Thursday, February 4
Laramie, Wyo. / Arena-Auditorium
7 p.m. MT
Colorado State
at
Wyoming
CSU Heads to Laramie For Border War Series With Wyoming Feb. 4 & 6
2/2/2021 11:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CSU Game Notes 17 and 18 - at WyomingLive Video (Game 1)Live Audio (Game 1)Live Audio (Game 2)Live StatsTuneIn App
Rams and Cowboys will meet again the longest running series among Mountain West foes
Opening Tip
• The Rams travel to Laramie for this year's edition of the Border War, taking on Wyoming on Feb. 4 & 6.
• Thursday's game will tip at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on the Mountain West Network with Jacob Tobey on the call. Saturday afternoon will be a 4 p.m. MT tip on CBS Sports Network, with Joel Godett and Steve Wolf handling the broadcast.
• The audio will be on the Colorado State Sports Radio Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth and Adam Nigon on the call. CSU Sports Network broadcasts can be also accessed on mobile devices through the TuneIn app (free on all Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Amazon Kindle devices) – once downloaded, search "Colorado St. Rams Sports Network" in the app for the games and coaches' show broadcasts.
• The game will also have live stats on CSURams.com.
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 123-123 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 1,294-1,288 (.502) in 2,582 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 44-36 mark and has an 123-123 overall record is in his eighth season as a head coach.
• Wyoming Head Coach Jeff Linder (Western State, '00) is in his first season at Wyoming with a 10-7 mark and fifth as a head coach overall with a 90-57 record.
• The two coaches met once at their previous stops as Medved's Drake squad lost a tough 81-72 game at Northern Colorado, coached by Linder, in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on March, 18, 2018. Medved was named CSU's new head coach four days later.
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 Wyoming
• Returning three starters and four letterwinners from last season's 9-24 squad that was 2016 in the Mountain West, the Cowboys were picked to finish ninth in the league's preseason poll.
• Redshirt-junior Hunter Maldonado, a 2020 honorable mention All-MW pick was the leading returning scorer and is leading in rebounds, assists and minutes and second in scoring. Freshman Marcus Williams paces Wyo in points and steals.
History Versus Wyoming
• The longest running series for CSU and between two Mountain West foes, the Rams trail in the overall margin 137-96, including 117-69 in conference action.
• The Cowboys have a 76-40 advantage in Laramie, but CSU has gone 12-9 against Wyoming in the last 10 years.
• CSU took two of three meetings last year, including a come-from-behind win in Laramie after trailing by 19 points in the second half. (box scores on pages 19-21).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 3-3 record against Wyoming as a head coach.
WYOMING - 96-137
Conference: 69-117
Home: 53-56 / Away: 40-76 / Neutral: 3-5
(complete list on page 21 with returner stats)
Medved vs. Wyoming -- 3-3 (3-2 at CSU)
Home: 2-0 / Away: 1-2 / Neutral: 0-1
Date School Loc. W/L Score
# 12/2/2017 Drake A L 89-96
* 2/9/2019 Colo. St. A L 66-74
* 2/23/2019 Colo. St. H W 83-48
* 1/4/2020 Colo. St. H W 72-61
* 2/15/2020 Colo. St. A W 77-70
^ 3/4/2020 Colo. St. N L 74-80
# CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (Home sites)
^ MW Tournament (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 148-189 (.439) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.
CSU vs. Mountain West Conference
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 82-33 44-11 34-18 4-4
Boise State 12-15 9-5 2-9 1-1
Fresno State 22-18 17-3 3-13 2-2
Nevada 10-15 6-4 4-10 0-1
New Mexico 48-78 35-26 12-50 1-2
San Diego State 42-46 26-14 14-28 2-4
San Jose State 22-0 9-0 9-0 4-0
UNLV 19-41 14-16 5-24 0-1
Utah State 40-59 28-20 12-37 0-2
Wyoming 96-137 54-56 40-76 3-5
Totals 392-442 241-155 134-265 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 had the Rams off to their best conference start in the modern era (WAC and Mountain West) with the 9-3 mark.
The Improvement Under Medved
Year School Overall Conf Post
2012-13 Furman** 6-24 3-15
2013-14 Furman 9-21 3-13
2014-15 Furman 11-22 5-13
2015-16 Furman 19-16 11-7 $
2016-17 Furman 23-11 14-4 $
2016-17 Drake** 7-24 5-13
2017-18 Drake 17-17 10-8 $
2017-18 Colorado State** 11-21 4-14
2018-19 Colorado State 12-20 7-11
2019-20 Colorado State 20-12 11-7 $*
** Seasons prior to Medved taking over program
$ Postseason action for the program (2020 postseason canceled due to CoVID-19)
Medved vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 4-0 2-0 2-0 -
Boise State 2-4 1-2 1-1 0-1
CSU Pueblo 1-0 1-0 - -
Fresno State 5-1 4-0 1-1 -
Nevada 1-3 1-1 0-2 -
New Mexico 2-1 2-0 0-1 -
Northern Arizona 1-0 1-0 - -
Saint Mary's (CA) 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 3-3 2-0 1-2 0-1
TOTALS 30-25 18-8 10-15 2-2
CSU vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 82-33 44-11 34-18 4-4
Boise State 12-15 9-5 2-9 1-1
CSU Pueblo 7-0 7-0 - -
Fresno State 22-18 17-3 3-13 2-2
Nevada 10-15 6-4 4-10 0-1
New Mexico 48-78 35-26 12-50 1-2
Northern Arizona 3-2 3-0 0-1 0-1
Saint Mary's (CA) 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 96-136 53-56 40-76 3-4
TOTALS 406-446 251-155 137-267 18-24
Season Quick Hits
• CSU's win over Boise State was the third Quad 1 win for the Rams this season (the other two at Utah State and at San Diego State).
