
26. .380 Kendle Moore (132-347) 2018-pres.
National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through March 4, 2021)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Win-Loss Percentage 81.0 14th
Free Throw Percentage 78.4 15th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def. 29.3 18th
Field Goal Percentage 48.5 24th
Scoring Margin +10.7 29th
Defensive Rebounds 27.90 36th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage 37.1 45th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game 8.9 45th
Scoring Defense 64.9 49th
Field Goal Percentage Defense 41.0 56th
Assists Per Game 15.3 57th
Players (top 100 nationally)
Isaiah Stevens
Assists Per Game 5.9 16th
Total Assists 124 18th
Free Throw Percentage 86.7 46th
Minutes Per Game 34:32 95th
David Roddy
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 7.38 17th
Double-Doubles 9 22nd
Rebounds Per Game 9.6 26th
Total Rebounds 202 37th
Field-Goal Percentage 53.6 50th
Free Throws Made 81 95th
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 March 4, 2021)
CSU's Team Rankings Rank Avg.
Scoring Offense 1st 76.71
Field Goal Percentage 1st 49.6
Free Throw Percentage 1st 79.4
3-Point FG Percentage Defense 1st 30.4
3-Point Field Goal Percentage 2nd 37.7
3-Point Field Goals Made 2nd 9.29
Assists 2nd 15.71
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 2nd 27.59
Rebounding Defense t-2nd 30.94
Scoring Defense 3rd 6.06
Scoring Margin 3rd +10.65
Individual Mountain West ONLY RankS (CSU only)
Scoring 5. David Roddy 16.35
13. Isaiah Stevens 14.71
t-9. Kendle Moore 2.00
13. David Roddy 0.71
Double-Doubles
• The Rams have two players that have combined for 13 double-doubles in their young careers, including three via points-assists, as the program total is now 654 since 1965-66.
David Roddy 10
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
22 pts, 12 reb; AIR FORCE, 3/1/21
12 pts, 14 reb; NEW MEXICO, 3/3/21
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
Points/Assists Double-Double Career Leaders
(18 total in history)
1. Ryan Yoder (1990-94) 6
2. Isaiah Stevens (2019-pres.) 3
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
16. four tied at 12
20. David Roddy (2019-pres.) 11
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 154 of a possible 158 games (147 starts) and contributed 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and better than 38 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 tied for seventh at 152 and Moore has 132 and is 15th. Moore is also tied for sixth in career steals with 115.
Career 3-Pointers List
5. 158 Daniel Bejarano (100 Games) 2011-15
6. 154 Mark Meredith (59 Games) 1989-91
7. 152 Prentiss Nixon (94 Games) 2015-18
152 Adam Thistlewood (82 games) 2019-pres.
9. 150 David Evans (55 Games) 1994-96
150 Joe De Ciman (123 Games) 2012-16
11. 149 Gian Clavell (70 Games) 2014-17
12. 148 Wes Eikmeier (96 Games) 2009-13
13. 144 Andre McFarland (114 Games) 2007-11
144 Bryan Christiansen (79 Games) 1995-98
15. 132 Kendle Moore (84 games) 2019-pres.
Career Steals
5. 118 David Evans 1994-96
6. 115 Kendle Moore (84 games) 2019-pres.
Career Free-Throw Percentage
10. .815 Adam Thistlewood (82 games) 2019-pres.
Career 3-Point Field Goal Percentage
19. .393 Adam Thistlewood (81 games) 2019-pres.
26. .380 Kendle Moore (84 games) 2019-pres.
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.
• 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 then-career high 24 points, including a career-best five 3-pointers, versus Boise State Jan. 29.
• In the win over New Mexico March 3, Thistlewood posted a career-best 27 points on 11-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-7 on threes, while Moore added 17 points.
• Moore currently ranks third in scoring for CSU at 10.7 points per game while third in three-point percentage (36.9).
• Thistlewood is fourth at 10.3 points per game, has hit a team-best 42 three-pointers on 40.0 percent shooting (second for CSU) and is 87.5 percent at the free throw line.
