Colorado University Athletics
MBB Hosts Cal Poly Saturday Night at the Events Center
Complete notes under the web site www.CUBuffs.com
TONIGHT: Colorado and Cal Poly are two teams going in different directions. The Buffaloes have won two straight and are 3-1, while the Mustangs are 1-3 having lost three in a row. TonightGÇÖs match up with the Mustangs is CUGÇÖs third against the California school since 2002. The Buffaloes defeated Cal Poly 97-69 in 2002 and on the road in 2003, 73-62. Other than Colorado State, the Mustangs have been the most frequent non-conference opponent in the last four years.
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS: After opening the season with a win over UC San Diego (71-67), the Mustangs have dropped three straight by an average of 12.3 points. Dawin Whiten is Cal PolyGÇÖs leader on the scoreboard with 17.8 ppg. with a team-best 15 3-pointers. Gabe Stephenson averages 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and is solid at the free throw line (22-of-29, .759). The Mustangs, from the West Coast Conference, are in the middle of a three-game road trip falling at Stanford and travel to Santa Clara on Dec. 10.
WHATGÇÖS AHEAD: CU begins a three-game home stand (Cal Poly, Utah, UC Irvine) in addition to having six and their next seven at home. The only exception is Dec. 20 at TCU (1-4). Before final exams grace the Boulder campus the Buffaloes host Cal Poly (1-3) on Saturday, then unbeaten Utah (4-0) on Wednesday, Dec. 7. Ten days later, UC Irvine (3-3) visits Boulder on Dec. 20. Then look for Mercer (1-1), Dartmouth (1-2, former CU assistant Terry Dunn coaches The Big Green), and Savannah State (1-5) to round out the non-conference schedule before the Buffs open conference play at nationally-ranked Texas in Austin on Jan. 7.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: Richard Roby has made his last 14 free throws in a row, the CU record since 1994-95 is 28 (see page 2) ... Marcus Hall is 21st place on CU assists list with 190 (3.1 apg.). Nicknamed Marcus "Lets Make a Deal" Hall by Fox Sports Net basketball analyst Marty Fletcher, after game show icon Monty HallGÇÖs "Lets Make a Deal" ... RobyGÇÖs 22 points at Penn gives him 555 career points, one point away from 75th in all-time scoring ... Glean Eddy, Antoine McGee are quietly moving up the games played list without fouling out. Eddy (95) McGee (94) are reaching Will Smith for second place (100) ... Chris Copeland is four rebounds shy of 300, only Eddy has more of current players (335) ... Copeland, Roby each have a pair of 20-plus games this year. Over their careers, Roby has 10, Copeland five 20-point games ... Roby is returning to last yearGÇÖs dominating form. After four games, he leads CU in points per game (18.8), free throws made (18), FT percentage (.857), 3-pointers made (11), steals (8), and minutes (29.3) ... Team Notes: The current senior class has begun the season 4-1 only once (2003-04), when they started the season 6-1 ... CUGÇÖs non-conference opponents record so far is 27-21 (.563) through Dec. 1st games ... CU is 58-6 since 1996-97 in home non-conference games (.879); in the last three years, the current senior class is 19-3 (.864) at home.
CONSECUTIVE FREE-BEES: Richard Roby has reeled off 14-straight straight free throws since Nov. 21. CUGÇÖs best charity stripe shooter at .857 (18-of-21) made all eight attempts at Penn. Since the 1994-95 season, hereGÇÖs the top-15 with player, the number, and dates of success at the line:
1) Michel Morandais 28 Jan. 28-Feb. 21, 2004
2) Chauncey Billups 26 Feb. 10-28, 1996
3) Richard Roby 25 Feb. 5-26, 2005
4) Michel Morandais 22 Nov. 24-Dec. 10, 2003
5) Blair Wilson 19 Jan. 15-Feb. 22, 2003
6) Jamahl Mosley 18 Feb. 21-Mar. 18, 2001
7) Chris Copeland 16 Jan. 15-Feb. 2, 2005
8) Lamar Harris 16 Jan. 21-28, 2004
10) Chris Copeland 15 Nov. 28-Dec. 28, 2004
Stephane Pelle 15 Dec. 23-Dec. 29, 2002
12) Richard Roby 14 Nov. 21-present
13) Glean Eddy 14 Feb. 8-22, 2005
14) D.J. Harrison 13 Jan. 31-Feb. 14, 2001
15) Nick Mohr 12 Nov. 26-Dec. 28, 2000
LAST GAME: Richard Roby and Chris Copeland scored 22 and 20 points, respectively leading CU to a 78-60 victory over the Penn at The Palestra. The Buffaloes broke open a 37-37 halftime tie scoring seven of the first 10 points in the second half to take a 44-40 lead, then extended that advantage to 50-42 as the Quakers missed several opportunities. Penn was within nine points with seven minutes left (57-48), but CU dropped seven of the next eight points to make its lead 15 (64-49) and Penn never got inside double digits after that. Senior guard Jayson Obazuaye led the CU dominance on the glass with a game-high and career-high nine rebounds helping CU to a 50-28 advantage. Copeland added seven rebounds along with sophomore Marcus King-Stockton tying a personal-best seven boards.
