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March 2025

Colorado State Romps Over San Jose State

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Fort Collins, CO – Colorado State increased a 12-point lead to 25 points in the first ten minutes of the second half and coasted to a 83-56 win over San Jose State on Senior night. Nique Clifford led the Rams with 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Kyan Evans added 13 points and Jalen Lake had 12 points.

Colorado State continued their torrid shooting from three-point range. The Rams shot 43% from long range. The Rams finished with an efficient field goal percentage of 68%.

San Jose State was lea by Sadraque NgaNga with 16 points and Josh Uduge had 10 as the Spartans fell to 13-18 and 6-13 in the Mountain West. Colorado State extended their winning streak to six games and are 21-9 overall and 15-4 in the Mountain West.

Player Overview

Nique Clifford (Colorado State) Graduate. 6’6” 200 SG/SF

Clifford had another solid game with 15 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals. He played good on ball defense. He exhibited good court vision and showed good recognition of the value of spacing the court utilizing skip passes while directing the offense.

Kyan Evans (Colorado State) Soph.  6’2” 175 CG

Evans is an interesting sophomore. He can shoot the three and finish at the rim. He has to show that he can direct an offense.

Josh Uduje (San Jose State) Sr. 6’5” 190 SG/SF

Uduje is from England and transferred to San Jose State from Utah State where he was the MWC Co-Sixth Man of the Year. He is averaging 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game through 28 games. Uduje is shooting 36.9% from three-point range on four attempts per game. He has a strong body and good length. He can get to the basket and finish through contact. Uduje is a good, but not an elite athlete.

This article was written by Dave Maron, a scout and correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Oregon Runs Away from Indiana Late for 6th Straight Win

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Eugene, OR – The Oregon Ducks, looking to extend their winning streak to six games, took on an Indiana squad looking to cement an NCAA Tournament bid with a win. The game was close throughout until Oregon scored the last ten points of the game to come away with aa 73-64 win. Jackson Shelstad made a long three-pointer at the end of the shot clock to give Oregon a late 66-64 lead and the Ducks ran away from there. Shelstad led Oregon with 17 points while Nate Bittle added 14 points (8-of-8 FT’s), seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

In quite a few games this year the Ducks have gotten off to a poor start. In their last game against USC, the Trojans took an early 15-4 lead. Tonight, Oregon was crisp on offense from the start, making over 50% of the field goal attempts and half their three-point attempts after the first 12 minutes of play. They kept a small lead through most of the first half, leading 25-19 at the under-12 time out. Indiana helped by two three-pointers from Kanaan Carlyle, then went on a 13-2 run to take a 32-30 lead. The Ducks came right back and took the lead on a three-pointer from Kwame Evans Jr.  Oregon went into halftime with a 35-32 lead.

Evans Jr. played the best for Oregon in the half, finishing with eight points (2-of-3 3’s) and four rebounds in ten minutes of action. Bittle also scored eight for the Ducks. Oregon cooled off after a solid shooting start, making only two of their last ten three-point attempts to finish the half at 5-of-16. Indiana shot only 3-of-10 from deep and gave up some points at the free throw line, hitting only 1-of-5.

Indiana came out hot in the second half converting on their first four of five 3’s to take a 50-47 lead. The Hoosiers’ three-point shooting and offensive rebounding helped them retain a small lead at 59-57 at the under-8 time out. At that point the Ducks were 0-of-6 on 3’s in the half. The teams were tied at 61 at the under-4 time out with Oregon 0-of-8 from deep at that point. A three-pointer from Trey Galloway gave Indiana a 64-63 lead with 1:57 remaining.

Shelstad then hit their first three-pointer of the half, a 30-footer at the end of the shot clock to give the Ducks a two-point lead. Bittle then came up with a steal, was fouled, and made both free throws to give Oregon a 68-64 lead. Oregon kept Indiana scoreless for the rest of the contest.

The Ducks had a +7 rebounding edge and won despite shooting only 6-of-25 from deep. Trey Galloway led the Hoosiers with 16 points. Indiana shot 9-of-25 from deep, 6-of-15 in the second half.