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 14.8 points and first with 5.9 assists (#2 MW) per game while Roddy is first in scoring at 16.1 points per game and the top rebounder at 9.6 (2nd in MW).
• Tonje is fifth at 7.2 points per game, with Thomas averaging 4.7 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.
• Against New Mexico March 3, Roddy had 12 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, while Stevens had nine points and 10 assists.
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, finishing at 144 assists. That total 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 8th .837
3-Point Field Goal Percentage 12th .402
Career Assists
1. 530 Ryan Yoder 1990-94
11. 290 J.D. Paige 2015-19
12. 271 Cory Lewis 2005-07
13. 268 Alton Brandon 1975-79
268 Isaiah Stevens 2019-pres.
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).
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.
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, making the Rams the 311th team in NCAA Division I at the beginning of 2020-21
• 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)
CSU On National TV This Year
CBS (1)
Sat., Jan. 2 - at San Diego State W, 70-67
CBS Sports Network (7)
Thu., Jan. 7 - UNLV 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 CANC
Mon., March 1 - Air Force W, 74-44
Fri., March 5 - at Nevada
FS1 (6)
Mon., Jan. 4 - at San Diego State L, 65-78
Sat., Jan. 9 - UNLV 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 CANC
Sat., Feb. 20 - at Nevada CANC
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)
Looking Ahead
• The Rams will have a bye and open the Air Force Reserve Mountain West Championship on Thursday, March 11 in the evening session.
• The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, with Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas on the call.
• The audio will be on the Colorado State Sports Radio Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth handling the broadcast.
• 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 Rams conclude the regular season on the road at Nevada, Friday, March 5.
• The games will be televised on CBS Sports Network, starting at 7 p.m. MT., with Ed Cohen and former Gonzaga standout and NBA veteran 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 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.
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 127-123 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 1,299-1,288 (.502) in 2,587 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 49-36 mark and has an 128-123 overall record is in his eighth season as a head coach.
• Nevada Head Coach Steve Alford (Indiana, '87) is in his second season with the Wolf Pack with a 33-16 record and 30th as a head coach overall with a 620-319 mark.
A Familiar Face In Fort Collins
• While he may be in just his second season in charge of the program, head coach Niko Medved was already a familiar face around Fort Collins and to Ram fans. Medved previously was on the coaching staff from 2007-13 under two different coaches. He was a key part of recruiting players that helped the Rams to four consecutive postseason appearances, the last two in the NCAA Tournament that included a win over Missouri in 2013.
A Quick Look at Nevada
• Returning one starter and four letterwinners from last season's 19-12 squad that was 12-6 and tied for second in the Mountain West, the Wolf Pack was picked to finish sixth in the league's preseason poll.
• Newcomer Grant Sherfield transferred in from Wichita State and the sophomore guard is the top player for Nevada, as he leads the squad in minutes, points, assists, steals and three-point percentage. Redshirt-junior guard Desmond Cambridge, a transfer from Brown, leads the Wolf Pack in three-pointers and free-throw percentage and ranks second on the team in scoring.
History Versus Nevada
• Nevada has had the better of the overall series, leading 15-10 and having won eight of the last nine meetings between the two programs.
• Last year, the Wolf Pack won by 16 in Fort Collins, but just a six-point margin in Reno. CSU exacted some revenge on Isaiah Stevens' jumper at the buzzer for a 92-91 win in Moby (box scores on pages 19-20).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 1-3 record against Nevada as a head coach.
NEVADA - 10-15
Conference: 6-8
Home: 6-4 / Away: 4-10 / Neutral: 0-1
(complete list on page 21 with returner stats)
Medved vs. Nevada -- 1-3 (1-3)
Home: 1-1 / Away: 0-2
Date School Loc. W/L Score
* 1/23/2019 Colo. St. A (@#7) L 60-100
* 2/6/2019 Colo. St. H (v #6) L 82-98
* 1/1/2020 Colo. St. A L 61-67
* 1/29/2020 Colo. St. H W 92-91
Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 152-189 (.444) 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 84-33 46-11 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 49-78 36-26 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
UNLV 19-41 14-16 5-24 0-1
Utah State 40-59 28-20 12-37 0-2
Wyoming 98-137 54-56 42-76 3-5
Totals 397-442 244-155 136-265 17-22
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 has the Rams off to their best conference 17-game start in program history with the 14-3 mark. The 14 wins are most CSU wins in any conference in history.