• Colorado State has played all four teams picked above it in the preseason poll, finishing with a 5-3 record against those teams.
• The win at Utah State on Jan. 21 was the third win this year for CSU after trailing by at least 10 points, two of them on the road (at San Diego State (26), UNLV (13), at Utah State (10))
• The 20 conference games the Rams are scheduled to play this season will be the most in league action since 1950-51 when they played 20 in three straight seasons in the Mountain States Athletic Conference.
• This was the latest start for the program since the 1942-43 season during World War II when CSU did not start until Jan. 8, 1943 with a 35-33 loss at Northern Colorado.
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).
Some Thoughts The Sweep of UNLV
• CSU's rally from 13 points down in the opener against the Runnin' Rebels tied for the 19th largest comeback in program history.
• The 16 three pointers in the second matchup on Jan. 9 are a Mountain West high this year, tied for the second most by CSU in Moby Arena and tied for the third most in program history.
• The Rams won both games in the final minute, as David Roddy hit a layup to put CSU up for good in the opener and Isaiah Stevens hit a three off a screen for the game winner in the finale.
• This was the first season series win since 2016-17 and just the fourth time the Rams won both contests in a single season.
• The sweep ran CSU's home winning streak to eight games, dating back to the final two regular season games in Moby Arena in 2019-20.
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.
Non-Conference Winning Record in '19-20 & '20-21
• Unless CSU adds two more non-conference games, the Rams have secured a winning non-conference record this year at 3-1 with one game remaining against Northern Colorado.
• Last season with the victory over South Dakota State Dec. 10, 2019, the Rams secured a winning non-conference record.
• The nine non-conference wins was the most since CSU posted a school-best a 13-0 mark in 2014-15.
Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 570-240 (.704) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• With the win over Nevada Jan. 29, CSU guaranteed a better than .500 home record in 2019-20.
• Last year's 12-4 mark had to do with some significant differences in major categories in favor of the Rams, and this year's are following some similarities, resulting in a 6-0 mark at this point in the year and eight consecutive wins entering this week's action (the longest home win streak under Medved at CSU).
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. 81.0 51.0 43.9 33.4 136 137 109
Opponents 66.6 41.9 26.8 32.9 153 91 114
Defense Setting A Tone
• CSU has showed an improved defensive effort and shows clearly in the stats.
• The Rams are ranked in the top 70 nationally in defensive rebounds and three-point field goal percentage.
• 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.
Getting Offensive (Fouls Drawn That Is)
• Part of CSU's improved defense is drawing offensive fouls on its opponents.
• The Rams are averaging 3.4 offensive fouls drawn on their opponents and have at least 3 in 13 of the 16 games.
• CSU's season high is seven in the home win over Fresno State on Dec. 28.
Starters Get It Going
• CSU's starters getting the scoring going is big this year, as the Rams are 11-1 this year when that group scores at least 54 points.
Hitting From Deep
• This year's squad that ranks in the top 20 in the country in three-point field goal percentage and made features three of the most prolific three-point shooters in school history.
• Sophomore Isaiah Stevens and juniors Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are all in CSU's top-25 for 3-point field goal percentage.
9. .422 Andy Birley (232-550) 1999-03
10. .411 Antwan Scott (97-236) 2014-16
11. .406 Sean Morris (89-219) 2004-06
12. .401 Isaiah Stevens (73-182) 2019-pres.
13. .400 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 Kendle Moore (126-320) 2018-pres.
19. .394 Jameel Mahmud (117-297) 1994-98
20. .389 David Evans (150-386) 1994-96
21. .388 Adam Nigon (124-320) 2007-11
22. .386 Adam Thistlewood (140-363) 2018-pres.
National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through Feb. 1, 2021)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage 39.1 17th
Free Throw Percentage 77.3 20th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game 9.7 23rd
Field Goal Percentage 47.6 39th
Defensive Rebounds 27.75 51st
3-Pt. Field Goals Attempted 396 55th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def. 30.4 57th
Scoring Margin +9.19 60th
Assists 15.63 62nd
Players (top 100 nationally)
Isaiah Stevens
Total Assists 105 7th
Assists Per Game 6.6 11th
Free Throw Percentage 89.5 26th
Minutes Per Game 35:04 64th
David Roddy
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 7.12 23rd
Double-Doubles 6 25th
Total Rebounds 149 22nd
Rebounds Per Game 9.3 38th
Free Throws Made 62 68th
Free Throw Attempts 82 75th
Field-Goal Percentage 50.9 94th
Conference Only Rankings
• Here are the team categories the Rams' rank in the top three in Mountain West only games and where the individual players appear in the rankings in 2020-21.
