SB Nation - Colorado St. Rams

Rams Extend Home Streak to Six Games

bhsmarine — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:39:39 -0000

Final - 12.20.2009	1	2	Total
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks	21	35	56
Colorado St. Rams	33	31	64

Complete Coverage >

The Colorado State Rams lead by Travis Franklin's game high 22 points beat the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 64-56 at Moby Arena. The Rams dominated the first half and had a 12 point lead. The Lumberjacks did come back and take a three point lead with ten minutes remaining. It did not stand up as the Rams swept their four game home stand to improve to 8-3. Catch more after the jump...

NAU was lead by guard Gabe Rodgers off the bench with 17 points. The Lumberjacks had a foul problem most the game and only shot 15 free throws to CSU's 38. Normally when there is that big of a discrepancy you expect a home court advantage but NAU just looked a step behind from playing on their second night of a back to back and most the fouls were warranted. They out shot the Rams from the field at 44% to 39% and 3-point land at 36% to 18%. The inability for the Rams to hit any shots at the start of the 2nd half is what let NAU back into the game.

Travis Franklin played another great game in front of a sparse holiday home crowd (2,419) and was easily the best player on the floor tonight. Dorian Green scored 18 points off a 33% shooting effort. Green's low shooting percentage will come back to haunt the Rams at some point but they do need a scorer and the Rams seem to be looking at him and Travis Franklin.

Great news for the Rams was the return of Jesse Carr, he only played 8 minutes and had 2 points along with one assist and one rebound but they were a different team with him out there. The first play he was in the Rams got a rebound kicked it out to Carr who raced down court and gave a great dish to Pierce Hornung for a traditional three point play. Green and Carr make up a good back court combo that should have the Ram Fans excited.

The Rams could make some noise in conference if they stay healthy and can put Carr, Green, Franklin, (Travis Busch, Greg Smith), and Andy Ogide on the floor with consistent minutes. Smith is a lengthy athletic freshman who had a double double with ten rebounds and ten points in just 21 minutes. His defense will need to step up before he starts taking more minutes from Adam Nigon even though he had two steals last night.

Quick thoughts on some Rams...

Andy Ogide played poor, I have said before if he has to dribble more then twice it is bad news. He consistently caught the ball 15 feet away from the basket and that makes him to easy to guard. In 17 minutes he had 4 points and 1 rebound.

Greg Smith could be a stud in a couple years, he has the size and athleticism to dominate games. If he just listens to Tim Miles and puts in the work the Rams got a real player on their hands.

Jesse Carr made the Rams a better team just by being on the floor, it was easy to see. Rams fans should put Jesse Carr's health on their holiday wish lists.

Tim Miles, I have never seen someone sub players so much and frequently. I am not exactly sure what your strategy was as the longest you had the same 5 guys on the court was maybe 3 minutes. It could mess with they players getting in a groove but not sure. I do like Tim Miles so I will just see how this plays out.

Pierce Hornung getting 33 minutes was interesting. He is small for a forward, does give 100% but I don't see a lot of growth potential in him as a player. He finished with 1 point, 1 steal, 1 assist, and 6 rebounds. Hornung just disappears on the offensive side of the ball and won't be able to match up to a bigger forward at his current size.

The Rams travel to UCLA for a big test on the road Tuesday.

Checking in With the RPI: 12/17/09

Michael Rueckert — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:59:16 -0000

It's now time for our twice a week segment where we take a look at the RPI rankings for the Mountain West Conference teams.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 7th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI. Ratings are after the jump.

Air Force

Record = 5-3

RPI = 226

SOS = 187

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =Northern Colorado

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Washington State

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 9-1

RPI = 65

SOS = 228

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Bradley,

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State, Fresno State, Wagner

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 7-3

RPI = 106

SOS = 209

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco, Colorado, Montana, Denver

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon, Northern Colorado

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 11-0

RPI = 16

SOS = 104

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California, Texas A&M

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech, San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii, UC Riverside, Northern Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 8-2

RPI = 27

SOS = 72

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = San Diego, Arizona

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Pacific

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's

TCU

Record = 5-5

RPI = 143

SOS = 94

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska, Wichita State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 9-1

RPI = 34

SOS = 74

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Pittsburgh

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Nevada, Arizona, Louisville

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara, Southern Utah, Weber State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Kansas State

Utah

Record = 5-5

RPI = 200

SOS = 138

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Illinois

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle, Oklahoma

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 5-5

RPI = 281

SOS = 277

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU, Northern Colorado

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Tennessee

In a Perfect World (Conference Realignment)

Evan Pfaff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:30:13 -0000

by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Could a University of Houston QB be soon hoisting the Big 12 Championship trophy? (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

View full size photo »

Today the Big Ten conference issued a statement that they are exploring the possibility of expanding.