The Improvement Under Medved
Year School Overall Win% Conf. Post
2012-13 Furman** 6-24 .200 3-15
2013-14 Furman 9-21 .300 3-13
2014-15 Furman 11-22 .333 5-13
2015-16 Furman 19-16 .543 11-7 $
2016-17 Furman 23-11 .676 14-4 $
2016-17 Drake** 7-24 .226 5-13
2017-18 Drake 17-17 .500 10-8 $
2017-18 Colorado State** 11-21 .343 4-14
2018-19 Colorado State 12-20 .375 7-11
2019-20 Colorado State 20-12 .625 11-7 $*
2020-21 Colorado State 17-4 .810 14-3#
** Seasons prior to Medved taking over program
$ School record for conference wins in a season
$ Postseason action for the program (2020 postseason canceled due to CoVID-19)
Medved vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 6-0 4-0 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 3-1 3-0 0-1 -
Northern Arizona 1-0 1-0 - -
Saint Mary's (CA) 0-1 - 0-1 -
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
UNLV 3-3 3-1 0-2 -
Utah State 1-5 0-2 1-3 -
Wyoming 5-3 2-0 3-2 0-1
TOTALS 35-25 21-8 12-15 2-2
CSU vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 84-33 46-11 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 49-78 36-26 12-50 1-2
Northern Arizona 3-2 3-0 0-1 0-1
Saint Mary's (CA) 2-2 - 1-1 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
UNLV 19-41 14-16 5-24 0-1
Utah State 40-59 28-20 12-37 0-2
Wyoming 98-136 53-56 42-76 3-4
TOTALS 411-446 254-155 139-267 18-24
Season Quick Hits
• Colorado State picked up its 14th conference win March 3, the most wins in any conference season in program history.
• The Rams are the only team in the Mountain West not to get swept in a season series and have had five series sweeps. Against the other teams that will be seeded in the top four, the Rams split with all three, with two of them (San Diego State and Utah State) occuring on the road.
• Colorado State has played all four teams picked above it in the preseason poll, finishing with a 5-3 record against those teams.
• 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.
• 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.
Mountain West Seeding Scenarios
• With Wednesday night's result, the Rams are guaranteed a top-three seed in next week's Air Force Reserve Mountain West Championship.
Possible Scenarios If All Games Are Played
CSU wins or Utah State loss: 15-3 (CSU 2, USU 3)
CSU loses: 14-4 / Utah State wins: 15-4 (USU 2, CSU 3)
Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 571-240 (.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 10-1 mark this year, tying for fifth-best single-season win percentage at Moby.
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
2020-21 PPG FG% 3P% Reb PF Ast TO
Colorado St. 80.1 51.1 40.2 34.9 188 192 153
Opponents 63.5 41.2 26.5 30.4 211 129 157
Defense Setting A Tone
• CSU has showed an improved defensive effort and shows clearly in the stats, despite having the 311th club in the country in terms of experience entering the year.
• The Rams are ranked in the top 70 nationally in scorin defense, field goal percentage defense, three-point field goal percentage defense and defensive rebounds.
• 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.
• The Rams had back-to-back games holding an opponent under 50 points on Feb. 27 and March 1. This was the first time it has happened since the 2014-15 season and the first time it has happened in head coach Niko Medved's eight-year career spanning three schools.
• Colorado State also gave up just 44 points to Air Force March 1, the lowest opponent output since Jan. 17, 2015, a 70-41 win at San Jose State. It was also the third-lowest overall opponent scoring total in Medved's career (second lowest vs Division I school).
Getting Offensive (Fouls Drawn That Is)
• Part of CSU's improved defense is drawing offensive fouls on its opponents.
• The Rams are averaging 3.7 offensive fouls drawn on their opponents and have at least 3 in 18 of the 21 games.
• CSU's season high is seven in the home win over Fresno State on Dec. 28 and the Feb. 27 win over Air Force.