(through Feb. 1, 2021)
CSU's Team Rankings Rank Avg.
Free Throw Percentage 1st 78.2
3-Point Field Goals Made 1st 10.50
Scoring Offense 2nd 77.42
Field Goal Percentage 2nd 48.7
3-Point Field Goal Percentage 2nd 40.5
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 2nd 27.25
Assists 3rd 16.25
Individual Mountain West ONLY RankS (CSU only)
Scoring 6. David Roddy 16.25
11. Isaiah Stevens 1.92
t-12. Adam Thistlewood 0.83
CSU Scheduled To Appear On National Television 14 Times
• CSU will appear on national television broadcasts 14 times, the Mountain West and TV partners CBS Sports Network and FOX Sports announced.
• The schedule includes shifts of eight games along with the last weekend's series at defending conference champion San Diego State.
• Colorado State will have six series and two individual games televised nationally, with the next the UNLV series on Jan. 7 (CBS Sports Network) and Jan. 9 (FS1). Of the six series on the schedule, five are splits between CBS/CBS Sports Network and FS1.
• The four series altered to accommodate broadcasts are at Utah State (Jan. 19 and 21), Boise State (Jan. 27 and 29), New Mexico (Feb. 9 and 11) and at Nevada (Feb. 20 and 22). Individual games on a broadcast are the Border War at Wyoming on Sat., Feb. 6 (CBS Sports Network) and the home finale against Air Force on March 1 (CBS Sports Network).
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
Thu., Feb. 11 - New Mexico
Mon., Feb. 22 - at Nevada
Mon., March 1 - Air Force
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
Sat., Feb. 20 - at Nevada
Double-Doubles
• The Rams have two players that have combined for 11double-doubles in their young careers, including three via points-assists, as the program total is now 651 since 1965-66.
David Roddy 8
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
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
3. Fred Anzures (1973-77) 2
Rudy Carey (1970-74) 2
DOUBLE-DOUBLE RANKINGS TOTAL
(105 Players since 1965-66)
1. Nico Carvacho (2015-20) 49
2. Mike Childress (1969-71) 35
3. Emmanuel Omogbo (2016-18) 28
4. Jason Smith (2004-07) 24
5. Tim Hall (1971-75) 23
20. Archie Weems (1968-70) 10
t-21. three players with 9
t-24. David Roddy (2019-pres.) 8
six players with 8
Moving On Up
• Juniors Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are looked at to help lead this team as two of the four returning starters.
• For their careers, the third-year roommates have played in a combined 152 of a possible 156 games (143 starts) and contributed 18.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and better than 39 percent from the three-point arc as a duo.
• Both are now in the career top 20 for CSU in three-pointers as Thistlewood is 14th at 140 and Moore has 127 and is 17th.Moore is also 10th in career steals with 107.
Career 3-Pointers List
10. 149 Gian Clavell (70 Games) 2014-17
11. 148 Wes Eikmeier (96 Games) 2009-13
12. 144 Andre McFarland (114 Games) 2007-11
144 Bryan Christiansen (79 Games) 1995-98
14. 140 Adam Thistlewood (77 games) 2019-pres.
15. 130 Lynn Tryon (115 Games) 1988-92
130 Stephan Gilling (61 Games) 2005-07
17. 127 Kendle Moore (79 games) 2019-pres.
Career Steals
5. 118 David Evans 1994-96
6. 110 J.D. Paige 2015-19
7. 109 Eddie Hughes 1978-82
8. 108 Cory Lewis 2005-07
108 Damon Crawford 1990-94
10. 107 Kendle Moore (79 games) 2019-pres.
Career Free-Throw Percentage
t-12. .825 Adam Thistlewood (77 games) 2019-pres.
Career 3-Point Field Goal Percentage
18. .394 Kendle Moore (79 games) 2019-pres.
22. .386 Adam Thistlewood (77 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.
• Against Northern Arizona, Moore had 12 points, four rebounds and four steals, while Thistlewood chipped in nine points and four rebounds.
• In the victory at Santa Clara, Moore had 12 points and four rebounds, while Thistlewood recorded 10 points and a season-best eight rebounds.
• Moore set a season-best with 18 points at San Jose State Jan. 14 and connected on nine three pointers in the two-game set with the Spartans.
• Thistlewood tied a career high with 24 points, including a career-best five 3-pointers, against Boise State Jan. 29.
• Moore currently ranks third in scoring for CSU at 10.7 points per game while second in field goal percentage (49.6) and second in three-point percentage (42.1).
• Thistlewood is fourth at 9.9 points per game, has hit 30 three-pointers and is 93.8 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 15.5 points and first with 6.6 assists (#1 MW) per game while Roddy is first in scoring at 16.0 points per game and the top rebounder at 9.3.
• Tonje is ffith at 7.0 points per game, with Thomas averaging 5.1 points and 3.3 boards a contest.
• Against Northern Arizona Dec. 14, Stevens had a game-high 23 points and nine assists, while Roddy added 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Tonje chipped in seven points and two rebounds off the bench.
