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Andy Schlichting
DeShawn Phenix

Men's Basketball by Andy Schlichting

Men's basketball: Game notes

Complete Notes (PDF) (Print Version)

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No. 17 MSU Denver will host Adams State on Friday and Fort Lewis on Saturday with both games starting at 7 p.m.

Notes:
RECENT NOTES
•    The Roadrunners currently rank fourth in Division II and lead the RMAC in scoring defense, while ranking sixth in Division II in fewest turnovers per game.
•    Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College) sunk two free throws with 6.5 seconds left and then blocked a 3-point attempt as time expired to give MSU Denver a 61-59 win at Colorado Christian on Jan. 9.
•    MSU Denver's 85-41 win vs. Western New Mexico on Jan. 3 was the largest margin of victory (+44) since a 106-47 (+59) win vs. Johnson & Wales on Dec. 20, 2005.
•    Western New Mexico's .241 field goal percentage was the lowest for an opponent since 12/2/01 when the Roadrunners held Rocky Mountain to a .217 field goal percentage.
•    MSU Denver's eight blocked shots vs. Chadron State on Dec. 20 were the most since March 8 last season vs. UCCS.
•    The matchup between No. 5/15 UCCS and No. 7/5 MSU Denver on Dec. 12 was the first top-10 matchup between two RMAC teams since No. 1 MSU Denver defeated No. 7 Nebraska-Kearney 79-68 in the 2004 NCAA tournament.
•    MSU Denver's 24-game conference winning streak was snapped in the 69-66 loss at No. 5/15 UCCS on Dec. 12.
•    Nicholas Kay (Tamworth, Australia/Newington College) averaged 30.5 points and shot 63.9 percent from the floor over the first two games of the season, including 33 points on Nov. 15 against Arkansas-Fort Smith and was named RMAC offensive player of the week on Nov. 17.
•    Kay had the team's first double-double on Nov. 22 with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Armstrong State.
•    MSU Denver suffered its first loss of the season on Nov. 29 at No. 6/6 Florida Southern, snapping an 11-game road winning streak.
•    The wins over Rogers State and Arkansas-Fort Smith will be important for postseason rankings as both are in-region opponents from the Heartland Conference.
•    UAFS was picked to win the Heartland Conference this season.

RARE NON-CONFERENCE LOSS
•    MSU Denver suffered a rare regular season, non-conference loss on Nov. 29, falling 80-75 at No. 6/6 Florida Southern.
•    The Roadrunners' previous regular season, non-conference loss was Nov. 30 last season in a 72-69 setback at No. 7 Western Washington.
•    The Roadrunners have won 17 consecutive regular season, non-conference games against unranked opponents, and 66 consecutive home regular season, non-conference games (last home regular season, non-conference loss was Feb. 22, 1997, to the University of Denver).

BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE IN HISTORY
•    MSU Denver's .941 winning percentage in 2013-14 was the best in school history, topping the previous mark of .914 (2003-04 and 2012-13).

THIRD PERFECT RMAC SEASON EVER
•    MSU Denver 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 MSU Denver (2004, 19-0) was the second team.
•    MSU Denver also set the RMAC record for conference wins in a season with 22, breaking the previous record of 20 set by MSU Denver in 2012-13 and Colorado Mines in 2011-12.

CLARK FASTEST TO 100
•    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
    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 MSU Denver 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 in '14
•    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.
•    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.

WINNING IN THE CLASSROOM
•    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.
•    McCarron won this year's NCAA Elite 89 Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the championship site.
•    Kay won the award in 2013 and MSU Denver is the only school to win the Elite 89 Award in consecutive years in men's basketball.
•    Current assistant coach and former player Jonathan Morse won the award in 2012, giving MSU Denver 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 MSU Denver 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, MSU Denver
    2008-09: Jesse Wagstaff, MSU Denver
    2009-10: Josiah Parker, Nebraska-Kearney
    2010-11: Matt Morris, Fort Lewis
    2011-12: Jonathan Morse, MSU Denver
    2012-13: Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College), MSU Denver
    2013-14, Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College), MSU Denver

MSU DENVER MAKES HISTORY IN NIT SEASON TIP-OFF in 2013-14
•    MSU Denver 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.
•    MSU Denver's four games this season were all exhibitions.
•    MSU Denver 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.
•    MSU Denver 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 (MSU Denver had three of those wins).
•    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 (MSU Denver NIT statistics on Page 40).
•    Had MSU Denver knocked off Rhode Island (66-63 loss) in the first round, it would have faced Arizona in the quarterfinals.
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Players Mentioned

Brandon Jefferson

#3 Brandon Jefferson

G
5' 9"
Senior
Nicholas Kay

#4 Nicholas Kay

C
6' 9"
Senior
Mitch McCarron

#10 Mitch McCarron

G
6' 3"
Senior
Eric Rayer

#15 Eric Rayer

G
6' 1"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Brandon Jefferson

#3 Brandon Jefferson

5' 9"
Senior
G
Nicholas Kay

#4 Nicholas Kay

6' 9"
Senior
C
Mitch McCarron

#10 Mitch McCarron

6' 3"
Senior
G
Eric Rayer

#15 Eric Rayer

6' 1"
Junior
G