Every few years we hear the same rumblings and every few years there are articles published about what realignment would look like. But not since Penn State was admitted into the Big Ten has anything official been released. With that, below is the definitive article on the topic.

And even though this is a basketball blog, I will focus on the BCS aspect of realignment to argue my points. I will discuss basketball, though, and all points held for football can loosely translate over to hoops as well.

Currently there are six BCS conferences and those 6 all get automatic BCS-bowl bids. Those conferences are Big East, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10, ACC. Of those six, three of the conferences have enough football teams to have a conference championship game (the Big East would have enough if more of their charter schools had D1 football programs).

Part of the BCS issue is that you have some conferences without 12 schools, who don't currently have conference championship games. Adding conference championship games will ultimately help the BCS by crowing, on a field, a true conference champ. This will help with BCS bowl bids, and especially the BCS championship game. (Think of a rule where you have to at least win your division to get a BCS bid.

The other BCS issue is of the non-BCS schools and where they should lie. My realignment program take that into account.

Without further ado, after The Jump is the Big12Hoops.com Realignment plan.

MIZZOU MOVES TO THE BIG 10.

Why is this good for the Big 10? By admitting Mizzou into the Big 10, the Big 10 would secure a coveted TV market, namely St Louis. They would also get a share of the Kansas City TV market. By expanding westward, revenues from the Big 10 Network and apparel sales would grow. The Big 10 would also secure a 12^th team and legitimize a conference championship game. The divisions would be as follow:

Big 10 East: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Penn State

Big 10 West: Mizzou, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa

Under this scenario all regional rivalries remain in tact

Why is this good for Mizzou? The Big 12 seems to forget about schools not named Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas (basketball). There is no television network, so Mizzou's games are generally only regionally shown. There is Big Monday for basketball, but that is mainly reserved for Texas and KU. Under this, Mizzou's football games could be carried on the Big 10 Network and basketball games will be tied into the Big 10 ESPN deal. All this leads to a major recruiting advantage in both revenue generating sports.

Mizzou also has a rival in Illinois that would heat up instantly and the heated rivalry with Kansas will replace the Illinois basketball and football games on the schedules. Instead of St Louis, though, the KU games will be played at the Sprint Center and Arrowhead in KC.

But what about... Iowa State? The Cyclones seem to also be a natural fit and could easily add fuel to the rivalry with in-state foe Iowa Hawkeyes. The problem is that the Big 10 gains little from that arrangement. They are already pretty entrenched in the Hawkeye State and the addition of ISU wouldn't help their regional or national reputation.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON JOINS THE BIG XII

Why is this good for the Big 12? The University of Houston is a large campus, in a region of Texas that is currently underdeveloped with college sports. Houston is the 4^th largest city in the country, and by planting a team there, the Big 12 will get even more Texas viewership.

The big question would be on alignment, since there will now be 5 Texas schools. My proposal is for

Big 12 "North": Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Big 12 "South": Texas, Houston, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, Colorado

The division names will have to be rebranded, but adding Colorado to the South is acceptable because Coloradoans joke that there are more Texans in the state than natives.

Why is this good for Houston? Historically, the Cougars have had a good football team, and have won a basketball national championship. Having a Big XII logo on their court will increase their recruiting presence in the city and state and potentially turn them into powerhouse.

But what about... TCU? TCU would be a good choice, if they were bigger. Their 8000 student just wouldn't cut it if the conference wishes to remain the BIG 12. Houston's enrollment is approximately 30,000 students. Commuter school or not, Houston would help retain the "Big" in Big 12.

BYU AND UTAH GO TO THE PAC-10

Why is this good for the Pac-10? By including Utah and BYU into the Pac-10, the conference will have the 12 schools needed for an automatic conference championship games. Both programs have historically legitimate football and basketball programs, and they will bring their rivalry with them. Geographically, they are far enough West to warrant admission into the conference.

The division would be as follows

Pac-10 North: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, BYU, Utah

Pac-10 South: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA, USC

Why is this good for BYU and Utah? Both recruit well from the West, and inclusion into the conference will aid that. And by coming over as a pair (and as rivals) they bring legitimacy to the expansion eastward.

But what about... geography? The state of Utah doesn't border any states of current Pac-10 members, and that may cause some issues, but distance isn't really something the conference has ever regarded. Consider that Tucson, AZ to Seattle, WA is 1100 miles, or 400 miles farther than Tucson to Provo, UT.

