Complete Notes (PDF) (print version)
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No. 1 Metro State will host No. 13 Colorado Mines in the semifinals of the NCAA South Central Region tournament in Denver on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
Notes:
RECENT NOTES
•   Metro State has earned the No. 1 seed in a regional tournament four times and has won the region all four times and has an 18-3 (.857) record at the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed.
•   Metro State has made more NCAA tournament appearances over the past 17 years than any other Division II school (16).
•   Metro State's seven Elite Eight appearances since 1998 are more than any other school (Kentucky Wesleyan is second with five).
•   Metro State's .722 winning percentage in the NCAA tournament is the second-best in Division II history.
•   If Metro State was to win the rest of its games this season and win a national championship, it would require a 31-game winning streak.
•   Metro State earned an automatic bid by winning the RMAC Shootout, its 11th RMAC tournament title and second in a row (Fort Hays State has second-most with four).
•   Metro State has won 26 straight games (longest active streak in Division II).
•   Metro State has won its past six games by 10 points or less with an average margin of victory of +6.5.
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Brandon Jefferson (Flower Mound, Texas/Lewisville H.S.) was named RMAC player of the year, becoming the second consecutive Roadrunner to earn the award (
Jonathan Morse (Boulder, Colo./Fairview H.S.) in 2013) and he is the first player in school history to be named region player of the year.
•   Jefferson is the sixth Roadrunner to be named RMAC player of the year.
•   Jefferson was named RMAC offensive player of the week on Jan. 13 after averaging 33.0 points and 4.5 assists, while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor, 9-of-16 (.563) from 3-point range and 27-of-28 (.964) at the free throw line in wins over Colorado Christian and No. 11 Colorado Mines.
•   He earned the award again on Jan. 27 after averaging 24.5 points and 4.5 assists in wins over Colorado Mesa and Western State.
•   Jefferson earned his third RMAC player of the week honor on March 3 after averaging 24.0 points and making 12-of-13 free throws Feb. 28-March 1 to help the Roadrunners finish the regular season 22-0 in RMAC play.
•   Jefferson was named RMAC male athlete of the month for January.
•   Jefferson set the school record for consecutive free throws with 34 in a row from Jan. 11 to Jan. 24, and also made 24 straight Jan. 25 to Feb. 15, and 23 consecutive free throws from Dec. 7 to Dec. 21.
•   Jefferson missed consecutive free throws for the first time all season on March 7 vs. Fort Lewis, but has currently made 15 in a row.
•   Jefferson had 32 points and broke the school record for free throws made in a game (19) on Jan. 11 vs. No. 11 CSM.
•   Jefferson earned RMAC defensive player of the week on Dec. 9 after tying a career high with six steals at Regis.
•   Jefferson is averaging 24.0 points and shooting 46.3 percent on 3-point field goals over the past eight games.
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Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College) scored a career-high 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting in a win over Western State on Jan. 25.
•   He was named RMAC defensive player of the week on Nov. 18 and Feb. 3 after having five steals on Jan. 31 vs. Chadron State and two steals on Feb. 1 vs. Black Hills State.
•   McCarron is averaging 18.4 points and shooting 54.2 percent from the floor over the past nine games.
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Nicholas Kay (Tamworth, Australia/Newington College) was named RMAC defensive player of the week on Dec. 23 after seven steals and two blocks at BHSU and CSC.
•   Kay also won the award on Dec. 2.
•   Kay scored a season-low three points on March 15 in the first round of the NCAA tournament after averaging 21.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, while shooting 60.5 percent from the floor over the previous six games.
•   Kay was named RMAC Shootout most valuable player.
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Jamal McClerkin (Van Nuys, Calif./Chaminade College Prep) scored a career-high 15 points and hit a career-high three 3-pointers at Fort Lewis on Jan. 18.
•   McClerkin matched his career high with 15 again on Jan. 24 against Colorado Mesa.
•   Metro State suffered its first regular-season, non-conference loss since 2010 (Central Washington), 72-69 at No. 7 Western Washington on Nov. 30.
•   The game at Western Washington was Metro State's fourth game in six days and eighth in 16 days (including exhibitions).
