Dec. 30, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

Schedule/Results

Season Statistics

Buy Tickets

Special Promotions

Game 14:  Colorado State vs. Yale
Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009 | 2 p.m. MT | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena (8,745)

Up next
The Colorado State men’s basketball team returns to Colorado to close out its non-conference slate against the Yale Bulldogs on Thursday afternoon at Moby Arena. 

Colorado State (8-5) is coming off back-to-back road losses against UCLA and Fresno State.  However, the Rams have won six of their last nine games since opening the season 2-2, and are riding a six-game home winning streak entering Thursday’s contest. 

Fresno State is 4-8 overall on the season, and has lost two straight games, at Providence (87-78) on Dec. 21 and at Colorado (70-59) on Tuesday.  The Bulldogs are 4-8 overall and 1-3 on the road this season. 

Tipoff between the Rams and the Bulldogs is set for 2 p.m. MT from Moby Arena (8,745). 

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. 

About the Bulldogs
Yale is led by four seniors, including three of its top four scorers: Alex Zampier (17.9 points), Jordan Gibson (9.7) and Paul Nelson (7.9). The senior class makes up nearly 59 percent of the team’s scoring on the year. Also among top scorers is junior Michael Sands, who averages 10.4 points a contest. Zampier is shooting 91.7 percent from the foul line, while also leading the team with 33 steals in just 12 games. Gibson is a 48.3 percent shooter from the floor and has connected on 42.9 percent of his shots from long range. Nelson leads the team with 7.3 rebounds a game.

Head coach James Jones is 134-157 in his 11th season at the helm of the Yale program. 

Series vs. Yale
The Rams and Bulldogs are set to meet for just the second time in the two programs’ history. Colorado State leads the series 1-0, after an 83-47 victory in 2000. Playing in the Hartford University Tournament, which the Rams won with a 2-0 mark, also beating Central Connecticut (86-76).  The Rams’ 36-point victory over Yale is the largest margin of victory in any road or neutral site game in Colorado State’s history.

The Bulldogs have never visited to play at Moby Arena.

Handle with care
Colorado State is 5-1 this season when recording fewer turnovers than its opponents.  The lone blemish for the Rams came at UCLA on Dec. 22.  The team forced the Bruins into 19 turnovers, while committing just 11 of its own.  However, UCLA was able to post the come-from-behind 75-63 victory. 

Pierce lending a hand
Freshman forward Pierce Hornung led Colorado State with four assists at UCLA on Dec. 22.  It marked the first time in his brief career at CSU that Hornung had led the Rams in assists. 

McFarland climbing the three-point charts
For his career at Colorado State, McFarland has hit 114 three-pointers, just six 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 .425 currently ranks ninth, behind Turcotte, in the Rams’ record book.  

Defending the Fort
With a win Dec. 20 against Northern Arizona, the Rams improved to 6-0 at Moby Arena to start the season.  The Rams won just six home games all last season, and just three the season before.

Through the years, however, Moby Arena has been a tough environment for opposing teams. CSU has won 70 percent (435-188) of its games at Moby Arena. Since the 2002-03 season, the Rams have had several winning streaks to start their home season: 2002-03, 13 consecutive; 2004-05, 9; 2005-06, 8; and 2006-07, 6.

Hot start
The Rams began the 2009-10 season with a record of 8-3 through 11 games.  It marked the best start for CSU through 11 games since the 2006-07 season (9-2). 

Rams win streaks
With a 64-56 victory Dec. 20 against Northern Arizona, the Rams established a new high for consecutive wins in the Tim Miles era (four straight) and improved to 6-0 at home to start the season.  The Rams’ four consecutive victories are the most by a CSU squad since the 2006-07 team rattled off nine straight victories.  During that stretch, the Rams picked up home victories against Denver (64-59), Colorado (77-62), Montana (62-61) and NAU.  CSU’s home win streak also includes victories over Mayville State (79-42) and San Francisco (91-75, 2ot).  The loss at UCLA on Dec. 22 snapped the Rams’ streak at four games.   