AGAINST OPPT. CONFERENCES: TonightGÇÖs match up with Cal Poly is CUGÇÖs lone match up with the Big West Conference this year.
Last TuesdayGÇÖs match up with Penn was CUGÇÖs first of two meetings with the Ivy League. The Buffs play the Ivy League twice (Penn) and Dartmouth (coached by former assistant coach Terry Dunn) visiting Boulder Dec. 31 (1 p.m.). Of their 11 non-conference games, CU will play the Mountain West (CSU, Utah) and the Big West twice (Cal Poly, UC Irvine). The others, Colonial Athletic Association (UNCW), Trans America (Mercer), Western Athletic (TCU), West Coast (St. MaryGÇÖs) and independent Savannah State.
COMING OFF THE BENCH: If you thought Martane FreemanGÇÖs 17 points off the bench at Colorado State was pretty good, it doesnGÇÖt come close in CUGÇÖs top-10 best performances off the pine since the 1996-97 season. Also listed below are rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots.
TOP-10 scorers OFF THE BENCH
(since 1996-97)
1. David Harrison 24 Nebraska 3/6/04
2. Blair Wilson 24 at Nebraska 3/7/02
3. Blair Wilson 24 at Texas A&M 2/26/02
4. Kenny Price 23 Baylor 1/21/98
5. Kenny Price 23 Missouri 1/17/98
6. Marcus Hall 22 California 12/6/03
7. Michel Morandais 22 at Texas 2/9/02
8. Nick Hohr 22 Texas-Pan Amer. 2/15/00
9. Justin Harbert 22 at S. Florida 11/19/00
10. Blair Wilson 21 Kansas State 1/22/02
TOP-10 REBOUNDERS OFF THE BENCH
(since 1996-97)
1. Stephane Pelle 16 Missouri 2/23/02
2. David Harrison 15 Iowa State 1/16/02
3. Stephane Pelle 13 at Colorado St. 2/5/01
4. Stephane Pelle 12 Regis 11/23/99
5. Stephane Pelle 12 E. Washington 12/18/99
6. Chris Copeland 11 Missouri 1/26/05
7. Lamar Harris 11 vs KSU (Dallas) 3/13/03
8. Jamahl Mosley 11 at Kansas State 3/5/98
9. Glean Eddy 10 at Missouri 2/22/05
10. Chris Copeland 10 at Kansas State 2/5/05
Top 10 Assists off the bench
1) James Wright Georgia 12/3/2002 10
2) Marcus Hall Okla. State 1/30/2005 8
3) Marcus Hall Oregon State 12/1/2003 8 4) James Wright Colo. State 3/5/2003 8 5) James Wright Colo. State 1/7/2003 8 6) James Wright at Kansas St. 2/20/2002 7 7) Howard Frier Missouri 1/17/1998 7
8) Howard Frier at UMKC 12/28/1996 7 9) Marcus Hall Missouri 1/26/2005 6 10) James Wright UL Lafayette 12/27/2002 6
Top 10 Steals off the bench
1) Blair Wilson Rice 11/22/2001 4
2) Jose Winston Texas Tech 3/4/2000 4 3) Howard Frier Denver 12/22/1997 4 4) Howard Frier Wyoming 11/19/1997 4 5) Antoine McGee UNCW 11/18/2005 3
6) Antoine McGee at Utah 12/30/2004 3 7) L. Arrington at Oregon St. 12/4/2004 3
8) Julius Ashby Michigan 11/17/2004 3 9) Glean Eddy at Colo. State 12/10/2003 3
10) Marcus Hall California 12/6/2003 3
Top 10 Blocked shots off the bench 1) Julius Ashby Michigan 11/17/2004 6 2) David Harrison Iowa State 1/16/2002 5 3) Glean Eddy at Missouri 2/1/2003 4 4) Charlie Melvin Texas 3/1/1997 4 5) Chris Copeland at Tex. Tech 2/2/2005 3 6) Lamar Harris at Baylor 3/1/2003 3 7) Stephane Pelle Missouri 2/2/2000 3 8) Charlton Carter St. MaryGÇÖs 11/19/1999 3 9) Greg Jensen Wafford 2/24/1997 3 10) Marcus Hall Okla. State 1/30/2005 2
BUFF Tidbits, INDIVIDUAL: Scott Senger grabbed a career-best five rebounds (four offensive) against Saint MaryGÇÖs ... Against CSU, senior Martane Freeman posted career-highs in points (17), field goals (6), attempts (8), free throws (5), FT attempts (6), steals (3), minutes played (24) ... Marcus Hall tied a career-best in steals (4) and handed out seven assists, the most since having 10 against South Dakota State (Feb. 14) last year; Hall ranks 25th overall at CU in assists ... Chris Copeland earned his first CU Athlete of the Week (Nov. 14-20) honor scoring a game-high 20 points that included 8-of-9 from the free throw line helping CU win itGÇÖs 2005-06 season opener, 73-54 over previously