Dec. 4, 2009
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Game 8: Denver at Colorado State
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009 | 7 p.m. MT | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena (8,745)
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The Colorado State men’s basketball team looks to remain perfect on the year at Moby Arena as it takes on the Denver Pioneers. It is the Rams’ second game of a three-game strech against Colorado teams.
Colorado State (4-3) fell to instate rival Northern Colorado on Tuesday, 70-63, in Greeley. After falling behind early, 11-1, the Rams rallied to tie the score midway through the second half, 49-49. Clutch free throws down the stretch, however, lifted the Bears to the victory. Following Saturday’s game against Denver, the Rams will host Colorado on Thursday.
The Pioneers, members of the Sun Belt Conference, enter Saturday’s matchup with an overall record of 5-1. After falling in its opener, to Northern Iowa, Denver is riding a five-game win streak, with wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota State and Lamar.
Tipoff between the Rams and the Pioneers is set for 7 p.m. MT at Moby Arena.
Fans can listen to the action live on the Colorado State Sports Network. Jerry Schemmel will call all the action courtside. The game will be carried on flagship KLZ (560 AM) in Denver and on KCOL (600 AM), locally. Rams fans worldwide can listen to the action live streaming on CSURams.com/allaccess.
Live statistics are available by clicking the “GameTracker” logo on the men’s basketball “Schedule/Results” page on CSURams.com.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Colorado State Athletics ticket office at the McGraw Athletic Center. Fans can also purchase tickets by calling 800/491-RAMS, or online at www.CSURams.com.
Since 1902
The 2009-10 season marks the 106th in the history of the Colorado State men’s basketball program. The Rams are 1,078-1,132 (.488) in 2,209 games all-time, entering Sunday’s matchup vs. San Francisco.
Coors Light Coaches’ Show debuts
The Coors Light Basketball Coaches’ Show debuted Monday at 7 p.m. MT, live from the Stonehouse Grille in Old Town Fort Collins, and will continue throughout the season until March 1. Shows air live on the Colorado State Sports Network’s Flagship, KLZ (560 AM). A complete schedule can be found on the bottom of Page 4 of this release.
About Denver
Coming off a 15-16 season, an 11-win improvement from two seasons ago when head coach Joe Scott took over the program, the Pioneers are led by 10 underclassmen and just three juniors and a pair of seniors.
Senior Nate Rohnert leads the Pioneers in nearly every offensive and defensive category, including points per game (19.3), minutes played (34.5), rebounds per game (6.2), assists (5.8) and steals (1.7). The guard out of Parker, Colo., finished 2008-09 as a first-team member of the all-Sun Belt Conference team. He finished in the top 10 in five categories, including 15.3 points per game. Freshman forward Chase Hallam is averaging 7.8 points per game, connecting on 61.3 percent of his shots from the field, including 75 percent (6-of-8) from three-point range. Brian Stafford and Andrew Hooper join Rohnert in double figures with 12.5 and 11.8 points per game, respectively.
Series vs. Denver
Colorado State and Denver will meet on the hardwood for the 158th time Saturday evening. CSU has played Denver more than any other team. The series dates back to 1902, CSU’s second season, in which the Rams defeated the Pioneers 19-17 in their third-ever game. In the series, the Rams have posted an impressive 88-69 (56.1 percent) record, including a 50-28 (64.1 percent) clip at home.
Last time vs. Denver
When the teams last met, Dec. 20, 2008 at Magnus Arena, the Rams trailed by eight points at halftime (24-16), but opened the second half by scoring nine straight points to take a 25-24 lead. Denver, however, hit five of its first six three-pointers to regain control of the game.
Denver led by as many as 10 points midway through the second half, only to see the Rams rally to tie the game. However, the Pioneers closed the contest out from the free-throw line, hitting 15-of-19 over the final 3:45 to halt a four-game skid against Colorado State with a 66-55 victory on their home court.
Adam Nigon led the Rams with a career-high 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting.
Last time vs. Denver at Moby
Locked in a back-and-forth contest, the Rams were able to hang on to defeat the Pioneers, 44-40, in the lowest scoring game in the history of Moby Arena, exactly two years ago on Dec. 5, 2007.
Current Rams vs. Denver
Last year, Travis Franklin scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting and Adam Nigon added nine points on 4-of-4 shooting. Besides those two Rams, the rest of the CSU lineup that has faced Denver (McFarland, Ogide, Carr and Perry) is just 6-for-18 with 13 points.
