Entire Game Notes (Click here for PDF)
ALL TIME SERIES - Kansas City leads the all-time series with the Cougars 25-9. The two clubs haven't met since Jan. 4, 2007. The 'Roos defeated Chicago State 86-78 in that game in Kansas City. The majority of contests between Chicago State and Kansas City came when both teams were members of the Mid-Continent Conference (now Summit League). The most memorable meeting between the two clubs came Feb. 5, 2005 at the Municipal Auditorium when the Cougars scored six points in the final 1.9 seconds to defeat Kansas City 72-69. The final three points came on a steal and a three-quarters court hail marry at the buzzer.
LAST TIME OUT - The Cougars were handed their first home loss of the season when Green Bay defeated Chicago State 98-62 Jan. 7 at the Jones Convocation Center in a non-conference contest.
UP NEXT - The Cougars host New Mexico State on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 7:05 p.m. CT. It will be the Cougars' first home WAC game in school history.
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE - Chicago State's 5-0 start at home this year was their best since 2008-09.
DOUBLE DARE - Clarke Rosenberg (Skokie, Ill./Evanston Township) has scored in double-digits in 12 of the Cougars' 15 games this season.
FOUR IS MORE - Grand Canyon and Chicago State are the only two WAC teams with four individuals averaging 10 or more points per game.
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN - Eight different Cougars have made a 3-pointer this season.
DOUBLE TROUBLE - Six Cougars finished in double-digits in Chicago State's victory over Southern Illinois on Nov. 30 at the JCC. The last time the Cougars accomplished this task was Nov. 20, 2008 in an 84-74 win over Central Michigan.
FRESH LEGS - Chicago State's freshmen have played 338 minutes this season. Last season a freshman didn't play a single minute for the Cougars.
STARTING FIVE - The Cougars have used the starting lineup of Gray, Rosenberg, Pippen, Denard and Ross for the last six games. It is the longest stretch of the same starting five all year. The Cougars have used six different combinations this year and had 15 combinations last year.
START 'EM UP - Nine different Cougars have started at least one game this season.
CALL HIM THE ROCK - The lone name you can write in pen in the Chicago State lineup since the start of last season is senior
Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon). Since arriving last season as a junior college transfer, Ross has started in 47 of 48 Chicago State games. The only game he didn't start was Senior Night last season against Eastern Illinois when then senior
Quincy Ukaigwe (Matteson, Ill./Rich Central) started for him instead.
YEAR-BY-YEAR -
Clarke Rosenberg (Skokie, Ill./Evanston Township) is shooting 50.0 percent (70-of-140) this season. Up from his 41.6 percent performance last season after his 34.6 percent shooting as a freshman. Additionally, he has 10 games this season where he finished with a 50.0 % or better shooting percentage.
TRYING FOR THREE - 10 times this season the Cougars have attempted 20 or more 3-pointers in a game.
NEARING 500 - Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) (498) is nearing the 500 mark for career points at Chicago State.
Clarke Rosenberg (Skokie, Ill./Evanston Township) (592) and
Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) (527) have already passed the 500 mark earlier this season.
FORCING MISTAKES - Dating back to last season, the Cougars have forced double-digit turnovers in 39 straight games. The stretch includes 10 games of forcing 20 or more turnovers. This year the Cougars are averaging 7.9 steals per game, ranking 47th in the nation.
ON THE PLUS SIDE - The Cougars' +3.3 turnover margin is the best in the WAC. The total ranks 30th in the nation.
JUST TWICE - Only two times this season the Cougars have committed more turnovers than they have forced. (Alabama State and Illinois)
SENIOR LEADERSHIP X8 - The Cougars have a WAC-high eight seniors on the squad.
REJECTED - The six blocks
Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) recorded Nov. 8 at Indiana are the most for a Cougar in a single game during the
Tracy Dildy era (2010-11 to present).
QP FOR THREE - Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) owns 103 3-pointers, tied for seventh all-time in career 3-pointers with Tony Weeden's (2003-05). Pippen is within striking distance of sixth place Larry Simmons' (1993-95) 108. Kevin Jones (2004-08) sits in fifth place with 111. Pippen will definitly not catch Chicago State's all-time leader in 3-pointers, David Holston (2005-09). Holston made 450 3-pointers, second in NCAA history in career treys. Only Duke's J.J. Redick (457) made more 3-pointers than Holston.
20/20 VISION - The Cougars have already had six 20-point performances this season. The Cougars only had five 20-point performances all of last season.
QP IS A PRESEASON PICK - Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) was named to the 2013-14 Preseason All-WAC Second Team by a vote of the league's coaches.
RELATIVE GREATNESS - Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) is the nephew of former Chicago Bull Scottie Pippen. Not surprising, Quinton wears No. 33.
PRESEASON POLL - The Cougars were picked to finish sixth in the Western Athletic Conference Preseason Poll by a vote of the league's coaches.
EDDIE IS READY - The final addition to the 2013-14 roster was senior
Eddie Denard (Chicago, Ill./Foreman). The 6-6 forward played last year at New Orleans University but was allowed to transfer without sitting out a season due to New Orleans' APR penalties barring them from postseason play this year. Denard started all 26 games last season at UNO, averaging 5.4 points and 3.8 rebounds. Denard is from Chicago, Ill. and played high school basketball at Foreman High School. He attended UIC his freshman year of college.
TAKING IT AWAY - The Cougars ranked seventh in the nation in steals per game last season by averaging 9.4 swipes a contest. The last time the Cougars finished a season ranking in the top 10 in the nation in a category was in 2008-09 when CSU ranked third in both scoring (84.2) and steals per game (10.0).
FOREIGN TOUR - The Cougars traveled to Costa Rica August 10-16 to play three exhibitions against international clubs. As per NCAA rules the team earned 10 extra practices to prepare for the trip. In between basketball the team went rafting, ziplined and volunteered at a local school.
THE FIRST SINCE - Chicago State's Great West Conference title last season was the first men's basketball championship for one of Chicago's Division I teams since UIC won the Horizon League Tournament in 2004.
THE WAC IS WHERE IT'S AT - Chicago State became an all-sport member of the WAC on July 1, 2013. The WAC is Chicago State's first conference with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2006 as a member of the Mid-Continent (now Summit League).