• In the win at Santa Clara Dec. 22, the group combined or 45 points and 22 rebounds, with Roddy leading with 16 points and Tonje recording a career-high with 12 off the bench.
• Roddy recorded double-doubles in each of the games against Fresno State, going for 19 points and a career high-tying 13 rebounds in the opener and following it up with 17 points and 11 boards in the second victory.
• The group made a major impact on the historic comeback win over then-No. 23 San Diego State Jan. 2, combining for 41 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists. Tonje capped off the win by hitting the game-winning four-point play with a triple from the left corner with 12.3 seconds left and converting the free throw from the foul to put the Rams ahead for good.
• Roddy earned his first Mountain West Player of the Week on Jan. 5 for his efforts against Fresno State and at San Diego State.
• Stevens then garnered the award on Jan. 11 for his efforts in two thrilling wins over UNLV.
• Thomas had a season-high 15 points, including a career-best three 3-pointers in the win at Utah State, Jan. 21.
• Roddy posted career bests with 27 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Boise State Jan. 27.
In 2019-20
• Last season, head coach Niko Medved played the four freshmen in 31 of the 32 contests in 2019-20, with three playing in all 32.
• Stevens started all 32 games, while Roddy started the final 19 games of the season, while Thomas and Tonje both played at least 31 contests and contributed off the bench.
• Stevens led the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, 38.0 from the arc and 81.6 percent from the free throw line. He reached at least 10 points in 24 of the 32 games and had at least four assists in 20 of them, averaging 4.6 per game (3rd in the MW).
• Against Wyoming Feb. 15, Stevens set CSU's freshman assist record, surpassing Michael Morris (2002-03) at 121. He had 144 assists on the year, which is fifth on the CSU single-season chart (Milt Palacio in 4th with 147).
• Roddy was third at 11.4 points per game and second at 5.6 rebounds a contest, as the freshman scored in double figures in 22 of the last 28 games and 23 total contests last season.
• The duo earned honorablemention All-MW from the media, Stevens Third Team All-MW by the coaches and also MW Freshman of the Year by both the coaches and media.
CSU Career Ranks
Isaiah Stevens
Assists Per Game 2nd 5.19
Free Throw Percentage 7th .844
3-Point Field Goal Percentage 12th .401
Career Assists
1. 530 Ryan Yoder 1990-94
12. 271 Cory Lewis 2005-07
13. 268 Alton Brandon 1975-79
14. 259 Fred Anzures 1973-77
15. 256 Lynn Tryon 1988-92
16. 252 Todd Benn 1981-85
17. 249 Isaiah Stevens 2019-pres.
18. 240 Nico Carvacho 2015-20
240 John Gillon 2014-16
Coors Light Coaches' Show Is Back
• The Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show, hosted by "Voice of the Rams" Brian Roth, made its 2020 debut on Wed. Dec. 16, from 7-8 p.m., broadcast live from the Lucky Joe's Studio at Moby Arena. Due to the global pandemic, fans are not permitted at the show this year.
• The show will air on the Colorado State Sports Network powered by Canvas Credit Union, including the flagship home of the Colorado State Rams, Power 102.9 FM, in Northern Colorado and on Mile High Sports 1430 AM in the Denver Metro area.
• The one-hour weekly show provides an inside look at the Rams' men's and women's program from men's head coach Niko Medved and women's head coach Ryun Williams, including previews of the upcoming action for each squad. The show will run at the same time, with the date varying based on coach availability due to game schedules. Fans also may submit questions on social media via the Twitter account @CSURamsRadio.
• Dates are subject to change based on changes in the basketball schedule.
Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show Schedule:
Feb. 8 (Mon.), 15 (Mon.) and 24 (Wed.)
Tue. or Wed., March 2 or 3 (based on game schedules)
Stevens Preseason All-MW
• Sophomore Isaiah Stevens was selected to the Preseason All-Mountain West squad.
• The second-ever league Freshman of the Year for the Rams, Stevens made an immediate impact on the program in 2019-20, starting all 32 games and leading the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, which ranks 13th in the league, and third in the Mountain West at 4.5 assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.18.
He played more minutes than any other Ram and scored in double figures in 24 games last season.
• He hit a pair of game winners in the final seconds last year in wins over Loyola Chicago and Nevada. The Allen, Texas product also led the Rams with 26 points and a school record-tying 12 assists in the 3OT win at Tulsa Dec. 21.
• He was the first CSU freshman ever to earn Mountain West Player of the Week on Feb. 3 after leading CSU to a pair of wins over Nevada and UNLV when he averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in those contests.
• He set a new CSU freshman assists record of 144, which is fifth on the CSU single-season chart and is a Mountain West record for a freshman.
• He also broke the freshman record for Mountain West only games with 84 last year, surpassing Sam Merrill (Utah State) with 71 in 2016-17.
• The Rams travel to Laramie for this year's edition of the Border War, taking on Wyoming on Feb. 4 & 6.
• Thursday's game will tip at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on the Mountain West Network with Jacob Tobey on the call. Saturday afternoon will be a 4 p.m. MT tip on CBS Sports Network, with Joel Godett and Steve Wolf handling the broadcast.