A quick look at the Rams
Colorado State returns to the court in 2009-10 with 10 letterwinners, including three starters - Andy Ogide, Andre McFarland and Jesse Carr - from last season’s team that posted an overall record of 9-22 (4-12 MWC) and finished eighth in the MWC standings.
Ogide, a junior forward, is the Rams’ leading returner in both scoring (10.2 ppg.) and rebounding (5.8 rpg.). McFarland returns as one of the top three-point threats in the Mountain West Conference. In 2008-09 McFarland connected on 55 treys and a 42.3 percent clip, and averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Carr started 18 games as a true freshman in 2008-09, recording 8.8 points and 2.9 assists per game at the point guard position before missing the final six games of the year with a groin injury.
Other key returners include senior guard Harvey Perry, who averaged 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and junior forward Travis Franklin, who averaged 6.5 points and 3.6 boards. Junior guard Adam Nigon, a former walk-on, returns after averaging 2.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest. Senior walk-on Arin Dunn, who saw significant playing time in the second half of the season, is back to bolster the Rams’ back court. Mame Bocar Ba, saw action in 22 games (four starts) a season ago, when he recorded 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
The team added seven newcomers into the mix. Two freshmen - Pierce Hornung (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley High School), and Dorian Green (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence High School) - will make an immediate impact along with junior college addition Johnny Del Bene, a guard from San Diego Mesa College, and transfer Travis Busch, a senior forward from the University of Minnesota who is pursuing his master’s degree at CSU and was granted a waiver by the NCAA to become immediately eligible.
Wes Eikmeier, a sophomore guard from Fremont, Neb., will sit out the 2009-10 season after transferring from Iowa State University, as will freshmen Trevor Williams (Denver, Colo./Lutheran High School), and Greg Smith (Omaha, Neb./Ralston High School), who Coach Miles announced he plans to redshirt this season.
Key losses for the Rams include departed senior guards Marcus Walker and Willis Gardner. Walker ranked as the Rams’ top scorer in each of the previous two seasons and was named to the 2007-08 all-MWC second team and MWC Newcomer of the Year, and 2008-09 all-MWC third team. Despite playing just two seasons, Walker reached 15th on CSU’s all-time scoring list (1,009 points). Gardner provided toughness and leadership and was a top performer on the court, starting 53 of 57 career games for the Rams and averaging 9.6 points and 2.5 assists per game.
The Rams opened the season with a 2-1 showing at the BTI Tip-off tournament, defeating UC Davis, 91-73, and Winston-Salem State, 57-40, before falling to Oregon, 68-55, in the tourney championship.
The Rams then played their fourth consecutive road game to open the season at Indiana State in the inaugural Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge. The Rams’ comeback effort fell just short, as the Sycamores held on for a 65-60 victory.
The Rams enter their third home game of the season with two consecutive Moby Arena wins, a 79-42 victory over the Mayville State Comets in their home opener Nov. 24, and a thrilling 91-75 triumph in double-OT over San Francisco. CSU has now won 29 consecutive home-openers at Moby Arena.
Home Sweet Home
With a win, the Rams can begin their season 3-0 at home for the first time under the Tim Miles era. The last time a Rams team won Its first three games at Moby was in 2006 when the Rams won their first six.
After opening the 2009-10 season with four straight on the road, the Rams are now in the midst of seven consecutive games in Northern Colorado. Six of those contests will be played in the friendly confines of Moby Arena, while the lone trip was a short ride to nearby Greeley, Colo. During this stretch, the Rams will also host in-state rival Colorado (Dec. 10), as well as Montana (Dec. 12) and Northern Arizona (Dec. 20).
Balanced rebounding attack
Despite only having two 10-plus rebounding efforts this season, the Rams have three players ranked in the top 12 in the MWC in rebounding average: Franklin (6.4); eighth, Hornung (6.1); 10th and Ogide (5.9); 12th. As a team, Colorado State ranks third in the conference with 39 rebounds per game, and third with a +5.1 rebounding margin.
Rams hot in home openers
The Rams’ 79-42 win over Mayville State pushed the program’s streak to 29 consecutive victories in home-opening contests at Moby Arena. Under Head Coach Tim Miles, the Rams are now 3-0, having picked up home-opening victories over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (73-48) and Montana (85-55), in 2007-08 and 2008-09, respectively. Colorado State’s last home-opening loss came at the hands of Oklahoma State, a 69-64 setback on Dec. 8, 1980. All-time, CSU is 41-4 in home-opening games at Moby Arena, dating back to the program’s first game in the venue, a 109-70 victory over New Mexico State on Jan. 24, 1966.