ADD MORE TEAMS TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST

Why is this good for the Mountain West? As it stands under this scenario, the Mountain West is down to 7 members (the current 9, minus BYU and Utah). To get up with the big boys, the MWC needs to add 5 schools. The 5 that should move to the MWC should be: Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Rice, SMU.

There is already talk of Boise coming over to the MWC, so that is a no brainer. The others are coming over as "rivals" to existing MWC schools. Nevada will face UNLV, New Mexico State will pair with New Mexico, Rice and SMU will pit against TCU is a three-way battle for Texas.

Having 12 schools will allow the conference to host a championship game, matching the winners of each division, which would be as follows:

MWC North: UNLV, Nevada, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State

MWC South: San Diego State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, TCU, Rice, SMU

Why is this good for the 5 programs? The shift from either the C-USA or WAC will legitimize the programs (see the next point). All will also enter the new MWC with a foe. Everyone wins.

But what about... the MWC still remaining relatively minute as compared to their BCS brethren? Why would these schools shift from one conference to another, just for shits and giggles? See next point.

ADMIT THE MOUNTAIN WEST INTO THE BCS

Why is this good for the BCS? Controversy will mainly be avoided. By admitting the redesigned MWC into the BCS you are accepting the current BCS gate crashers. You are bringing in the current at-large schools causing heartache and giving yourself another conference champion that the country can latch onto.

Why is this good for the MWC? Why isn't it good for the MWC?

But what about... the C-USA and WAC? These two conferences are now in shambles. What to do? See next item.

MERGE THE C-USA AND WAC

Why is this good for the two conferences? Because of the success of some of their schools, and regional ability to move, the Conference USA and WAC are currently left in shambles (under this proposal). Essentially afterthoughts as they are, now they are left with 15 schools between them. They could either split them up 8 and 7 or combine forces and form a 15 league mega conference. In terms of basketball, as we have seen with the Big East, and their 16 school hoops conference, too many schools doesn't water down the pool.

But what about... regionality? The C-USA is currently a conglomerate of throw-ins from around the country. Under this plan, that would just increase to a truly national conference. The members of it would be: Fresno St, Hawaii, Idaho, La Tech, San Jose St, Utah St, UTEP, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, Cent Florida, ECU, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss

Using the scenario outlined above, 18 schools will change conferences. This sounds like a lot, but as you can see many will be moving as groups and either with or to a rival.

But what about the Big East? Well, the Big East is the one conference I am leaving alone. In their football world, they are lacking the 12 members to create a championship game. But when you include their basketball members, they are a 16-team powerhouse.

One final thought. I reserve the right to claim this entire scenario null and void if Notre Dame ever decides to join the Big 10. If that were to happen, I would still endorse some shifting, but nothing to the extent of this proposal. More on that if a Notre Dame to the Big 10 rumor starts getting some legitimate traction.

Checking in With the RPI: 12/13/09

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:07:33 -0000

Checking in with the RPI will be twice a week Thursday's and Sunday's. That is because most of the games are on Wednesday and Saturday, so those next days will have the most change in RPI.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 6th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI

Air Force

Record = 5-3

RPI = 200

SOS = 153

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Northern Colorado, Washington State

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 8-1

RPI = 62

SOS = 222

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Bradley,

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State, Fresno State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 7-3

RPI = 117

SOS = 210

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco, Colorado, Montana, Denver

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 10-0

RPI = 14

SOS = 96

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California, Texas A&M

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = UC Riverside, San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii, Louisiana Tech

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 8-2

RPI = 37

SOS = 105

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton, Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's, Pacific

TCU

Record = 5-5

RPI = 144

SOS = 109

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska, Wichita State, Louisiana Tech

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 7-1

RPI = 29

SOS = 40

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Pittsburgh

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Nevada

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Louisville, Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara, Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Kansas State

Utah

Record = 5-5

RPI = 209

SOS = 155

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Illinois, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle, Oklahoma

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 5-4

RPI = 294

SOS = 314

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU, Northern Colorado

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

Rams Win Close One Over Montana 62 - 61

bhsmarine — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:02:04 -0000

Final - 12.12.2009	1	2	Total
Montana Grizzlies	23	38	61
Colorado St. Rams	30	32	62

Complete Coverage >

With 9.6 seconds left freshman Dorian Green knocked down two free throws to put the Rams up and the defense did the rest as they stopped Montana's last two attempts. The Rams sit at 7-4 on the season and Montana dropped to 6-4. It was an odd game for the Rams as instead of doing the little stuff needed to win they just out shot Montana.