• The audio will be on the Colorado State Sports Radio Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth and Adam Nigon on the call. CSU Sports Network broadcasts can be also accessed on mobile devices through the TuneIn app (free on all Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Amazon Kindle devices) – once downloaded, search "Colorado St. Rams Sports Network" in the app for the games and coaches' show broadcasts.
• The game will also have live stats on CSURams.com.
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 123-123 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 1,294-1,288 (.502) in 2,582 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 44-36 mark and has an 123-123 overall record is in his eighth season as a head coach.
• Wyoming Head Coach Jeff Linder (Western State, '00) is in his first season at Wyoming with a 10-7 mark and fifth as a head coach overall with a 90-57 record.
• The two coaches met once at their previous stops as Medved's Drake squad lost a tough 81-72 game at Northern Colorado, coached by Linder, in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on March, 18, 2018. Medved was named CSU's new head coach four days later.
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 Wyoming
• Returning three starters and four letterwinners from last season's 9-24 squad that was 2016 in the Mountain West, the Cowboys were picked to finish ninth in the league's preseason poll.
• Redshirt-junior Hunter Maldonado, a 2020 honorable mention All-MW pick was the leading returning scorer and is leading in rebounds, assists and minutes and second in scoring. Freshman Marcus Williams paces Wyo in points and steals.
History Versus Wyoming
• The longest running series for CSU and between two Mountain West foes, the Rams trail in the overall margin 137-96, including 117-69 in conference action.
• The Cowboys have a 76-40 advantage in Laramie, but CSU has gone 12-9 against Wyoming in the last 10 years.
• CSU took two of three meetings last year, including a come-from-behind win in Laramie after trailing by 19 points in the second half. (box scores on pages 19-21).
• CSU leader Niko Medved has an 3-3 record against Wyoming as a head coach.
WYOMING - 96-137
Conference: 69-117
Home: 53-56 / Away: 40-76 / Neutral: 3-5
(complete list on page 21 with returner stats)
Medved vs. Wyoming -- 3-3 (3-2 at CSU)
Home: 2-0 / Away: 1-2 / Neutral: 0-1
Date School Loc. W/L Score
# 12/2/2017 Drake A L 89-96
* 2/9/2019 Colo. St. A L 66-74
* 2/23/2019 Colo. St. H W 83-48
* 1/4/2020 Colo. St. H W 72-61
* 2/15/2020 Colo. St. A W 77-70
^ 3/4/2020 Colo. St. N L 74-80
# CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (Home sites)
^ MW Tournament (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 148-189 (.439) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.
CSU vs. Mountain West Conference
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 82-33 44-11 34-18 4-4
Boise State 12-15 9-5 2-9 1-1
Fresno State 22-18 17-3 3-13 2-2
Nevada 10-15 6-4 4-10 0-1
New Mexico 48-78 35-26 12-50 1-2
San Diego State 42-46 26-14 14-28 2-4
San Jose State 22-0 9-0 9-0 4-0
UNLV 19-41 14-16 5-24 0-1
Utah State 40-59 28-20 12-37 0-2
Wyoming 96-137 54-56 40-76 3-5
Totals 392-442 241-155 134-265 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 had the Rams off to their best conference start in the modern era (WAC and Mountain West) with the 9-3 mark.
The Improvement Under Medved
Year School Overall Conf Post
2012-13 Furman** 6-24 3-15
2013-14 Furman 9-21 3-13
2014-15 Furman 11-22 5-13
2015-16 Furman 19-16 11-7 $
2016-17 Furman 23-11 14-4 $
2016-17 Drake** 7-24 5-13
2017-18 Drake 17-17 10-8 $
2017-18 Colorado State** 11-21 4-14
2018-19 Colorado State 12-20 7-11
2019-20 Colorado State 20-12 11-7 $*
** Seasons prior to Medved taking over program
$ Postseason action for the program (2020 postseason canceled due to CoVID-19)
Medved vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 4-0 2-0 2-0 -
Boise State 2-4 1-2 1-1 0-1
CSU Pueblo 1-0 1-0 - -
Fresno State 5-1 4-0 1-1 -
Nevada 1-3 1-1 0-2 -
New Mexico 2-1 2-0 0-1 -
Northern Arizona 1-0 1-0 - -
Saint Mary's (CA) 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 3-3 2-0 1-2 0-1
TOTALS 30-25 18-8 10-15 2-2
CSU vs. 2020-21 Opponents
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 82-33 44-11 34-18 4-4
Boise State 12-15 9-5 2-9 1-1
CSU Pueblo 7-0 7-0 - -
Fresno State 22-18 17-3 3-13 2-2
Nevada 10-15 6-4 4-10 0-1
New Mexico 48-78 35-26 12-50 1-2
Northern Arizona 3-2 3-0 0-1 0-1
Saint Mary's (CA) 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 96-136 53-56 40-76 3-4
TOTALS 406-446 251-155 137-267 18-24
Season Quick Hits
• CSU's win over Boise State was the third Quad 1 win for the Rams this season (the other two at Utah State and at San Diego State).