•   Metro State played its first home game of the season on Dec. 13 vs. UC-Colorado Springs after five regular season and four exhibition games on the road.
THIRD PERFECT RMAC SEASON EVER
•   Metro State became the third team in the 42-year history of RMAC men's basketball to go undefeated in conference play.
•   The Roadrunners finished 22-0.
•   Fort Hays State (1996, 16-0 record) was the first team to do so and Metro State (2004, 19-0) was the second team.
•   Metro State also set the RMAC record for conference wins in a season with 22, breaking the previous record of 20 set by Metro State in 2012-13 and Colorado Mines in 2011-12.
CLARK FASTEST TO 100
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Derrick Clark reached 100 wins in his career faster than any head coach in school history, doing so in 119 games.
•   Only three coaches have reached 100 wins in school history.
   Number of games to 100:
   Name   Games   Record*   100th Win
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Derrick Clark   119   100-19   2/15/14 Regis
   Mike Dunlap   121   100-21   2/6/01 at Colorado Mines
   Bob Hull   148   100-48   12/17/90 MSU-Billings
   *record at 100th win
•   Dunlap finished his nine-year career at Metro State with a 248-50 (.832) record; Hull finished his eight-year career at MSU with a 149-78 (.656) mark
KAY NAMED RMAC SHOOTOUT MVP
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Nicholas Kay (Tamworth, Australia/Newington College) was named RMAC Shootout most valuable player after averaging 21.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in three tournament games.
•   Kay had a team-high 22 points and hit 10-of-12 at the line in the championship game.
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Brandon Jefferson (Flower Mound, Texas/Lewisville H.S.) (18.7 PPG) and
Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College) (17.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 5.3 APG) were named to the all-tournament team.
RECORDS WATCH
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Brandon Jefferson (Flower Mound, Texas/Lewisville H.S.)'s current 21.4 scoring average would break the single season-scoring average (20.8, Gene Edwards, 1989-90).
•   Jefferson current free throw percentage (.921) would also break the single season record (.888, C.J. Arellano, 1996-97).
•   Jefferson has already broken the career free throw made record and has 447 (Jesse Wagstaff made 407, 2005-09).
•   Jefferson has already broken the single-season free throws made record and has 199 (196, Mark Worthington, 2004-05).
•   Jefferson needs 19 3-point field goals to tie the single season record (106, DeMarcos, Anzures, 1999-00).
•   Jefferson needs 24 points to tie the single season record (666, Gene Edwards, 1989-90).
•   Jefferson broke the single game record for free throws and tied the record for attempts, going 19-for-20 on Jan. 11 in a win over No. 11 Colorado Mines (previous records were 17 and 20).
LONGEST WINNING STREAK IN DIVISION ii
•   Metro State is the longest active winning streak in Division II at 26 games.
•   Southern Connecticut is second with a 17-game winning streak.
RMAC CHAMPIONS
•   Metro State won its eighth RMAC regular season championship in 2014, second-most in conference history.
•   Since the Roadrunners joined in the RMAC in 1996-97, the second-most RMAC titles is three (Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney)
•   RMAC champions since 1972-73:
Colorado Mesa   11
   1976•77•78•84•85•90•91•94•95•99•10
Metro State   8
   1998•00•04•05•07•09•13•14
Western New Mexico   7
   1975•79•80•81•82•86
Fort Hays State   5
   1992•96•97•01•06
Fort Lewis   4
   1987•89•05•08
Colorado Mines   4
   88•90•11•12
Nebraska-Kearney   3
   2002•03•05
Southern Utah   2
   1978•83
Westminster   2
   1973•74
Chadron State   1
   1994
Western State   1
   1993
Adams State   1
   1991
Regis   1
   1978
GETTING IT DONE IN THE CLASSROOM
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Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College) became the second men's basketball player in RMAC history to repeat as the RMAC academic player of the year.
•   Former Roadrunner Jesse Wagstaff (2008 and 2009) was the only previous player to win the award two times.
