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Mackenzie Masson
Andre Lane

Men's Basketball by Andy Schlichting

Men's basketball: Game notes

Complete Notes (PDF) (Print Version)

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No. 9/12 MSU Denver will play at Fort Lewis on Friday and at Adams State on Saturday. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.

Notes:
RECENT NOTES
•    Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College) was named RMAC offensive player of the week on Feb. 9 after averaging 28.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists, including a career-high 36 points against Colorado Christian on Feb. 7 and 20 points vs. No. 13 Colorado School of Mines the night before.
•    McCarron was named RMAC offensive player of the week on Jan. 19 after averaging 29.5 points, 6.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds in wins over Adams State and Fort Lewis.
•    Sam Porter (Arvada, Colo./Arvada West H.S.) led MSU Denver to a 51-50 win at Colorado Mesa on Jan. 23, scoring a career-high and team-high 14 points and coming up with a steal with two seconds left to secure the win.
•    McCarron 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.
•    McCarron again had late-game heroics on Jan. 31, going coast-to-coast for a layup at time expired to send the game into a second overtime in a 73-71 win at Black Hills State.
•    McCarron is averaging 24.3 points over the past 11 games.
•    The Roadrunners currently rank third in Division II in scoring defense and third in fewest turnovers per game, leading the RMAC in both categories.
•    MSU Denver's three losses have all come on the road to top-10 teams by an average of 3.3 points.
•    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.

MCCARRON FIRST-EVER THREE-TIME RMAC ACADEMIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
•    McCarron became the first men's basketball player in RMAC history to earn RMAC academic player of the year three times in his career.
•    He joins former Colorado School of Mines women's soccer player Megan Woodworth (2010-12) as the only RMAC student-athletes to win the award three times.
•    He has a 3.85 GPA, while majoring in sport industry operations.
•    Kay (3.81 GPA, biology) was also named first team academic all-RMAC and Eric Rayer (Colorado Springs/Coronado H.S.) (3.39, business marketing) was named to the honor roll.

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
•    Last season, 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
•    The Roadrunners had a team GPA of 3.30 during the fall semester with four players named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (3.5+ GPA).
•    McCarron (4.0), Robbert Onwuachu (Amsterdam, The Netherlands/Canarius Basketball Academy) (4.0), DeShawn Phenix (Fort Worth, Texas/North Crowley H.S.) (4.0) and Kay (3.75) were the four men's basketball players on the AD Honor Roll in the fall.
•    McCarron became the first men's basketball player in RMAC history to be named RMAC academic player of the year three times in 2015.
•    Former Roadrunner Jesse Wagstaff (2008 and 2009) is the only previous player to win the award two times.
•    McCarron and Kay both were named Capital One second team Academic All-America in 2014, becoming the first teammates to earn that honor in school history.
•    Kay earned his second consecutive RMAC Summit Award in 2014, given to the player at the RMAC championship site (final four teams) with the highest GPA.
•    McCarron won the 2014 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 four straight RMAC academic players of the year and six 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.
•    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
    2014-15, 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.

TOP-RANKED TEAM
•    Here is MSU Denver'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

HIGH EXPECTATIONS IN 2014-15
• MSU Denver was ranked No. 3 in the coaches poll and Division II Bulletin, No. 5 by Basketball Times and No. 6 by Sporting News.
• MSU was also the preseason favorite to win the RMAC in the coaches poll and has two preseason all-RMAC players (McCarron and Kay).
•    McCarron was also named preseason All-America by Basketball Times and Sporting News.
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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
DeShawn Phenix

#11 DeShawn Phenix

F
6' 6"
Junior
Sam Porter

#22 Sam Porter

F
6' 5"
Senior
Eric Rayer

#15 Eric Rayer

G
6' 1"
Junior
Robbert Onwuachu

#44 Robbert Onwuachu

F/C
6' 10"
Freshman

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
DeShawn Phenix

#11 DeShawn Phenix

6' 6"
Junior
F
Sam Porter

#22 Sam Porter

6' 5"
Senior
F
Eric Rayer

#15 Eric Rayer

6' 1"
Junior
G
Robbert Onwuachu

#44 Robbert Onwuachu

6' 10"
Freshman
F/C