• Colorado State has played all four teams picked above it in the preseason poll, finishing with a 5-3 record against those teams.
• The win at Utah State on Jan. 21 was the third win this year for CSU after trailing by at least 10 points, two of them on the road (at San Diego State (26), UNLV (13), at Utah State (10))
• The 20 conference games the Rams are scheduled to play this season will be the most in league action since 1950-51 when they played 20 in three straight seasons in the Mountain States Athletic Conference.
• This was the latest start for the program since the 1942-43 season during World War II when CSU did not start until Jan. 8, 1943 with a 35-33 loss at Northern Colorado.
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).
Some Thoughts The Sweep of UNLV
• CSU's rally from 13 points down in the opener against the Runnin' Rebels tied for the 19th largest comeback in program history.
• The 16 three pointers in the second matchup on Jan. 9 are a Mountain West high this year, tied for the second most by CSU in Moby Arena and tied for the third most in program history.
• The Rams won both games in the final minute, as David Roddy hit a layup to put CSU up for good in the opener and Isaiah Stevens hit a three off a screen for the game winner in the finale.
• This was the first season series win since 2016-17 and just the fourth time the Rams won both contests in a single season.
• The sweep ran CSU's home winning streak to eight games, dating back to the final two regular season games in Moby Arena in 2019-20.
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.
Non-Conference Winning Record in '19-20 & '20-21
• Unless CSU adds two more non-conference games, the Rams have secured a winning non-conference record this year at 3-1 with one game remaining against Northern Colorado.
• Last season with the victory over South Dakota State Dec. 10, 2019, the Rams secured a winning non-conference record.
• The nine non-conference wins was the most since CSU posted a school-best a 13-0 mark in 2014-15.
Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 570-240 (.704) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• With the win over Nevada Jan. 29, CSU guaranteed a better than .500 home record in 2019-20.
• Last year's 12-4 mark had to do with some significant differences in major categories in favor of the Rams, and this year's are following some similarities, resulting in a 6-0 mark at this point in the year and eight consecutive wins entering this week's action (the longest home win streak under Medved at CSU).
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. 81.0 51.0 43.9 33.4 136 137 109
Opponents 66.6 41.9 26.8 32.9 153 91 114
Defense Setting A Tone
• CSU has showed an improved defensive effort and shows clearly in the stats.
• The Rams are ranked in the top 70 nationally in defensive rebounds and three-point field goal percentage.
• 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.
Getting Offensive (Fouls Drawn That Is)
• Part of CSU's improved defense is drawing offensive fouls on its opponents.
• The Rams are averaging 3.4 offensive fouls drawn on their opponents and have at least 3 in 13 of the 16 games.
• CSU's season high is seven in the home win over Fresno State on Dec. 28.
Starters Get It Going
• CSU's starters getting the scoring going is big this year, as the Rams are 11-1 this year when that group scores at least 54 points.
Hitting From Deep
• This year's squad that ranks in the top 20 in the country in three-point field goal percentage and made features three of the most prolific three-point shooters in school history.
• Sophomore Isaiah Stevens and juniors Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are all in CSU's top-25 for 3-point field goal percentage.
9. .422 Andy Birley (232-550) 1999-03
10. .411 Antwan Scott (97-236) 2014-16
11. .406 Sean Morris (89-219) 2004-06
12. .401 Isaiah Stevens (73-182) 2019-pres.
13. .400 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 Kendle Moore (126-320) 2018-pres.
19. .394 Jameel Mahmud (117-297) 1994-98
20. .389 David Evans (150-386) 1994-96
21. .388 Adam Nigon (124-320) 2007-11
22. .386 Adam Thistlewood (140-363) 2018-pres.
National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through Feb. 1, 2021)
Team (Top 70 of 350 Division I teams)
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage 39.1 17th
Free Throw Percentage 77.3 20th
3-Pt. Field Goals Per Game 9.7 23rd
Field Goal Percentage 47.6 39th
Defensive Rebounds 27.75 51st
3-Pt. Field Goals Attempted 396 55th
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Def. 30.4 57th
Scoring Margin +9.19 60th
Assists 15.63 62nd
Players (top 100 nationally)
Isaiah Stevens
Total Assists 105 7th
Assists Per Game 6.6 11th
Free Throw Percentage 89.5 26th
Minutes Per Game 35:04 64th
David Roddy
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 7.12 23rd
Double-Doubles 6 25th
Total Rebounds 149 22nd
Rebounds Per Game 9.3 38th
Free Throws Made 62 68th
Free Throw Attempts 82 75th
Field-Goal Percentage 50.9 94th
Conference Only Rankings
• Here are the team categories the Rams' rank in the top three in Mountain West only games and where the individual players appear in the rankings in 2020-21.
(through Feb. 1, 2021)
CSU's Team Rankings Rank Avg.