Homecoming...finally
The Nov. 24 matchup vs. Mayville State marked the Rams’ first home game of the 2009-10 season. CSU began the year with four consecutive road games. This season marks the latest home opener for the Rams since 2007-08, Tim Miles’ first season at CSU. That year, the Rams began the season at Montana (Nov. 9), then traveled to Anchorage, Alaska, for three games in the BP Top of the World Classic (Nov. 15-18). The Rams played their fifth straight road game at Stanford (Nov. 24), before finally playing their home opener, Nov. 28 against Arkansas Pine Bluff.
Rams vs. non-conference foes
Entering Saturday’s contest against Denver, CSU has posted a record of 91-54 (.627) against non-MWC opponents since the formation of the Mountain West Conference in 1999.
Scoring for the Rams
Junior F Andy Ogide and freshman G Dorian Green rank 1-2 for the Rams in terms of scoring through seven games this season. Green has scored in double figures over his last five games, and six of his first seven college contests as a true freshman.
Entering Tuesday’s game, Ogide is among MWC leaders, averaging 12.9 points per contest. Green is placed in the top 10, and tops among freshmen, averaging 14.4 points.
Green means go
Entering Saturday’s contest vs. Denver, freshman G Dorian Green has led Colorado State in scoring in three of the last four contests, tallying 18 points at Indiana State, pouring in 17 more vs. Mayville State and 13 at Northern Colorado. He also added 17 points, second on the team, against San Francisco. Through seven games this season, Green is the only player to pace the Rams in scoring in back-to-back contests.
Ogide crashing the glass
Junior F Andy Ogide recorded at least six rebounds in Colorado State’s first games.
Del Bene debuts
Junior G Johnny Del Bene, a junior college addition from San Diego Mesa College, saw his first action in a Rams uniform on Nov. 24 vs. Mayville State. Del Bene played 6 minutes, connecting on his only shot, and ensuring that every Ram who saw action in the game tallied points.
Runnin’ Rams?
Colorado State ran out of the gates, and ran opponent UC Davis out of the gym, in the team’s 91-73 season-opening victory over the Aggies. CSU’s 91 points marked the team’s highest scoring output in a regulation game under Head Coach Tim Miles, and the first time the team has eclipsed 90 points since a 90-78 home victory over BYU on Jan. 20, 2007. The Rams followed up their 91-point performancee against UC Davis with 91 points in a double-overtime win against San Francisco.
Seeing 20-20
Junior forwards Andy Ogide and Andre McFarland tallied 24 points and 20 points, respectively in Colorado State’s season-opening victory over UC Davis (Nov. 13). Then, Travis Franklin matched Ogide’s 24 points in a double-OT thriller vs. San Francisco (Nov. 29). Sophomore Jesse Carr is the only other Ram to have recorded 20-plus points in a game at CSU. Below is a listing of 20-point scoring games by current Rams:
Jesse Carr
Jan. 24, 2009 at Wyoming (21)
Andre McFarland
Nov. 13, 2009 vs. UC Davis (20)
Nov. 24, 2008 vs. St. Martin’s (23)
Andy Ogide
Nov. 13, 2009 vs. UC Davis (24)
Nov. 26, 2008 vs. New Orleans (22)
Nov. 14, 2008 vs. Montana (20)
Travis Franklin
Nov. 29, 2009 vs. San Francisco (24)
Long-range Rams
Entering Saturday’s contest vs. Denver, Colorado State ranks second in the Mountain West Conference with a team shooting percentage of .375 (51-for-136) from three-point range, and nearly half of that production has come from junior F Andre McFarland.
McFarland is fifth in the Mountain West Conference, averaging 2.57 three-pointers per game and second with a 45 percent accuracy. The Las Vegas, Nev., native has connected on a trey in 16 consecutive games dating back to the 2008-09 season.
For his career at Colorado State, McFarland has hit 113 three-pointers, just seven shy of cracking the program’s top-10 list. David Turcotte (1984-88) currently holds the 10th spot with 120 career three-pointers. McFarland’s career three-point percentage of .415 currently ranks ninth, behind Turcotte, in the Rams’ record book.
Freshmen strong in debuts
Freshmen Dorian Green and Pierce Hornung impressed in their first weekend of action at the BTI Tip-off tournament (Nov. 13-15). Green started all three games for the Rams at point guard and wasted no time making his mark, with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the Rams’ opening game vs. UC Davis. He earned all-tourney honors after averaging 12 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
Hornung looked sharp, pulling down two rebounds, and recording four assists and three steals in 23 minutes in his first collegiate game against the Aggies. He added a pair of blocks in the Rams’ win over Winston-Salem State, and closed the weekend with six rebounds, two assists and one steal against the Oregon Ducks.
