Elevating Minds: The Colorado State University Experience


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FORT COLLINS – The Colorado State men’s basketball team embarks on a challenging two-game away journey, commencing with a contest against San Diego State on Tuesday evening. The Rams will face the Aztecs at Viejas Arena, with the game set to commence at 9 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network.
 
Opening Tip
– Colorado State has extended its winning streak to three with an 84-62 victory over UNLV at their home court.
– CSU has triumphed in these three matches with an average margin of 23.7 points.
– The Rams have secured five victories in their last six matches.
– Colorado State surpassed 20 assists for the fourth instance this season, recording 24 on Saturday, marking their second consecutive game achieving 20+ assists.
Rashaan Mbemba registered a career-best 22 points in the win, shooting 8-for-9 from the field and a flawless 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
– Mbemba is averaging 11.4 points with an impressive 74.4% (32-43) shooting rate over the last seven games.
Nique Clifford also contributed 22 points in the victory, equaling his career-highs for 3-point shots made (4), assists (7), and steals (4).
– Clifford holds averages of 16.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
– He ranks third nationally with 8.56 defensive rebounds per game and is 19th for total rebounds, averaging 9.9.
– He was named to the preseason All-Mountain West team after receiving third-team accolades last season.
Kyan Evans achieved double-digit scoring for the fifth time in the last six games, finishing with 11 points.
– Evans is averaging 11.2 points while shooting 53.8% from the three-point line, alongside 3.8 assists per game over his past six matches.
Jalen Lake is experiencing a robust senior year, averaging 12.8 points while shooting at 43.9%, including 35.4% from beyond the arc.
– He contributed 13 points against UNLV, including three successful three-point shots.
– CSU is ranked 20th nationally, converting 78.1% of its free throw attempts this season.
– The defense of Colorado State has intensified during conference play, permitting only 63.2 points and restricting opponents to 40.0% shooting success.
– In conference-only matchups, the Rams are second in Bartorvik for adjusted defensive efficiency at 91.9 and KenPom at 92.9.
– The upcoming Tuesday game will represent the lowest elevation at which CSU has competed this year; San Diego sits just 72 feet above sea level compared to Fort Collins’ 5,003 feet.
– Head coach Niko Medved is in his seventh year directing Colorado State, with a record of 127-81 as the Rams’ head coach. He ranks second in program history for wins, following Jim Williams (1955-80) and his total of 352.
– Last year, he became the fifth coach in program history to achieve 100 wins in Fort Collins.
– Medved is the only coach in the program’s history to attain 20 or more victories on four occasions.
– He reached his 200th career victory in November with the Rams’ overtime triumph over TCU.
– Currently, CSU has two players in the NBA or G League, namely David Roddy (Atlanta Hawks) and Isaiah Stevens (Miami Heat/Sioux Falls Skyforce).
 
Scouting the Aztecs
Death, taxes, and one of the country’s top defenses at San Diego State. Brian Dutcher once again has his squad highly ranked nationally for defensive capabilities. SDSU is 11th in points allowed (61.9), second in field goal percentage defense (35.5%), and ninth in 3-point percentage defense (27.7%).
 
The Aztecs are coming off a challenging 62-48 defeat at New Mexico last Saturday. They hold a record of 10-4 for the season and 3-2 within the Mountain West conference.
 
Miles Byrd and Nick Boyd lead the offensive efforts for San Diego State, averaging 13.4 and 12.7 points per game, respectively.
 
What’s Ahead
CSU will head north of the border on Saturday to face their rivals, Wyoming, at 2 p.m.


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