Free Throw Percentage 1st 78.2
3-Point Field Goals Made 1st 10.50
Scoring Offense 2nd 77.42
Field Goal Percentage 2nd 48.7
3-Point Field Goal Percentage 2nd 40.5
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 2nd 27.25
Assists 3rd 16.25
Individual Mountain West ONLY RankS (CSU only)
Scoring 6. David Roddy 16.25
11. Isaiah Stevens 15.58
Rebounding 4. David Roddy 9.67
t-14. Isaiah Stevens 5.17
Field Goal Percentage 2. David Roddy 53.5
7. Isaiah Stevens 47.0
Free Throw Percentage 3. Isaiah Stevens 87.0
11. David Roddy 72.1
3-Pt. FG Made 7. Kendle Moore 2.3611. Isaiah Stevens 1.92
t-14. Adam Thistlewood 1.83
Assists 1. Isaiah Stevens 7.17
Assist-to-Turnover 4. Isiaah Stevens 1.83
Blocked Shots t-12. David Roddy 0.83Assists 1. Isaiah Stevens 7.17
Assist-to-Turnover 4. Isiaah Stevens 1.83
t-12. Adam Thistlewood 0.83
t-14. James Moors 0.67
Steals t-5. Isaiah Stevens 1.50
Defensive Rebounds 1. David Roddy 7.33
CSU Scheduled To Appear On National Television 14 Times
• CSU will appear on national television broadcasts 14 times, the Mountain West and TV partners CBS Sports Network and FOX Sports announced.
• The schedule includes shifts of eight games along with the last weekend's series at defending conference champion San Diego State.
• Colorado State will have six series and two individual games televised nationally, with the next the UNLV series on Jan. 7 (CBS Sports Network) and Jan. 9 (FS1). Of the six series on the schedule, five are splits between CBS/CBS Sports Network and FS1.
• The four series altered to accommodate broadcasts are at Utah State (Jan. 19 and 21), Boise State (Jan. 27 and 29), New Mexico (Feb. 9 and 11) and at Nevada (Feb. 20 and 22). Individual games on a broadcast are the Border War at Wyoming on Sat., Feb. 6 (CBS Sports Network) and the home finale against Air Force on March 1 (CBS Sports Network).
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
Thu., Feb. 11 - New Mexico
Mon., Feb. 22 - at Nevada
Mon., March 1 - Air Force
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
Sat., Feb. 20 - at Nevada
Double-Doubles
• The Rams have two players that have combined for 11double-doubles in their young careers, including three via points-assists, as the program total is now 651 since 1965-66.
David Roddy 8
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
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
3. Fred Anzures (1973-77) 2
Rudy Carey (1970-74) 2
DOUBLE-DOUBLE RANKINGS TOTAL
(105 Players since 1965-66)
1. Nico Carvacho (2015-20) 49
2. Mike Childress (1969-71) 35
3. Emmanuel Omogbo (2016-18) 28
4. Jason Smith (2004-07) 24
5. Tim Hall (1971-75) 23
20. Archie Weems (1968-70) 10
t-21. three players with 9
t-24. David Roddy (2019-pres.) 8
six players with 8
Moving On Up
• Juniors Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood are looked at to help lead this team as two of the four returning starters.
• For their careers, the third-year roommates have played in a combined 152 of a possible 156 games (143 starts) and contributed 18.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and better than 39 percent from the three-point arc as a duo.
• Both are now in the career top 20 for CSU in three-pointers as Thistlewood is 14th at 140 and Moore has 127 and is 17th.Moore is also 10th in career steals with 107.
Career 3-Pointers List
10. 149 Gian Clavell (70 Games) 2014-17
11. 148 Wes Eikmeier (96 Games) 2009-13
12. 144 Andre McFarland (114 Games) 2007-11
144 Bryan Christiansen (79 Games) 1995-98
14. 140 Adam Thistlewood (77 games) 2019-pres.
15. 130 Lynn Tryon (115 Games) 1988-92
130 Stephan Gilling (61 Games) 2005-07
17. 127 Kendle Moore (79 games) 2019-pres.
Career Steals
5. 118 David Evans 1994-96
6. 110 J.D. Paige 2015-19
7. 109 Eddie Hughes 1978-82
8. 108 Cory Lewis 2005-07
108 Damon Crawford 1990-94
10. 107 Kendle Moore (79 games) 2019-pres.
Career Free-Throw Percentage
t-12. .825 Adam Thistlewood (77 games) 2019-pres.
Career 3-Point Field Goal Percentage
18. .394 Kendle Moore (79 games) 2019-pres.
22. .386 Adam Thistlewood (77 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.
• Against Northern Arizona, Moore had 12 points, four rebounds and four steals, while Thistlewood chipped in nine points and four rebounds.
• In the victory at Santa Clara, Moore had 12 points and four rebounds, while Thistlewood recorded 10 points and a season-best eight rebounds.
• Moore set a season-best with 18 points at San Jose State Jan. 14 and connected on nine three pointers in the two-game set with the Spartans.
• Thistlewood tied a career high with 24 points, including a career-best five 3-pointers, against Boise State Jan. 29.
• Moore currently ranks third in scoring for CSU at 10.7 points per game while second in field goal percentage (49.6) and second in three-point percentage (42.1).
• Thistlewood is fourth at 9.9 points per game, has hit 30 three-pointers and is 93.8 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 15.5 points and first with 6.6 assists (#1 MW) per game while Roddy is first in scoring at 16.0 points per game and the top rebounder at 9.3.
