Sunday, February 17, 2013
Colorado State's skill
By Matt Giles
During Colorado State's recent win against San Diego State, a unique event occurred: through 24 minutes, the Rams had only scored one bucket off an offensive rebound. Until Pierce Hornung grabbed a board and fired the ball to Dorian Green for a made three, CSU was handcuffed on the offensive glass, a main component of the squad's offensive profile.
John Gasaway detailed how Colorado State operates on the offensive side of the ball, and while we have written extensively about how Larry Eustachy's squad scores, it is interesting that the Rams are not a great shooting team. Per Ken Pomeroy, the team converts just 47 percent within the arc, and only 34 percent from deep, but because the team rarely turns the ball over and is skilled at securing additional possessions, the Rams have a stellar offensive efficiency rate -- 1.10 points per possession, tops in the Mountain West Conference.
Gasaway notes the Rams grab 41 percent of their misses, and a main factor in their ability to crash the glass is Hornung's play. The 6-foot-5 forward is built like a football player, but has the strength to move opponents around on the interior and is difficult to move once anchored to the post.