•   McCarron and
Nicholas Kay (Tamworth, Australia/Newington College) both were named Capital One second team Academic All-America, becoming the first teammates to earn that honor in school history.
•   Kay earned his second consecutive RMAC Summit Award, given to the player at the RMAC championship site (final four teams) with the highest GPA.
•   Current assistant coach and former player
Jonathan Morse (Boulder, Colo./Fairview H.S.) won the award in 2012, giving Metro State three straight RMAC academic players of the year and five in the eight-year history of the award.
•   Wagstaff and Morse were both two-time Academic All-Americans, the only players besides McCarron and Kay to earn Academic All-America in school history.
•   Kay joined McCarron as first team academic all-RMAC and
Eric Rayer (Colorado Springs/Coronado H.S.) was named to the honor roll.
•   McCarron has a 3.87 GPA; Kay has a 3.91 GPA; Rayer is a 3.52 GPA.
•   In addition, McCarron was named RMAC academic player of the year, the fifth time in the award's eight years a Metro State player has earned it. Here is a listing of the RMAC academic player of the year each season:
   2006-07: Patrick Hannaway, UC-Colorado Springs
   2007-08: Jesse Wagstaff, Metro State
   2008-09: Jesse Wagstaff, Metro State
   2009-10: Josiah Parker, Nebraska-Kearney
   2010-11: Matt Morris, Fort Lewis
   2011-12:
Jonathan Morse (Boulder, Colo./Fairview H.S.), Metro State
   2012-13:
Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College), Metro State
   2013-14,
Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College), Metro State
METRO STATE MAKES HISTORY IN NIT SEASON TIP-OFF
•   Metro State was one of two NCAA Division II teams (Stillman the other) selected for the NIT Season Tip-Off.
•   Last season, Alabama-Huntsville was the first-ever Division II team to play in the NIT Season Tip-Off.
•   UAH upset North Texas 78-75 in the first round, but lost 87-26 to Kansas State, 71-69 to Cleveland State and 68-54 to Bowling Green.
•   Metro State's four games this season were all exhibitions.
•   Metro State went 3-1 against the Division I teams in the NIT Season Tip-Off.
•   The Roadrunners became the first Division II team ever to win two games at the NIT Season Tip-Off, edging host Elon 75-74 on Nov. 25.
•   Metro State also earned an 83-69 win over Canisius on Nov. 26 to finish the tournament with three straight wins vs. Division I teams.
•   Through the end of the tournament on Nov. 26, non-Division I teams had a 6-205 (.028) record vs. Division I teams this season (Metro State had three of those wins).
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Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College) was the tournament's leader in scoring (27.5), rebounding (9.3), field goal percentage (.727) and field goals (40) in the NIT Season Tip-Off (Metro State NIT statistics on Page 40).
•   Had Metro State knocked off Rhode Island (66-63 loss) in the first round, it would have faced Arizona in the quarterfinals.
TOP-RANKED TEAM
•   Here is Metro State's history of being ranked No. 1:
•   2003-04: Feb. 24, March 2
•   2004-05: Jan. 11, Jan. 18
•   2011-12: Dec. 13, Dec. 21, Jan. 3
•   2012-13: Jan. 22, Jan. 29, Feb. 5, Feb. 12, Feb. 19
•   2013-14: Preseason, Nov. 19, Nov. 26, Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 18, Feb. 25, March 4
JEFFERSON AND KAY NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
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Brandon Jefferson (Flower Mound, Texas/Lewisville H.S.) was named Al Kaly Classic most valuable player after averaging 19.0 points in the season's two opening games in Pueblo, Colo.
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Nicholas Kay (Tamworth, Australia/Newington College) was also named all-tournament and averaged 19.0 points as well.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS IN 2013-14
• Metro State was ranked No. 1 in the NABC and Division II Bulletin preseason top-25 polls, and No. 2 in the Sporting News preseason poll.
• MSU was also the preseason favorite to win the RMAC in the coaches poll and has three preseason all-RMAC players.
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Brandon Jefferson (Flower Mound, Texas/Lewisville H.S.) is the RMAC preseason player of the year.
•   Jefferson and
Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College) were both named preseason All-America by Sporting News.