3 takeaways: Colorado State extends its winning streak on a special night at Moby

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Look good, feel good, play good.

Rocking a fresh haircut, David Roddy looked like a man amongst boys in Colorado State’s 86-68 victory over Fresno State Wednesday night. Roddy finished with 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field (65 percent). And despite giving up nearly 3 inches to Fresno State’s Nate Grimes, Roddy was able pull down a team-high eight rebounds as well.

Following the game, when asked about his new hairdo, Roddy joked that he was more aerodynamic but made it clear that his performance was inspired by something much more meaningful. With the Rams wearing the names of local cancer survivors on their jerseys in place of their own, Roddy explained that Wednesday night’s contest was not just an average league game to him— not by a long shot.

“Having another family’s name on my back, it meant a lot to me,” Roddy said. “I just really wanted to play for them.”

The freshman forward from Minneapolis, Minn., has impressed since the day he arrived on campus so at this point, I should be used to him doing things that most first-year players can only pull off in a video game. Honestly, though, the more I watch this young man play basketball, the crazier it is to me that this is only the beginning.

“This man has had back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back games where he is killing it and we just feed off that,” sophomore forward Adam Thistlewood said. “It’s impressive.”

Roddy has the rare combination of talent and selflessness on the floor that most seniors don’t even develop. On Wednesday, that maturity was on full display.

After dominating Fresno State in the post and eating up older players for much of the game, the Bulldogs started to double-team No. 21 when he got the ball near the hoop. Instead of trying to force things, anytime Roddy got doubled, the astute young hoopster would find an open teammate.

Paired with Isaiah Stevens, who casually threw out another 21 point performance, the young Rams were simply too much for Fresno State to contain.

Here are a few more takeaways from Wednesday night.

Quick Hitters

In the win, CSU’s starting lineup produced 70 points. Roddy (26) and Stevens (21) led the way but everybody found a way to contribute.

Adam Thistlewood finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and let us all know that he has a hook shot in his bag. Kendle Moore pulled down six rebounds, dished out three assists and scored five points. And Nico Carvacho played solid defense in the post on a night where the team did not need him to score a whole lot.

What’s more, even though CSU only ended getting 3 points and four rebounds out of Carvacho in the victory, the Rams still held a 20 point advantage in the paint and finished +3 on the glass as a team.

If the Rams can win the paint and continue to hit 3’s at a respectable rate, they’re going to have a shot to win 20 games this season. Obviously, it’s much too early to start counting their eggs before they’re even in the basket but with how many different players are hitting their stride right now, it’s tough to imagine that CSU would finish below .500 over the final 10 games.

Hyron Edwards played his best game of the season

While the starters technically produced enough points to defeat Fresno State on their own, the second unit helped control the game at times.

In particular, Hyron Edwards was a pit bull on the defensive end and really made things hard on Fresno State’s guards. Edwards deflected multiple passes and finished with a season-high three steals in the victory. His aggressive man-to-man defense also directly led to multiple fast break chances for the Rams.

Coming into the season, there’s no doubt that Edwards and some of the veterans expected to contribute more offensively than they have. As Niko Medved explained postgame, though, what’s been great to see is that the seniors seem to have embraced their supporting roles.

“It’s awesome that guys like him and Kris Martin have done that,” Niko Medved said.

At the end of the 2018-19 season, Edwards really thrived as a sixth man and consistently provided the Rams with a spark off the bench. If Edwards and Martin can do that on a nightly basis for this young group, I promise you that CSU will be a team that nobody wants to face in Las Vegas this March.

Only the beginning

I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record but what’s especially encouraging about this team is that six of the nine main contributors are underclassmen — and that’s not even counting sophomore guard P.J. Byrd, who is a more gifted scorer than either of the seniors but doesn’t have the same type of chemistry with the rest of the group yet.

When you look at the roster as a whole, there’s a legitimate argument that this is already the most talented team that the Rams have had in nearly a decade. The best part is things should only go up from here.

When asked if they feel unstoppable with guys like Roddy firing on all cylinders, a young Thistlewood responded, “absolutely”.

“He’s a force to be reckoned with and he’s only a freshman so I’ve got a couple more years with him — and I’m super excited about it,” Thistlewood said.

What’s Next

CSU will hit the road on Saturday for a difficult game against the Utah State Aggies. A win over the defending league champs would only further solidify that this group has officially arrived.