Starters Get It Going
• CSU's starters getting the scoring going is big this year, as the Rams are 14-1 this year when that group scores at least 54 points.
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 64.9 49th
Scoring Margin +3.44 133rd +10.7 29th
Field Goal Percentage 46.9 31st 48.5 24th
Field Goal Percentage Def. 44.3 251st 41.0 56th
Free Throw Percentage 67.9 272nd 78.4 15th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def. 34.2 252nd 29.3 18th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game 8.06 90th 8.9 45th
Blocked Shots 2.00 330th 2.4 266th
Turnovers Forced 12.69 219th 13.9 132nd
Defensive Rebounds 26.84 85th 27.90 36th
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-30 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. .402 Isaiah Stevens (82-204) 2019-pres.
13. .400 A.Masinton-Bonner (100-250) 2016-19
14. .398 Ryan Yoder (123-309) 1990-94
15. .397 Keith Bonds (114-287) 1991-93
16. .397 Tyson Maroney (73-184) 1990-94
17. .397 Andre Mcfarland (144-363) 2007-11
18. .394 Jameel Mahmud (117-297) 1994-98
19. .393 Adam Thistlewood (152-387) 2018-pres.
20. .389 David Evans (150-386) 1994-96
21. .388 Adam Nigon (124-320) 2007-11
26. .380 Kendle Moore (132-347) 2018-pres.
National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through March 4, 2021)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Win-Loss Percentage 81.0 14th
Free Throw Percentage 78.4 15th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def. 29.3 18th
Field Goal Percentage 48.5 24th
Scoring Margin +10.7 29th
Defensive Rebounds 27.90 36th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage 37.1 45th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game 8.9 45th
Scoring Defense 64.9 49th
Field Goal Percentage Defense 41.0 56th
Assists Per Game 15.3 57th
Players (top 100 nationally)
Isaiah Stevens
Assists Per Game 5.9 16th
Total Assists 124 18th
Free Throw Percentage 86.7 46th
Minutes Per Game 34:32 95th
David Roddy
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 7.38 17th
Double-Doubles 9 22nd
Rebounds Per Game 9.6 26th
Total Rebounds 202 37th
Field-Goal Percentage 53.6 50th
Free Throws Made 81 95th
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 March 4, 2021)
CSU's Team Rankings Rank Avg.
Scoring Offense 1st 76.71
Field Goal Percentage 1st 49.6
Free Throw Percentage 1st 79.4
3-Point FG Percentage Defense 1st 30.4
3-Point Field Goal Percentage 2nd 37.7
3-Point Field Goals Made 2nd 9.29
Assists 2nd 15.71
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 2nd 27.59
Rebounding Defense t-2nd 30.94
Scoring Defense 3rd 6.06
Scoring Margin 3rd +10.65
Individual Mountain West ONLY RankS (CSU only)
Scoring 5. David Roddy 16.35
13. Isaiah Stevens 14.71
20. Adam Thistlewood 10.71
Rebounding 2. David Roddy 9.94
Free Throw Percentage 4. Isaiah Stevens 84.4
7. David Roddy 74.1
3-Pt. FG Made t-9. Adam Thistlewood 2.00t-9. Kendle Moore 2.00
12. Isaiah Stevens 1.88
Assists 2. Isaiah Stevens 6.18
t-13. David Roddy 2.82
Assist-to-Turnover 5. Isiaah Stevens 1.67
Blocked Shots 11. Adam Thistlewood 0.76Assist-to-Turnover 5. Isiaah Stevens 1.67
13. David Roddy 0.71
15. James Moors 0.65
Steals 8. Kendle Moore 1.38
Defensive Rebounds 1. David Roddy 7.59
11. Isaiah Stevens 4.35
Minutes Played 4. Isaiah Stevens 34.71
14. David Roddy 30.95
Double-Doubles
• The Rams have two players that have combined for 13 double-doubles in their young careers, including three via points-assists, as the program total is now 654 since 1965-66.