Standing out during the streak
During Colorado State’s four-game winning streak no players stood out more for the Rams than freshman G Dorian Green, junior F Travis Franklin, and junior G Adam Nigon.  Green had led the team in scoring at 16.5 points per game, while averaging 3.8 rebounds per contest.  Franklin ranks right behind Green, pouring in 15.5 points per game.  He leads the team in rebounding at 5.8 per contest.  The duo has combined to hit 48 of 66 attempts from the free-throw line during that stretch.  Nigon, who entered this season with a career scoring average of 2.9 ppg., is also in double-figures scoring at a clip of 10.3 points per game during the Rams’ winning streak.  He is leading the Rams in three-point shooting, hitting 8-of-17 attempts for a .471 percentage.  Green is the only other player to hit a trey for the Rams during that stretch, hitting 40 percent (8-for-20) from beyond the arc.  Nigon also leads the Rams in assists during CSU’s streak, dishing out 12 helpers, more than double any other player on the team. 

Carr back on track
Sophomore G Jesse Carr, sidelined since last February with a hip injury, saw his first action of the 2009-10 season on Dec. 20 against Northern Arizona.  Carr, who missed the final six games of 2008-09 and the first 10 games this season, started quickly, assisting a Travis Busch basket just seconds after being inserted into the Rams’ lineup at the 5:32 mark of the first half.  Carr played 8 minutes in the contest, recording one assist, one rebound and tallying two points on 2-for-4 shooting from the free-throw line.  He also saw 9 minutes of action at UCLA, and posted his best scoring game of the season with eight points, including a pair of three-pointers at Fresno State on Dec. 28. 

Nigon heating up
Junior Adam Nigon entered the season averaging 2.87 points per contest through two seasons. This year, the guard is averaging 7.8 points, and has already eclipsed his point total from all of last season. Nigon is shooting at a 39 percent clip from both the floor and three-point range. During a five-game stretch from Nov. 29 to Dec. 12, Nigon averaged 11.6 points, including a career-high 17 against Montana, helping the Rams to a 4-1 record during that stretch. 

Seeing double
Junior F Travis Franklin recorded his second career double-double performance in the Rams’ victory over rival Colorado (Dec. 10).  Franklin tallied 22 points, his second 20-point effort of the season, and capped off the double-double performance with 10 rebounds to help CSU to the 77-62 victory.  Franklin shot 7-for-9 from the field and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line, while adding a block and two steals against the Buffs.  Franklin also recorded a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) nine days earlier in the Rams’ 70-63 loss at Northern Colorado (Dec.1).  

Seeing double, part two
Freshman F Greg Smith recorded his first career double-double on Dec. 20 in the Rams’ victory over Northern Arizona.  Smith, playing in just the seventh game of his career at CSU, tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Rams to the 64-56 victory. 

Since 1902
The 2009-10 season marks the 106th in the history of the Colorado State men’s basketball program.  The Rams are 1,082-1,134 (.488) in 2,216 games all-time, entering Thursday’s game vs. Yale.

Switching it up
Tim Miles used four different starting lineups in five games, between Dec. 1 and Dec. 20.  The Rams posted a 4-1 record in those contests.  Overall on the season, Miles has used five different lineups, with guards Dorian Green and Adam Nigon the only players to have started all 13 games entering Thursday’s game vs. Yale.  More info on CSU’s starting lineups is available at the bottom of Page 8 of this release.    

McFarland back in action
Sidelined by back stiffness, junior Andre McFarland missed four straight games for the Rams after playing in every game of his career at CSU to that point.  McFarland missed victories over CU (77-62), Montana (62-61) and Northern Arizona (64-56), and was unable to go in the Rams’ loss at UCLA (75-63).  McFarland returned to the court for the Rams at Fresno State, tallying three points and one rebound in 12 minutes of action. 

