Colorado State vs Chadron State

GAME: The Colorado State Rams vs. The Chadron State Eagles

WHERE: Moby Arena, Fort Collins, Colorado

DATE/TIME: Thursday, November 15^th at 7:00 PM MTN

RADIO: CSU Radio Network, FM 90.5 KCSU

CONFERENCE: CSU – (MW) Mountain West / Chadron State – (RMAC) Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

THE COACHES: Larry Eustachy is in his first year as CSU head basketball coach. Eustachy has had well-documented troubles in the past, but CSU has taken a leap of faith by hiring him and by all indications, it was a solid hire. Chadron State’s Brent Bargan is in his 7^th season as men’s head basketball coach with Eagles.

THE LINE: CSU (1 – 0) vs. Chadron State (0 – 1). Both have played 1 game: CSU beat Montana in the home opener 72 – 65, Chadron State lost to Nebraska Kearney 96 – 75: CSU is favored. No spread as of the time of this posting.

THE ROSTERS: The Rams enjoys a definite size advantage over the Eagles. The Rams’ 14–man roster is likely to change, as Jesse Carr is out for the entire year with an injury. At 7 feet 282 pounds, CSU’s center Trevor Williams will be the biggest man on the court Thursday night, followed by the Rams’ Colton Iverson, the 6’10" and 261 lb forward / center. For Chadron State, 6’ 10" center Michael Safer, weighs in at 200 lbs, followed by two at 6’ 8", Mouhamed Diop and Brandon Pippenger. No one on the CSU roster is under 6’ 2", while the Eagles have three players under 6 feet. The Eagles had a 13 – 13 record last year, but lost in the first game of the RMAC shootout against Nebraska–Kearney 86 – 63. The Rams went to the first round of the NCAA tournament as the 4^th team from the Mountain West conference, where they lost to Murray State 58 – 41. CSU has experience, a definite coaching advantage, size and the home court advantage, where the Rams have won 14 straight.

Larry Eustachy has a talented team returning, even with Carr out. Wes Eikmeier (6’ 3"), Dorian Green (6’ 2"), Pirece Horning (6’ 5"), Dwight (6’ 4") and Greg Smith (6’ 6") are all returning players from last year’s 4^th place MW team that went undefeated at home. Eustachy’s pickups in the offseason have added height and depth to the Rams’ lineup, something that was sorely lacking last year. JuCo transfers, such as 6’ 9" Gerson Santo from Brazil, and Colton Iverson (6’10") from the University of Minnesota add size, while Arizona transfer Daniel Bejarano (6’ 4") add depth and speed to an already solid lineup.

The Eagles counter with a spirited team that will try to out execute and out hustle the larger Rams. The son of coach Brent Bargan is a Jr. forward on the team, Zac Bargan (6’ 5" – 205 lbs). 8 of the 14 players are transfers. Returning players Tim McDavid (6’ 2" –205 lbs), Josh Hatcher (6’ 6" – 210 lbs), Sammy Hines (5’ 9" – 163 lbs), Kendrick Holliman (6’ 4" – 198 lbs) and Michael Safer (6’ 10" – 200 lbs) will try to come into Moby Arena in Fort Collins and end the CSU home winning streak.