CSU lead by 7 and half while holding Montana to 33% shooting in the first half and 43% for the game. The Rams shot 50% from the field and 7-15 from behind the arc. What hurt the Rams was their poor free throw shooting, only hitting 11-22. Montana also kept it close by only turning it over 9 times to the Rams 17. Montana also held the advantages in steals 10-4 over CSU. The Rams did win the rebound margin 35-29. It was a very tight game as both teams had ups and downs.

CSU will host Northern Arizona next Sunday, December 20th, as the last of their four game home strand.

RPI WATCH: 12/11/09

BracketCat — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:00:19 -0000

Rumors of Colorado's improvement have been greatly exaggerated.

That and other developments from Thursday night after the jump.

Current Kansas State Record = 8-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 6

Current Kansas State SOS = 10

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI, Xavier

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (5-2, 1-1) | RPI = 30
Western Illinois (4-5, 0-2) | RPI = 307
Boston (3-6) | RPI = 156
Ole Miss (7-1) | RPI = 18
Dayton (6-2) | RPI = 36
IUPUI (7-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60
FHSU (7-1)
Washington State (7-2) | RPI = 151
Xavier (5-3) | RPI = 68
No. 24 UNLV (7-0) | RPI = 12
Alabama (6-2) | RPI = 82
UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273
Cleveland State (3-6, 0-2) | RPI = 222
South Dakota (5-3) | RPI = 143
Missouri (5-3) | RPI = 99
No. 16 Texas A&M (8-1) | RPI = 21
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229: Loss at Colorado State (77-62)
No. 2 Texas (7-0) | RPI = 3
Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26
Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105
No. 1 Kansas (8-0) | RPI = 45
Nebraska (6-2) | RPI = 192: Win over Chicago State (74-39)
Iowa State (6-3) | RPI = 187
Oklahoma (6-3) | RPI = 210
No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18

Colorado State Takes Down CU 77-62

bhsmarine — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:40:50 -0000

Final - 12.10.2009	1	2	Total
Colorado Buffaloes	26	36	62
Colorado St. Rams	36	41	77

Complete Coverage >

The Colorado State Rams(6-3) extended their home winning streak to four against in state rival Colorado(6-4) behind the strong showing of Travis Franklin. Franklin had a double double with 22 point and 10 rebounds in the 77-62 win over the Buffalos. The Buffs lead early by 4 but the Rams crawled back into it and took a 10 point lead at half. At one point CSU lead by 18 in the second half. However the Buffs would cut that to 7 with around three minutes remaining until the Rams hit their free throws and stretched the lead out again. Catch more after the jump...

The Buffs were lead but freshman Alec Burks who had 22. For the game the Buffs shot 37.3% and were out rebounded 36-25. Cory Higgins had a rough night shooting the ball, 1-10, as he finished with 12 points.

The Rams crashed the boards and had an 11 rebound advantage which could have been higher as a couple times two Rams went for the ball and tipped it away from each other. The defense was great tonight, they had active hands that caused 11 steals out of 15 turnovers. They played good help side defense and made CU work for every basket they made. The Rams only shot 25% from three point land but hit 42% field goals and 76.9% free throws. Now some player analysis as this was my first time seeing the Rams up close this year.

Travis Franklin stepped up when the Rams needed a player to step up. He could consistently get to the basket for easier shots, played great defense, rebounded like a big man, and made big plays to keep the crowd and his team pumped. It is what the Rams have been lacking since losing Marcus Walker, but he can be a bigger presence then Walker was due to his size and style.

Dorian Green had 21 points for the Rams, he can play now but I hope Tim Miles can get more out of him as the team's point guard. Green made some freshman mistakes for sure.

Big man Andy Ogide had a great game with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Like last year he is the Rams only legitimate big man. The deal with Ogide is the more he dribbles the better the chance something bad is going to happen, he scored almost all his points on one or less dribble shots and dunks. His ball handling skills are below what you would like as a Rams fan.

Nay to Pierce Hornung 9 minutes and 5 fouls? All but 1-2 were dumb fouls too. Hornung had 2 offensive rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals but if you can only get on the court for 9 minutes before fouling out your not helping the team rest its other big men and severely limiting your own production.

I am going to stop harping on the assist to turnover ratio as much (9-13 tonight) as the offense isn't set up for lots of assists. They give each other the ball in space and drive to the hoop getting good shots which works but not conducive to assists.

