3/26/2021
Rams and Tigers meet for the first time in history at 10 a.m. MT on ESPN
https://csurams.com/documents/2021/3/26/2020_21CSUMBB_GameNotes_27_Memphis_NITSemifinals.pdf
https://csurams.com/watch?Live=3401
https://tunein.com/radio/Colorado-St-Basketball-s308229/
Opening Tip
• The Rams will take on Memphis in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament on Saturday at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.
• The game will be televised on ESPN and have veteran sports announcer John Schriffen, former college head coach Fran Fraschilla and experienced sports reporter Kris Budden 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 131-125 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 1,302-1,290 (.502) in 2,591 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 returned four starters and seven letterwinners to this year’s squad along with five newcomers to Division I action.
The Leaders
• Colorado State Head Coach Niko Medved (Minnesota, ’97) is in his third season at CSU as head coach with a 52-38 mark and has an 131-125 overall record is in his eighth season as a head coach.
• Memphis Head Coach Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway (Memphis, 2003) is in his third season with the Tigers and as a college head coach with a 61-32 record. Hardaway was in the NBA for 15 years, making four All-Star appearances.
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 Memphis
• Returning eight players that had at least 13 Division I starts prior to the season, including preseason All-AAC selections D.J. Jeffries and Landers Nolley II and preseason rookie of the year Moussa Cisse, the Tigers are 18-8 and finished 11-4 in the American Athletic Conference, finishing third in the league.
• Nolley earned first team honors this eason after leading the team in scoring, minutes, three pointers and free throw percentage. Cisse was the Freshman of the Year when leading the Tigers in rebounding and blocks and Boogie Ellis was the Sixth Man of the Year.
History Versus Memphis
• This will be the first meeting in history between Colorado State and Memphis along with the first time that head coach Niko Medved will face the Tigers.
• Against the American Athletic Conference members, CSU is 11-18, including 3-4 on neutral courts.
• Against the AAC, Medved is 1-1 all-time and 1-0 at CSU
Postseason History
• Colorado State is in its 21st postseason appearance in school history.
• This is the 10th appearance in the National Invitation Tournament, having gone 9-9 overall.
• The last appearance was in 2017, where the Rams defeated Charleston in the opening round before falling to CSU Bakersfield.
• The most successful run was in 1988, when CSU went to the semifinals in New York City, losing to Ohio State in that game and then defeating Boston College for third.
Mountain West Record
• Colorado State – a charter member of the Mountain West – is now 152-190 (.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 84-33 46-11 34-18 4-4
Boise State 12-15 9-5 2-9 1-1
Fresno State 23-18 17-3 3-13 3-2
Nevada 10-16 6-4 4-11 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 40-60 28-20 12-37 0-3
Wyoming 98-137 54-56 42-76 3-5
Totals 398-444 244-155 136-266 18-23
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 with their best conference record in program history with the 14-4 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 20-6 .769 14-4# $
** 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
Buffalo 1-0 – – 1-0
CSU Pueblo 1-0 1-0 – –
Fresno State 6-1 4-0 1-1 1-0
NC State 1-0 – – 1-0
Nevada 1-4 1-1 0-3 –
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 1-6 0-2 1-3 0-1
Wyoming 5-3 2-0 3-2 0-1
TOTALS 38-27 21-8 12-16 5-3
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
Buffalo 1-1 – – 1-1
CSU Pueblo 7-0 7-0 – –
Fresno State 23-18 17-3 3-13 3-2
NC State 1-0 – – 1-0
Nevada 10-16 6-4 4-11 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 414-448 254-155 139-268 21-25
2020-21 Awards
• National Association of Basketball Coaches
– David Roddy, First Team
– Isaiah Stevens, Second Team
• US Basketball Writers Association All-District
– Niko Medved, Coach of the Year
– David Roddy
– Isaiah Stevens
• All-Mountain West from the league’s coaches
– David Roddy, First Team
– Isaiah Stevens, Second Team
– Adam Thistlewood, Honorable Mention
• All-Mountain West from the league’s media
– Niko Medved, Coach of the Year
– David Roddy, First Team
– Isaiah Stevens, Second Team
Season Quick Hits
• CSU has back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2011-12/2012-13, when Niko Medved was an assistant coach on the staff. This is also just the fourth time that the mark has been reached in program history.
• This is also the fourth time that the Rams have won multiple postseason games in a year.
• 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 Rams’ win over Fresno State on March 11 was the first win in the Mountain West Championship for CSU since 2017.
• 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.
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 scoring 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 23 of the 26 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 17-2 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 65.8 54th
Scoring Margin +3.44 133rd +8.9 42nd
Field Goal Percentage 46.9 31st 47.0 43rd
Field Goal Percentage Def. 44.3 251st 41.2 60th
Free Throw Percentage 67.9 272nd 79.2 6th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def. 34.2 252nd 30.3 27th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game 8.06 90th 8.5 64th
Blocked Shots 2.00 330th 2.6 237th
Turnovers Forced 12.69 219th 13.68 140th
Defensive Rebounds 26.84 85th 27.40 48th
Hitting From Deep
• This year’s squad that ranks in the top 70 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. .400 A.Masinton-Bonner (100-250) 2016-19
13. .398 Ryan Yoder (123-309) 1990-94
14. .397 Isaiah Stevens (87-219) 2019-pres.
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. .391 Adam Thistlewood (158-404) 2018-pres.
20. .389 David Evans (150-386) 1994-96
21. .388 Adam Nigon (124-320) 2007-11
25. .381 Kendle Moore (139-365) 2018-pres.