Greg Smith, who saw his first action in the Rams’ fifth game of the season, was also impressive in his debut performance, filling up the stat sheet with 10 points, six rebounds three steals, two assists and two blocks.
The trio looks to make an assault on the CSU freshmen records throughout the season. Entering Saturday’s game vs. Denver, Green is averaging 14.4 points per game, which would rank first all-time among freshmen at CSU, just ahead of former all-conference players Matt Nelson (14.0 ppg.) and Jason Smith (10.5 ppg.). Hornung’s rebounding average of 6.1 per contest also would rank second among freshmen at CSU, just behind Rich Strong, who averaged 6.3 rebounds per game during his freshman year in 1983. Hornung’s average ranks 10th overall in the MWC.
If I can be frank
Junior F Travis Franklin has started each of Colorado State’s first seven contests this season, leaving his mark at both ends of the court for the Rams. The Baton Rouge, La., native ranks first on the team in rebounding (6.4 rebounds per game) and fourth on the team in scoring (10.1 points per game), while leading the team in offensive rebounds (26), ranking second with eight steals and first on the team with 55 free-throw attempts. He ranks in the top 10 in the MWC in a number of categories, including second in offensive rebounding (3.7 per game) and eighth in the MWC in total rebounding (6.4).
Converting at the line
After hitting just 35-of-62 attempts (56.5 percent) from the free-throw line through two exhibition games, the Rams significantly improved their production at the stripe early this season. At the BTI Tip-off tournament, CSU downed 47-of-67 attempts (70.1 percent) at McArthur Court. The Rams then connected on 16-of-25 attempts (64 percent) against Indiana State. As a team, the Rams struggled at the stripe vs. Mayville State, shooting just 50 percent (12-for-24). Freshmen Dorian Green and Greg Smith, however, combined to go 8-of-9 from the stripe. Green has hit 86.1 percent of his free throws this season, good for sixth in the conference.
In a win against San Francisc Nov. 29, free throws proved to be key, with the Rams converting 82 percent of its free-throw attempts into points. The team was clutch down the stretch, making 24 of their final 27.
Turn up the “D”
Colorado State ranks fourth in the Mountain West Conference in scoring defense entering Saturday’s game against DU. The Rams are holding opponents to just 61.9 points per game through the first seven games of the season. Colorado State also ranks second in the league in holding opponents to just 27.3 percent shooting from three-point range. Overall, CSU’s opponents are shooting just 37.6 percent from the field this season, which ranks fourth in the MWC, behind BYU.
Finding his stroke
Junior G Adam Nigon, who entered the 2009-10 season with 11 career three-pointers in two seasons as a Ram, nearly doubled his career numbers in the opening weekend of the season at the BTI Tip-off tournament. Nigon was impressive for the Rams, connecting on 6-of-13 (.462) attempts from beyond the arc. Nigon’s six three-pointers matched the output from his entire sophomore campaign, and bested his freshman mark by one. Entering Saturday’s game vs. DU, Nigon is shootong 37.0 percent (10-for-27) from long range.
Career-high in season opener
Junior F Andy Ogide tallied a career-best 24 points in the Rams’ season-opening victory over UC Davis. Junior G Adam Nigon also had a career day against the Aggies, tying his personal best with 11 points in the contest. Nigon tied the mark again, just one day later, in CSU’s victory over Winston-Salem State.
Season openers under Miles
The Rams are 2-1 in season openers since Head Coach Tim Miles’ came to Colorado State University. The Rams opened Miles’ first season with a tough 75-39 loss at Montana, a loss which CSU avenged, 85-55, at Moby Arena in the season opener of the 2008-09 season. The Rams won their second consecutive season opener, putting away the UC Davis Aggies, 91-73, in the opening round of the BTI Tip-off tournament, Nov. 13 in Eugene, Ore.
Tourney time
Dating back to the 2005-06 season, and including the Rams’ 2-1 showing at this year’s BTI Tip-off tournament in Eugene, Ore., Colorado State has been impressive in midseason tournaments. In the five seasons, the Rams have played in five championship games, winning twice. In 2006, the Rams capped a nine-game winning streak with a win over Chattanooga to claim the Dr. Pepper Classic Title. A year later, in Tim Miles’ first season, Colorado State traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska, defeating Oregon State, Tennessee State and Portland State to be crowned champions of the Top of the World Classic. Both in 2005 and 2008, the Rams finished as runners-up in the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Last year, before falling to Buffalo in the finals, Colorado State beat Vermont and Hawaii on its own court, the Rams’ first road victory in nearly two years. The Rams opened the 2009-10 season with a runner-up showing at the BTI Tip-off tournament, falling the championship game against host Oregon, 68-55.