One last note to the fans, great job showing up big with 5,293! But do we really need to throw the pregame free giveaways on the court? We were closer to hitting our own players then the Buffs or refs. That is just bush league and there is no call for it in any circumstance! I will let the charging the court slide as the 9 game football losing streak was fresh in all our minds, but next time make sure its a ranked opponents or we just won the MWC. Keep coming out to Moby and we could see a lot more wins this year, just keep it classy Fort Fun.

Checking in With the RPI: 12/10/09

Jeremy Mauss — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:44:03 -0000

This may or may not be a daily feature just depends how things work out, but lets give it a go and try a daily for the rest of the week and see how much change there is. Here we will take a look at the current RPI ratings for the entire Mountain West making notes of good wins, bad wins, and their upcoming schedule for the next few games.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 9th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI

Air Force

Record = 5-2

RPI = 194

SOS = 177

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 7-1

RPI = 85

SOS = 253

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Bradley, Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 4-3

RPI = 134

SOS = 183

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Denver

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 8-0

RPI = 24

SOS = 129

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Riverside, New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 7-2

RPI = 42

SOS = 91

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, San Diego, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's, Pacific

TCU

Record = 4-4

RPI = 167

SOS = 151

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 6-0

RPI = 12

SOS = 74

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Pittsburgh, Nevada, Louisville, Arizona

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

Utah

Record = 5-4

RPI = 215

SOS = 201

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Illinois, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 3-4

RPI = 330

SOS = 335

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

CSU Rams Host Colorado at Moby Arena

bhsmarine — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:28:31 -0000

Next Game

Colorado Buffaloes
@ Colorado St. Rams

Thursday, Dec 10, 2009, 6:30 PM PST
Moby Arena

TV: The Mtn

Complete Coverage >

The rivalry between Colorado State(5-3) and Colorado(6-3) will add another chapter Thursday night as the Buffs walk into Moby Arena in Fort Collins. The Buffs hold a three game streak in the series, the last time the Rams beat the Buffs on the hard floor was December 2006. As the football games go these are usually close, except for last year when the Buffs won 75-56. Before that the last 5 games were decided by two possessions or less with the last three being 3 points of less. A look at the teams after the jump...

The Colorado Buffalos are off to a good start at 6-3 and dropping a game to Gonzaga by only 4 and they took Arizona to overtime before losing. They are lead by guards Cory Higgins (20.6 ppg) and freshman stud Alec Burks(15.4 ppg). As a team they are shooting 50.3% from the field and 78.5% from the stripe. They lack a dominating force inside as do the Rams so it will be a key for both teams to try and establish a presence inside and dominate the paint. 6'9" Austin Dufault will attempt to be that presence for the Buffs along with Shane Harris-Tunks when he gets minutes.

The Rams will counter the guard play with freshman Dorian Green and another. The Rams have been shifting around their guards with the play of Adam Nigon, Travis Franklin, Arin Dunn. In consistent shooting and more turnovers then Tim Miles would like has left him looking for someone to stand up. Transfer forward Travis Busch is back early from knee surgery and could give the Rams a much needed boost at the 3-4 spots from the bench. His minutes will need to be limited however as they want him ready for conference play. 6'9" Andy Ogide will have to be the Rams inside presence against the Buffs. He has been inconsistent early on leading to him coming off the bench against Denver University.

The keys for both teams will be to establish inside play and have smart guard play. The crowd at Moby is usually lackluster and even a bit embarrassing at times, but you mention a CSU vs. CU game and kids will show. The Buffs will have to deal with crowd noise. If the Rams can come out firing early and keep the crowd in it all game they have a chance to win one against a good CU team. For the Buffs it will be about shooting a high percentage and keeping the crowd quiet and sending them home early to prep for finals.

If your in the Fort head over to Moby Arena, first 1000 fans get a free t-shirtt!

CSU Takes Down Denver University

bhsmarine — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:52:09 -0000

Final - 12.5.2009	1	2	Total
Denver Pioneers	29	30	59
Colorado St. Rams	35	29	64

Complete Coverage >

Starting their longest home stretch of the season, 4 games, Colorado State defeated Denver University 64-59. Another poor shooting performance by the Rams, just 38%, was boosted by making 32 free throws at a 76% clip. Hitting 4-8 from down town also helped them sneak out a victory against the Pioneers. The biggest stat to me is how the Rams almost ran a 1/1 ratio on assists to turnovers, 11/12. That is they type of team play they need since they lack a big scorer. The Rams out rebounded DU 30-23.

DU was led by Andrew Hooper off the bench with 11 points. Adam Nigon led the Rams with 14 and Andy Ogide who came off the bench had 12.

The Rams will host rival Colorado this Thursday,12/10.