National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through March 25, 2021)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
Free Throw Percentage 79.5 6th
Win-Loss Percentage 76.9 21st
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def. 30.1 24th
Scoring Margin +8.7 43rd
Field Goal Percentage 46.9 46th
Defensive Rebounds 27.31 50th
Field Goal Percentage Def. 41.3 64th
Free Throws Made 372 68th
3-Pt. Field Goals Attempted 612 68th
Players (top 100 nationally)
Isaiah Stevens
Total Assists 141 16th
Assists Per Game 5.4 29th
Free Throw Percentage 87.2 31st
Minutes Per Game 34:59 77th
David Roddy
Double-Doubles 12 15th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 7.27 17th
Rebounds Per Game 9.5 24th
Total Rebounds 248 19th
Free Throws Made 108 40th
Free Throw Attempts 137 50th
Field-Goal Percentage 51.6 67th
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.
(2020-21 final)
CSU’s Team Rankings Rank Avg.
Scoring Offense 1st 77.00
Field Goal Percentage 1st 49.1
Free Throw Percentage 1st 80.8
3-Point FG Percentage Defense 1st 31.1
3-Point Field Goal Percentage 2nd 37.3
3-Point Field Goals Made 2nd 9.22
Assists 2nd 15.50
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 2nd 27.28
Rebounding Defense 3rd 31.22
Scoring Margin 3rd +9.89
Individual Mountain West ONLY RankS (CSU only)
Scoring 4. David Roddy 16.56
t-10. Isaiah Stevens 15.00 20. Kendle Moore 10.94Rebounding 2. David Roddy 9.94 19. Isaiah Stevens 4.61
Field Goal Percentage 2. David Roddy 55.3Free Throw Percentage 4. Isaiah Stevens 84.1 5. David Roddy 77.13-Pt. FG Made t-8. Kendle Moore 2.06
t-10. Adam Thistlewood 1.89 t-10. Isaiah Stevens 1.89Assists 2. Isaiah Stevens 5.94 13. David Roddy 2.83
Assist-to-Turnover 6. Isiaah Stevens 1.62Blocked Shots t-12. Adam Thistlewood 0.72
t-12. David Roddy 0.72 14. James Moors 0.67
Steals t-9. Kendle Moore 1.29
Offensive Rebounds 6. David Roddy 2.39Defensive Rebounds 1. David Roddy 7.56 13. Isaiah Stevens 4.11Minutes Played 4. Isaiah Stevens 34.84 12. David Roddy 31.16
Double-Doubles
• The Rams have two players that have combined for 17 double-doubles in their young careers, including three via points-assists, as the program total is now 657 since 1965-66.
David Roddy 14
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
20 pts, 10 reb. at Nevada, 3/5/21
12 pts, 10 reb., vs. Utah State, 3/12/21
16 pts, 11 reb., vs. NC State, 3/25/21
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
11.David Roddy (2019-pres.) 14
two tied at 14
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 176 of a possible 180 games (167 starts) and contributed 18.5 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 fifth at 158 and Moore has 140 and is 15th. Moore is also fifth in career steals with 120.
Career 3-Pointers List
3. 197 Dorian Green (130 Games) 2009-13
4. 167 J.D. Paige (124 Games) 2015-19
5. 158 Adam Thistlewood (87 games) 2019-pres.
158 Daniel Bejarano (100 Games) 2011-15
6. 154 Mark Meredith (59 Games) 1989-91
8. 152 Prentiss Nixon (94 Games) 2015-18
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. 140 Kendle Moore (89 games) 2019-pres.
Career Steals
3. 128 Brian Greene 1999-03
4. 121 Adam Nigon 2007-11
5. 120 Kendle Moore (89 games) 2019-pres.
Career Free-Throw Percentage
10. .811 Adam Thistlewood (87 games) 2019-pres.
Career 3-Point Field Goal Percentage
18. .391 Adam Thistlewood (87 games) 2019-pres.
25. .381 Kendle Moore (88 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 (36.8).
• Thistlewood is fourth at 9.4 points per game, has hit a team-best 48 three-pointers on 37.2 percent shooting (second for CSU) and is 85.1 percent at the free throw line. Thistlewood was named Honorable Mention All-MW.
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.
• Roddy is first in scoring at 16.1 points per game and the top rebounder at 9.5 (2nd in MW), while Stevens is second in scoring at 15.2 points and first with 5.4 assists (#2 MW) per game. Roddy was a NABC First Team All-District, USBWA All-District, First Team All-MW pick while Stevens was named to the USBWA All-District squad as well as second team for the NABC All-District and Mountain West.
• Tonje is fifth at 6.6 points per game, with Thomas averaging 4.8 points and 3.0 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 the NIT opening win versus Buffalo, Stevens had 14 points, including the game-winning, highly-contested layup with 1.2 seconds to play, and nine assists, while Roddy chipped in team highs of 17 points and eight rebounds.
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 .836
3-Point Field Goal Percentage 14th .397
Career Assists
1. 530 Ryan Yoder 1990-94
10. 293 Rich Strong 1982-86
11. 290 J.D. Paige 2015-19
12. 285 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
ESPN Networks — 2-0
Fri., March 19 – vs. Buffalo W, 75-73
Thu., March 25 – vs. NC State W, 65-61
Sat., March 27 – vs. Memphis
CBS (1) — 1-0
Sat., Jan. 2 – at San Diego State W, 70-67
CBS Sports Network (9) — 5-3
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 L, 82-85
Thu., March 11 – vs. Fresno State W, 72-62
Fri., March 12 – vs. Utah State L, 50-62
FS1 (6) — 2-2
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)
COURTESY COLORADO STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
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