unbeaten UNC-Wilmington ... Richard Roby scored 480 points during his freshman season, the most of any frosh in its history, including Chauncey Billups (465) ... On page 6, a handful of CU players are moving upward on career school lists ... Seniors Chris Copeland, Glean Eddy, Antoine McGee, and Jayson Obazuaye close out their final year in 2005-06. ItGÇÖs also the first senior class under Head Coach Ricardo Patton that four players will have played their freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years at CU ... Four-year walk-on Billy Boidock (a mechanical engineering major with an influence in alternative energy and energy management) is taking 19 credit hours during the fall semester ... Patton enters his 10th season with the Buffaloes and ranks second all-time on the schoolGÇÖs all-time victories list with 160. He is joined this year by third-year assistant coach Paul Graham (North Texas State GÇÖ74) and first year coaches, John Anderson (Stillman College GÇÖ80) and Mike Frink (Colorado GÇÖ67) ... Frink, who played basketball at CU from 1963-65, is the only former player to be named as an assistant coach in the schoolGÇÖs 104-year history ... Director of Basketball Operations Will Smith is in his second year with the Buffs, was PattonGÇÖs first-ever recruit (1996-2000) ... Smith and former CU Buffs player Bob Bauers (1965-67) are tied at No. 52 on the schoolGÇÖs all-time scoring list with 721 points. What makes this ironic, Bauers was SmithGÇÖs scholarship donor when Smith played.
TEAM notes: CUGÇÖs on the tube 16 times this season with seven of those games in Boulder (eight times on FSN, seven on ESPN Regional, once on ESPN2) ... In the win over UNC Wilmington, CU collected 17 steals, the second most in school history for a non-conference game, tying four other times ... Defeating UNCW helped Coach Patton remain unbeaten in season openers (10-0) ... With 10 seniors, eight senior scholarships, CU has the most nationally ... The CU men resemble what a box of Total cereal looks like, they return 100% of their scoring, 100% rebounding, 100% blocked shots, 100% of everything from a year ago with the exception of the Fall semester with Julius Ashby ineligible, he could return Dec. 31 (Dartmouth) or Jan. 3 (Savannah State)... The men look to break their 2004-05 school record of 223 3-pointers.
"LS" INITIALS: If you notice the "LS" initials on each of the CU player uniforms thatGÇÖs in memory of senior walk-on Scott SengerGÇÖs mother, Linda died of cancer this past July. Scott played at nearby Monarch High School where set the school record for 3-pointers made in a season and most points scored.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Colorado enters tonight match up with an impressive 12-5 record (.706) on December 3. Most recently was 2002GÇÖs last second heartbreaking loss when GeorgiaGÇÖs Jonas Hayes took a half-court pass from CUGÇÖs basket and banked in the winner with .02 seconds remaining. It was CUGÇÖs only home loss (14-1) during its last NCAA Tournament team season.
*-Georgia was guilty of infractions to the penalties imposed upon its basketball program by the NCAA. The game was later forfeited to Colorado, but all records are computed with the result that took place on the court.
Overall: 12-5; Home: 9-3; Away: 3-2
Year Opponent Result 2002 Georgia *L, 70-71 2000 Texas-Arlington W, 119-75 1994 Hofstra W, 96-77 1993 Sam Houston State W, 75-51 1983 Oregon W, 61-59 1981 at Texas L, 64-76 1980 at UTEP L, 52-67 1979 Eastern Montana W, 83-63 1975 UNLV L, 88-118 1973 Arizona L, 76-91 1969 Cal-Irvine W, 80-65 1966 at Tulsa W, 80-75 1962 Wichita State W, 79-69 1960 at Arizona W, 83-60 1956 Oregon State W, 67-58 1955 at Oregon State W, 63-53 1937 Colorado Mines W, 61-16