David Roddy 10
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
22 pts, 12 reb; AIR FORCE, 3/1/21
12 pts, 14 reb; NEW MEXICO, 3/3/21
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
Points/Assists Double-Double Career Leaders
(18 total in history)
1. Ryan Yoder (1990-94) 6
2. Isaiah Stevens (2019-pres.) 3
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
16. four tied at 12
20. David Roddy (2019-pres.) 11
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 154 of a possible 158 games (147 starts) and contributed 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and better than 38 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 tied for seventh at 152 and Moore has 132 and is 15th. Moore is also tied for sixth in career steals with 115.
Career 3-Pointers List
5. 158 Daniel Bejarano (100 Games) 2011-15
6. 154 Mark Meredith (59 Games) 1989-91
7. 152 Prentiss Nixon (94 Games) 2015-18
152 Adam Thistlewood (82 games) 2019-pres.
9. 150 David Evans (55 Games) 1994-96
150 Joe De Ciman (123 Games) 2012-16
11. 149 Gian Clavell (70 Games) 2014-17
12. 148 Wes Eikmeier (96 Games) 2009-13
13. 144 Andre McFarland (114 Games) 2007-11
144 Bryan Christiansen (79 Games) 1995-98
15. 132 Kendle Moore (84 games) 2019-pres.
Career Steals
5. 118 David Evans 1994-96
6. 115 Kendle Moore (84 games) 2019-pres.
Career Free-Throw Percentage
10. .815 Adam Thistlewood (82 games) 2019-pres.
Career 3-Point Field Goal Percentage
19. .393 Adam Thistlewood (81 games) 2019-pres.
26. .380 Kendle Moore (84 games) 2019-pres.
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.
• 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 then-career high 24 points, including a career-best five 3-pointers, versus Boise State Jan. 29.
• In the win over New Mexico March 3, Thistlewood posted a career-best 27 points on 11-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-7 on threes, while Moore added 17 points.
• Moore currently ranks third in scoring for CSU at 10.7 points per game while third in three-point percentage (36.9).
• Thistlewood is fourth at 10.3 points per game, has hit a team-best 42 three-pointers on 40.0 percent shooting (second for CSU) and is 87.5 percent at the free throw line.
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 14.8 points and first with 5.9 assists (#2 MW) per game while Roddy is first in scoring at 16.1 points per game and the top rebounder at 9.6 (2nd in MW).
• Tonje is fifth at 7.2 points per game, with Thomas averaging 4.7 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.
• Against New Mexico March 3, Roddy had 12 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, while Stevens had nine points and 10 assists.
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, finishing at 144 assists. That total 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 8th .837
3-Point Field Goal Percentage 12th .402
Career Assists
1. 530 Ryan Yoder 1990-94
11. 290 J.D. Paige 2015-19
12. 271 Cory Lewis 2005-07
13. 268 Alton Brandon 1975-79
268 Isaiah Stevens 2019-pres.
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).
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.
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, making the Rams the 311th team in NCAA Division I at the beginning of 2020-21
• 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)
CSU On National TV This Year
CBS (1)
Sat., Jan. 2 - at San Diego State W, 70-67
CBS Sports Network (7)
Thu., Jan. 7 - UNLV 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 CANC
Mon., March 1 - Air Force W, 74-44
Fri., March 5 - at Nevada
FS1 (6)
Mon., Jan. 4 - at San Diego State L, 65-78
Sat., Jan. 9 - UNLV 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 CANC
Sat., Feb. 20 - at Nevada CANC
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)
Looking Ahead
• The Rams will have a bye and open the Air Force Reserve Mountain West Championship on Thursday, March 11 in the evening session.
• The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, with Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas on the call.
• The audio will be on the Colorado State Sports Radio Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth handling the broadcast.
• 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.
Players Mentioned
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballColorado State Basketball (M): Ali Farokhmanesh Post Game (Utah State)
Friday, January 23
Colorado State Basketball (M): Josh Pascarelli (L) & Kyle Jorgensen (R) Post Game (Utah State)
Friday, January 23
Colorado State Basketball (M): Ali Farokhmanesh Post-Game (Air Force)
Tuesday, January 20
Colorado State Basketball (M): Jace Butler (L) and Josh Pascarelli (R) Post-Game (Air Force)
Tuesday, January 20