Colorado State University Athletics
Wednesday, December 21
Phoenix, AZ
9:00 PM
Colorado State
vs
Southern California
Rams Set for Final Non-Conference Test of the Season
12/20/2022 11:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Colorado State men’s basketball closes out the non-conference schedule against USC Wednesday night.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Fresh off a gritty road win at Saint Mary's on Sunday, Colorado State faces another tough test Wednesday night. CSU faces Southern California in the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix to close out non-conference play. It will be a late tip for the Rams and Trojans, starting at 9 pm on the Pac 12 Network.
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Opening Tip
- Colorado State gritted out a 62-60 win at Saint Mary's on Sunday.
- The win was a top 15 NET win for the team and helped CSU jump 19 spots in the NET rankings.
- Isaiah Stevens scored 23 points and had five assists in the win to lead the team. His performance earned him Mountain West Player of the Week. It is the third time in his career that he has earned the honor.
- Stevens surpassed 1,400 points for his career and moved into the top 10 all-time for made threes in CSUÂ history.
- The Rams shot 55.8% against Saint Mary's, a team that came into the game holding opponents to just 38.8% shooting.
- John Tonje also finished in double figures, scoring 17 points on 54.5% shooting.
- Colorado State picked up its 30th non-conference win in four years on Sunday.
- CSU finished its home non-conference schedule at 6-1 and has an overall 41-7 record in home games for the past four seasons.
- USC knocked off top 25 ranked Auburn its last time out 74-71 on Sunday.
- The Trojans are on a five-game win streak having not dropped a game in December.
- Colorado State and Southern California are meeting for the first time in 32 years.
- Wednesday's game is a part of the Jerry Colangelo Classic which features three games at Footprint Arena. UC Santa Barbara plays Appalachian State and Saint Mary's takes on Wyoming prior to CSU's game.
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Scouting the Trojans
Defense is the calling card for this year's USC team as they rank 18th in the nation for opponent field goal percentage (38.0%).
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A reason for the strong defense is the rim protection from Joshua Morgan. He ranks fourth in the nation with 3.08 per game. The Trojans are averaging 5.9 a game as a team, the seventh most in the nation.
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While Morgan is protecting the rim, Kobe Johnson is putting pressure on opposing backcourts with 2.4 per game putting him in the top 25 in the NCAA.
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Offensively the trio of Boogie Ellis (15.3), Drew Peterson (13.3) and Reese Dixon-Waters (10.1) are averaging double figures for USC. Ellis is coming off a 28 points performance against Auburn.
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What's Ahead
It's on to Mountain West play for Colorado State following the holiday break. CSU will open the 2022-23 MW schedule with a trip to The Pit against an undefeated New Mexico team on December 28 at 7 pm.
Â
Opening Tip
- Colorado State gritted out a 62-60 win at Saint Mary's on Sunday.
- The win was a top 15 NET win for the team and helped CSU jump 19 spots in the NET rankings.
- Isaiah Stevens scored 23 points and had five assists in the win to lead the team. His performance earned him Mountain West Player of the Week. It is the third time in his career that he has earned the honor.
- Stevens surpassed 1,400 points for his career and moved into the top 10 all-time for made threes in CSUÂ history.
- The Rams shot 55.8% against Saint Mary's, a team that came into the game holding opponents to just 38.8% shooting.
- John Tonje also finished in double figures, scoring 17 points on 54.5% shooting.
- Colorado State picked up its 30th non-conference win in four years on Sunday.
- CSU finished its home non-conference schedule at 6-1 and has an overall 41-7 record in home games for the past four seasons.
- USC knocked off top 25 ranked Auburn its last time out 74-71 on Sunday.
- The Trojans are on a five-game win streak having not dropped a game in December.
- Colorado State and Southern California are meeting for the first time in 32 years.
- Wednesday's game is a part of the Jerry Colangelo Classic which features three games at Footprint Arena. UC Santa Barbara plays Appalachian State and Saint Mary's takes on Wyoming prior to CSU's game.
Â
Scouting the Trojans
Defense is the calling card for this year's USC team as they rank 18th in the nation for opponent field goal percentage (38.0%).
Â
A reason for the strong defense is the rim protection from Joshua Morgan. He ranks fourth in the nation with 3.08 per game. The Trojans are averaging 5.9 a game as a team, the seventh most in the nation.
Â
While Morgan is protecting the rim, Kobe Johnson is putting pressure on opposing backcourts with 2.4 per game putting him in the top 25 in the NCAA.
Â
Offensively the trio of Boogie Ellis (15.3), Drew Peterson (13.3) and Reese Dixon-Waters (10.1) are averaging double figures for USC. Ellis is coming off a 28 points performance against Auburn.
Â
What's Ahead
It's on to Mountain West play for Colorado State following the holiday break. CSU will open the 2022-23 MW schedule with a trip to The Pit against an undefeated New Mexico team on December 28 at 7 pm.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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