Oregon (21-8, 11-8) will finish their regular season on the road against Washington on Sunday at Noon local time. Indiana (18-12, 9-10) will finish their regular season at home against Ohio State, an important game in deciding whether they will get an NCAA Tournament berth.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Colorado State Surprisingly Routs Utah State

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Ft. Collins, CO – Colorado State started the game with a 10-0 run and was leading 18-2 at the first television timeout and then cruised to a 93-66 victory over Utah State. Colorado State and Utah State were tied for second place entering the contest.

Colorado State’s combination of elite three-point shooting and stifling defense resulted in a dominating win.

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson hit two shots from three-point range to begin the game. Colorado State shot 65% from the floor in the first half and hit eight of ten shots from distance. They held Utah State to 26.9% from the floor in the half which resulted in a 48-22 halftime lead.

Utah State started the second half with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 19 points. Colorado State continued to make three-point shots and increased the lead to 34 points and the game was essentially over at the eight-minute mark.

Colorado State’s dominance cannot be overstated. They shot 58% from the floor and shot 67% from three-point range which is a real field goal percentage of 71% while holding Utah State to 43%.

Colorado State was led by Nique Clifford with 26 points, six rebounds, and nine assists. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and Bowen Born each scored 18 points. Ian Martinez led Utah State with 17 points.

Colorado State improved to 20-9 and 14-4 in the Mountain West Conference, while Utah State is now 24-6 and 14-5 in the Mountain West.

Players to watch:

Nique Clifford (Colorado State) Graduate, 6”6” 200 SF

Clifford started his career at Colorado and transferred to Colorado State last season and was selected Third team All Mountain West. He considered entering the NBA Draft but decided to return and work on improving certain facets of his game. He turned 23 in early February. He has a 6’8” wingspan (+3), an 8’6” standing reach and a 30” standing vertical and a 37” with step vertical. He has an athletic body and is averaging 17.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He is shooting 36.3% from three-point range. Clifford is a 3 and D wing. He has the ability to finish off the dribble. He had a nice crossover and finished through contact in the second half against Utah State. He has good court vision. Clifford is a good on ball defender and has very good anticipation in disrupting the passing lanes. He can also mix it up inside. I believe he will be a late 1st round or an early 2nd Round pick. He has the potential to be a rotation player in the NBA for many years.

Ian Martinez (Utah State) Graduate. 6’3 185 SG

Ian is from Costa Rica. He started his career at Maryland and was elected Honorable Mention All-MWC last season. He is averaging 17 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game and is shooting 37.2% from three-point range. He projects as a G League player or a mid-level European player depending on the fit

This article was written by Dave Maron, a scout and correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Oregon Rolls Past USC

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Eugene, OR – The Oregon Ducks took on the USC Trojans this afternoon in Eugene looking for their fifth-straight win. The Ducks came on strong in the second half, outscoring the Trojans 43-27 to get the 82-61 win. Keeshawn Barthelemy connected on 4-of-6 3’s and led Oregon with 20 points. Jackson Shelstad added 19 points, hitting 3-of-6 from deep, and added four assists. Nate Bittle dominated the smaller USC team inside and finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots. Rashaun Agee had a career-game for USC, finishing with 29 points, 14 rebounds, six blocked shots and three steals.

USC started the game strong, pulling out to a 15-4 lead. Oregon came back quickly on a nine-point run to tie the game at 17-17.  The teams battled evenly for most of the remainder of the half before the Ducks pulled away late and took a 39-34 halftime lead. Oregon took the lead despite shooting only 1-of-7 from deep. They got the lead by forcing USC into 10 turnovers and scoring 10 points off those turnovers. Shelstad led Oregon in scoring at the break with nine points while Bittle had eight. Agee led USC with 15 first half points, scoring 10 of the Trojans first 12 points, including two three-pointers.

Oregon extended the lead to 10 points early in the second half before USC closed the margin to five points. The Ducks put the game away on a 16-0 run later in the half, finishing up the run with back-to-back-to-back three-pointers, two by Barthelemy and one by Shelstad. That extended their lead to 76-53 and the Ducks coasted to the win from there.  Oregon connected on 9-of-20 three-pointers in the second half while they held the Trojans scoreless on ten three-point attempts. They forced USC into 16 turnovers in the game and had a 19-10 edge in points off turnovers. Oregon’s defensive intensity improved in the second half.

Oregon (21-8, 10-8) will stay home and next face Indiana on Tuesday evening at 6pm on senior night. They will finish the regular season next Sunday at Noon at Washington.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

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