• Tonje is ffith at 7.0 points per game, with Thomas averaging 5.1 points and 3.3 boards a contest.
• Against Northern Arizona Dec. 14, Stevens had a game-high 23 points and nine assists, while Roddy added 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Tonje chipped in seven points and two rebounds off the bench.
• In the win at Santa Clara Dec. 22, the group combined or 45 points and 22 rebounds, with Roddy leading with 16 points and Tonje recording a career-high with 12 off the bench.
• Roddy recorded double-doubles in each of the games against Fresno State, going for 19 points and a career high-tying 13 rebounds in the opener and following it up with 17 points and 11 boards in the second victory.
• The group made a major impact on the historic comeback win over then-No. 23 San Diego State Jan. 2, combining for 41 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists. Tonje capped off the win by hitting the game-winning four-point play with a triple from the left corner with 12.3 seconds left and converting the free throw from the foul to put the Rams ahead for good.
• Roddy earned his first Mountain West Player of the Week on Jan. 5 for his efforts against Fresno State and at San Diego State.
• Stevens then garnered the award on Jan. 11 for his efforts in two thrilling wins over UNLV.
• Thomas had a season-high 15 points, including a career-best three 3-pointers in the win at Utah State, Jan. 21.
• Roddy posted career bests with 27 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Boise State Jan. 27.
In 2019-20
• Last season, head coach Niko Medved played the four freshmen in 31 of the 32 contests in 2019-20, with three playing in all 32.
• Stevens started all 32 games, while Roddy started the final 19 games of the season, while Thomas and Tonje both played at least 31 contests and contributed off the bench.
• Stevens led the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, 38.0 from the arc and 81.6 percent from the free throw line. He reached at least 10 points in 24 of the 32 games and had at least four assists in 20 of them, averaging 4.6 per game (3rd in the MW).
• Against Wyoming Feb. 15, Stevens set CSU's freshman assist record, surpassing Michael Morris (2002-03) at 121. He had 144 assists on the year, which is fifth on the CSU single-season chart (Milt Palacio in 4th with 147).
• Roddy was third at 11.4 points per game and second at 5.6 rebounds a contest, as the freshman scored in double figures in 22 of the last 28 games and 23 total contests last season.
• The duo earned honorablemention All-MW from the media, Stevens Third Team All-MW by the coaches and also MW Freshman of the Year by both the coaches and media.
CSU Career Ranks
Isaiah Stevens
Assists Per Game 2nd 5.19
Free Throw Percentage 7th .844
3-Point Field Goal Percentage 12th .401
Career Assists
1. 530 Ryan Yoder 1990-94
12. 271 Cory Lewis 2005-07
13. 268 Alton Brandon 1975-79
14. 259 Fred Anzures 1973-77
15. 256 Lynn Tryon 1988-92
16. 252 Todd Benn 1981-85
17. 249 Isaiah Stevens 2019-pres.
18. 240 Nico Carvacho 2015-20
240 John Gillon 2014-16
Coors Light Coaches' Show Is Back
• The Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show, hosted by "Voice of the Rams" Brian Roth, made its 2020 debut on Wed. Dec. 16, from 7-8 p.m., broadcast live from the Lucky Joe's Studio at Moby Arena. Due to the global pandemic, fans are not permitted at the show this year.
• The show will air on the Colorado State Sports Network powered by Canvas Credit Union, including the flagship home of the Colorado State Rams, Power 102.9 FM, in Northern Colorado and on Mile High Sports 1430 AM in the Denver Metro area.
• The one-hour weekly show provides an inside look at the Rams' men's and women's program from men's head coach Niko Medved and women's head coach Ryun Williams, including previews of the upcoming action for each squad. The show will run at the same time, with the date varying based on coach availability due to game schedules. Fans also may submit questions on social media via the Twitter account @CSURamsRadio.
• Dates are subject to change based on changes in the basketball schedule.
Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show Schedule:
Feb. 8 (Mon.), 15 (Mon.) and 24 (Wed.)
Tue. or Wed., March 2 or 3 (based on game schedules)
Stevens Preseason All-MW
• Sophomore Isaiah Stevens was selected to the Preseason All-Mountain West squad.
• The second-ever league Freshman of the Year for the Rams, Stevens made an immediate impact on the program in 2019-20, starting all 32 games and leading the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, which ranks 13th in the league, and third in the Mountain West at 4.5 assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.18.
He played more minutes than any other Ram and scored in double figures in 24 games last season.
• He hit a pair of game winners in the final seconds last year in wins over Loyola Chicago and Nevada. The Allen, Texas product also led the Rams with 26 points and a school record-tying 12 assists in the 3OT win at Tulsa Dec. 21.
• He was the first CSU freshman ever to earn Mountain West Player of the Week on Feb. 3 after leading CSU to a pair of wins over Nevada and UNLV when he averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in those contests.
• He set a new CSU freshman assists record of 144, which is fifth on the CSU single-season chart and is a Mountain West record for a freshman.
• He also broke the freshman record for Mountain West only games with 84 last year, surpassing Sam Merrill (Utah State) with 71 in 2016-17.