Perry suspended
Senior G Harvey Perry has been suspended indefinitely, pending improvement of his academic performance. Head Coach Tim Miles made the decision prior to the Rams’ game vs. Mayville State on Nov. 24.
“I felt that this move was necessary for Harvey to regain his focus on academics,” said Miles. “He is on track to graduate next semester, and that is something invaluable. We will never lose sight of the bigger picture in our program. While my staff and I are here to win games, more importantly, we are here to prepare these young men for life after basketball. We will evaluate Harvey on a continual basis regarding his academics, and he will rejoin the team when he has reached a sufficient level of progress.”
Cleared for takeoff
After announcing Nov. 13 his plans to redshirt freshman Greg Smith for the 2009-10 season, Head Coach Tim Miles removed that distinction from Smith prior to the Rams’ home opener vs. Mayville State. Smith, a 6-6 forward from Ralston (Neb.) High School, went on to make his debut against the Comets, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks in 16 minutest of action for the Rams.
In the red
Head Coach Tim Miles announced Nov. 13 his plans to redshirt freshman C Trevor Williams. Williams, a 7-0 center from Denver (Colo.) Lutheran High School, will benefit from a year of additional work with Miles and his staff, before hitting the court for the Rams in 2010-11.
Colorado talent
The 2009-10 Rams roster features five players - Mike Annese, Arin Dunn, Pierce Hornung, Michael Lebsack, Adam Nigon and Trevor Williams - from the state of Colorado. You have to go back 28 seasons, all the way to 1981-82, to find a CSU basketball team that featured more local talent. Six players from the 1981-82 squad listed Colorado as their home state.
Rams juniors among top MWC returners
Junior forward Andy Ogide’s 2008-09 stats have landed him toward the top of several MWC categories among returning players. As a sophomore in 2008-09, Ogide averaged 5.8 rebounds per game, fourth among MWC returners. His .500 shooting is tied for third, while his 0.63 blocks per game are fifth.
Classmates Andre McFarland and Travis Franklin also return after strong sophomore campaigns. McFarland connected on 42.3 percent of his shots from three-point range last season, ranking among the best in the league, while Franklin led the Rams with 49 offensive rebounds a season ago, helping the Rams to finish second in the MWC in that category in 2008-09 with an average of 11.10 per contest.
On pace for 1,000
Entering the 2009-10 season, junior forward Andre McFarland ranks as the only Colorado State player on pace to reach the 1,000-point milestone for his career. McFarland - one of just two players (Adam Nigon) to have played in each of Head Coach Tim Miles’ first two seasons at CSU - poured in 525 points as a full-time starter in each of his first two seasons in Fort Collins. McFarland tallied 266 points (8.3 per game) in 31 starts as a true freshman in 2007-08. Last season, he averaged 8.4 points per contest, pouring in 259 points as the only Rams player to start all 31 contests.
Through seven games this season, McFarland ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.7 points per contest, while shooting 45 percent (18-of-40) from three-point range.
Marcus Walker, who completed his playing career at CSU in 2009, is the last Rams player to reach the 1,000-point milestone, tallying an impressive 1,009 points in just two seasons in Fort Collins.
All-tournament honors
Junior F Andy Ogide and freshman G Dorian Green were each selected to the all-tournament team at the BTI Tip-off tournament in Eugene, Ore. (Nov. 13-15). Ogide and Green led the Rams to a 2-1 showing an a runner-up finish. For the tournament, Ogide averaged a team-high16.3 points, and pulled down 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 62 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line. Green was stellar in his debut in a Rams uniform, averaging 12.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Green notched five three-pointers for the weekend, and ranked first on the team, hitting nearly 85 percent from the free-throw line.
BTI Tip-off All-Tournament Team
MVP – Tajuan Porter, Oregon
Teondre Williams, Oregon
Andy Ogide, Colorado State
Dorian Green, Colorado State
Joe Harden, UC Davis
Shelton Carter, Winston-Salem State
Next on the schedule
Colorado State continues a four-game homestand on Thursday, hosting rival Colorado at 7:30 p.m. MT at Moby Arena. The Rams and the Buffs will meet for the 120th time in the series. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.