Coors Light Coaches’ Show debuts
The Coors Light Basketball Coaches’ Show airs Mondays 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. 

Against the state of Colorado
With the Rams’ win over CU (Dec. 10), Colorado State improved to 6-2 against NCAA Division I teams from Colorado at Moby Arena under Tim Miles. CSU is 2-0 against DU, 1-1 against Air Force, 1-1 against the Buffs, and 1-0 against Northern Colorado.

Defending the three
Colorado State ranks among the top schools in the Mountain West in terms of three-point defense.  The Rams are holding opponents to 31 percent from long range, which ranks second in the league behind TCU (.293). 

Balanced rebounding attack
Despite only having four 10-plus rebounding efforts this season, the Rams have three players ranked in the top 14 in the MWC in rebounding average: Ogide (5.7), 10th; Franklin (5.6), 11th; and Hornung (5.2), 14th.  As a team, Colorado State ranks third in the MWC pulling down 36.7 boards per game.  The Rams’ are outrebounding opponents by 5.6 per game, the second-highest rebounding margin in the league (SDSU, +8.1). 

Rams vs. non-conference foes
Entering Thursday’s contest vs. Yale, CSU has posted a record of 95-56 (.629) against non-MWC opponents since the formation of the Mountain West Conference in 1999.

Scoring for the Rams
Freshman G Dorian Green, junior F Travis Franklin, and junior F Andy Ogide rank 1-2-3 for the Rams in terms of scoring through 13 games this season. Green has scored in double figures in 10 of his first 13 collegiate contests as a true freshman, while Franklin has reached double-figure scoring in six of his last eight games.  Ogide has led CSU in scoring in three games this season, including at UCLA on Dec. 22.  Entering Thursday’s game vs. Yale, only CSU and TCU have three players ranked in the top 16 in the MWC in terms of scoring.  

Green means go
Entering Thuraday’s contest vs. Yale, freshman G Dorian Green has led Colorado State in scoring in five of the last 10 contests, tallying 18 points at Indiana State, pouring in 17 more vs. Mayville State, adding 13 at Northern Colorado, scoring 18 vs. Montana, and tallying 14 at Freno State.  He also added 17 points, second on the team, against San Francisco, nine points in the Rams’ victory over DU, a season-best 21 to help the Rams dispatch arch rival Colorado, and an 18-point effort against NAU.  Through 13 games this season, Green is the only player to pace the Rams in scoring in back-to-back contests.  He currently leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game.  That ranks ninth overall in the MWC and first among freshmen.   

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 freshman records throughout the season.  Entering this week Green was averaging a team-leading 14.4 points per game, which would rank second all-time among freshmen at CSU, between former players Eddie Hughes (15.4 ppg.) and Matt Nelson (14.0 ppg.).  Hornung’s rebounding average of 5.2 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.
 
If I can be frank
Junior F Travis Franklin has started 12 of CSU’s first 13 contests; he came off the bench against DU (Dec. 5).  Franklin has left his mark at both ends of the court for the Rams. The Baton Rouge, La., native ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.6 rebounds per game) is tied for second on the team in scoring (11.5 points per game), while leading the team in offensive rebounds (35), and free-throw attempts (97).  He entered the week in the top 10 in the MWC in a number of categories, including 16th in scoring, 11th in rebounding and seventh in offensive rebounding (2.7 per game).

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 Thursday’s game vs. Yale, Nigon is shooting 38.5 percent (20-for-52) from long range.

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. 

In eight games this season, McFarland ranks fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.9 points per contest, while shooting 44 percent (26-of-51) 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.

Next on the schedule
Colorado State opens Mountain West Conference action, heading to nearby Laramie, Wyo., to face “Border War” rival Wyoming on Jan. 6.  The Rams and the Cowboys are scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. MT from UW’s Arena Auditorium.  The game will be televised live on The Mtn.