GAME NOTES: Long-time rivals collide in the Centennial State tonight, as the Colorado State Rams make the short trip to Greeley to face the Northern Colorado Bears in a non-conference tilt at the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.
Colorado State recently snapped a two-game skid with an 85-61 verdict over Texas Southern on Monday night, improving the club's overall record to 6-4. The Rams are in the midst of a six-game road swing, and won't return to their home court in Fort Collins until January 7. So far, the Rams are 1-2 on the trip, with losses to Northern Iowa and Duke.
As for UNC, its successes have been few and far between this year, as the squad enters tonight's matchup touting a miserable 3-7 overall ledger. The Bears started their 2011-12 campaign with four consecutive losses before a modest two-game win streak at the South Padre Island Invitational back in November. Since then, UNC has dropped decisions in three out of its last four, including a 93-72 thrashing at the hands of Marquette last Saturday.
CSU owns a 67-37 lead in the all-time series between these two foes.
The Rams shot 52.7 percent from the field in their 24-point win over Texas Southern, which included an 11-of-24 mark from three-point land. Wes Eikmeier led the way for CSU with a game-high 25 points, while Dorian Green finished with 15 points. Greg Smith chipped in 13 points off the bench as well, while Kaipo Sabas netted 10 points. The Rams won the battle on the boards by a 31-22 margin, and forced Texas Southern into 19 turnovers. Eikmeier leads a CSU squad that averages a healthy 71.6 ppg with his 17.5 ppg, while Green follows with 12.0 ppg and Smith accounts for 11.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The Rams are shooting a respectable 45.9 percent from the field this season, but have struggled at the other end of the court on occasion, as the opposition averages 71.3 ppg on 46.3 percent field goal efficiency.
A game-high 25 points from Tate Unruh wasn't nearly enough to help UNC top Marquette last Saturday, as the Bears shot just 37.5 percent from the floor en route to the 21-point loss. The Bears did hit 8-of-16 shots from long range and 22-of-29 foul shots during the meeting, but also allowed the Golden Eagles to shoot 47.5 percent from the floor and convert 30-of-36 at the charity stripe. Tim Huskisson chipped in 17 points off the bench as well for UNC. The Bears have allowed the opposition to score 74.9 ppg so far this season, a tally that does their own 72.8 ppg average little good. The club is shooting at a respectable 46.2 percent clip up to this point however, and has also managed a 74.6 percent mark at the charity stripe. UNC boasts just a pair of players with a double-digit scoring average though, with Paul Garnica leading the way with his 13.0 ppg. Garnica has also been responsible for a team- leading 34 assists as well, while Unruh checks in at 12.9 ppg.
History has a way of repeating itself, so give the edge to CSU here, which has dominated this series over the years. The Bears may have the home court advantage, but this isn't exactly a tough journey for the Rams.
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