FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Break out the brooms.
Two weeks after winning at home, Colorado State men’s basketball took the fight to Fresno State once again Tuesday night. In the 80-70 road victory for the Rams, CSU led for all but 1:30 of action and generally controlled the game from start to finish.
Here’s a rundown of what went down in the valley.
Quick hitters
The starters did most of the damage on Tuesday. All five members of the starting lineup finished the night in double-digit figures, including Nico Carvacho, who paced the Rams in scoring and rebounds (17 points, 16 boards) despite fouling out with about 3 minutes to go.
Along with Carvacho, Isaiah Stevens had an extremely productive night as well. The freshman point guard from Allen, Texas, finished with a game-high eight assists and only produced one turnover in the win.
Stevens didn’t quite light it up from the floor like he did against UNLV — the young starter only knocked down 4-of-10 field goal attempts and missed both of his shots from 3-point land. He did knock down a couple of important jump shots, though, and really did a tremendous job of creating opportunities for his teammates.
Carvacho makes history
After beating the Runnin’ Rebels last Saturday, Niko Medved made a point to emphasize just how important Nico Carvacho has been for the Rams this season.
Medved said that while Carvacho’s numbers may not be quite as impressive as they were last season, much of it has to do with the roster being deeper as a whole.
As Medved explained, it’s not like the 6-foot-11 center has not made an impact — Carvacho leads the conference in rebounding, has played great defense all year and has served as the leader for this young team. But with everything that the young guns are accomplishing, Medved feels it’s easy to overlook what the ‘Big Chile’ has been doing for the Rams on a nightly basis.
“He’s leading the Mountain West in rebounding again. People just take that for granted like it’s nothing,” Medved said after the win over UNLV.
Well, if people were taking Carvacho for granted before Tuesday, they certainly aren’t anymore. The big man was an absolute menace down low and played his way into the record books in style.
With yet another double-double to his name (17 points, 16 rebounds), Carvacho officially surpassed Jordan Caroline to become the league’s all-time leader in the category. Considering some of the greats that have played in the MW, including world champions like Kawhi Leonard and Andrew Bogut, this is a milestone that Ram fans should truly appreciate.
Even more importantly, though, if Carvacho continues to play at the level he has over the last five games or so, the Rams are going to remain a really tough team to beat — no matter where the game is being played.
Carvacho’s ability to limit opposing team’s second chance opportunities is crucial for a group that doesn’t have much size. And we’ve really seen him come out more aggressive on the offensive end in recent games, which is opening up the entire floor for everyone else. Simply put, Carvacho has been a beast.
“I think the way he’s been playing here over the last three or four games has really been awesome,” Medved said.
Career double-doubles
Nico Carvacho: 46
Jordan Caroline: 45
Kawhi Leonard: 40
Pressure? What pressure?
Much like UNLV tried at Moby Arena last Saturday, Fresno State frequently pressed the Rams in the backcourt Tuesday night.
With how CSU likes to play up-tempo, it makes sense that opponents want to try and disrupt the flow of the offense. That said, with dangerous shooters like Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood waiting on the other end of the floor, pressing the Rams is a dangerous gamble — especially with Isaiah Stevens running the offense.
On multiple occasions, the Bulldogs tried to trap Stevens off the inbound but the savvy young point guard would either break it by finding David Roddy at midcourt or dishing it long to one of the shooters on the opposite end.
We’ve talked all season about how Stevens is a difference maker but his ability to read the defense on the fly and react accordingly was paramount on Tuesday. When the Bulldogs fought back in the second half, it was often Stevens that managed to make the right play at the right time to calm things down.
Bombs away
While there were some cold stretches for CSU at Fresno State, the Rams really shot the ball well as a whole. As a team, the Rams hit 43 percent of their 3’s in the win (12-of-28) and did a nice job of using the long ball to build up the initial lead.
After struggling for the first six weeks of the season, the Rams seem to have found their rhythm from beyond the arc. In league games, Moore, Thistlewood and Stevens have all been consistent from 3-point land and we’ve seen the offense flourish as a result.
Not every night is going to be a record-setting performance. If CSU can simply continue to knock down open jump shots, though, with how well the guards attack the rim and Carvacho’s size in the post, opposing defenses are going to have their hands full with the team in green and gold.
Next Up
With a week to prepare for Utah State, the Rams have some time to rest up and really lock down a solid game plan for the Aggies.
The Rams haven’t lost since falling to Craig Smith’s squad in Logan, UT., and there’s no doubt that they’d love to return to the favor this time around.
