2017-18 Men's Basketball Season Highlights

First-year head coach Dennis Felton's squad showed continued improvement throughout the season and culminated the year with a run to the Horizon League Championship game. The eighth-seeded Vikings magical run came up one win shy of earning the third NCAA bid in program history.

Below are highlights from the 2017-18 season.

• The Vikings advanced to the Horizon League Championship game for the third time in program history and the first time since the 2008-09 season.
• The eighth-seeded Vikings were the second lowest seed to ever play in the League title game (#10 Milwaukee in 2017).
• CSU advanced to the championship game with a 72-71 win over ninth-seeded Youngstown State in the first round, an 89-80 win over top-seeded and defending champion Northern Kentucky in the quarterfinals and a 44-43 victory over fourth-seeded Oakland in the semifinals.
• In the win over NKU, the Vikings scored 61 points in the second half. It marked the most points in a half for the Vikings since CSU scored 70 first half points against Navy on Dec. 1, 1990.
• The 43 points allowed to Oakland were the fewest against a CSU team by a Division I opponent since a 70-42 win over UIC on Feb. 5, 2012.
• CSU's magical run came to an end with a 74-57 setback to second-seeded Wright State in the championship game.
• The Vikings set a single season school record for three-pointers made (294) and threes attempted (863), breaking the old records of 247 makes and 709 attempts.
• CSU tied the single game school record with 14 three pointers made in four games this year. The Vikings also hit a three in every game this year, extending its streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer to 632.
• CSU's 35 games played were the third most in a season in school history and the most since the 2010-11 team played 36 games.
• The Vikings shot .703 (402-572) at the free throw line this season, marking the first time since 2013-14 that CSU hit 70-percent at the charity stripe.
• CSU played in 12 one-possession games this season, posting a 7-5 record in games decided by three points or less. The Vikings won their final five games of the season that came down to the final possession.
• Senior Kenny Carpenter and freshman Tyree Appleby were both named to the Horizon League All-Tournament team. Carpenter averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the tournament, while Appleby posted 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
• Appleby was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman team. He finished his first season at CSU averaging 11.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals.
• Appleby ranked among the top-10 in several categories for CSU freshman in a season. He was first in free throws made (106) and attempted (148), second in games played (34), third in assists (135), fourth in steals (44), fifth in minutes (874) and points (400) and sixth in three-pointers (36) and threes attempted (111).
• Carpenter was one of the most improved players in the Horizon League, capping his final season with 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He scored in double figures 28 times this year, including a career-high 26 points in a win over Coppin State.
• Senior Bobby Word, who started all 67 games during his two years at CSU, averaged 10.3 points this year and made 84 three-pointers, the second most in a season in school history. Word's 150 career threes rank eighth in CSU history.
• Senior Anthony Wright averaged 8.0 points and a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game. He led the team with three double-doubles this year, including a 12-point, 11-rebound effort in the semifinal win over Oakland.
• Freshman Stefan Kenic averaged 9.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in his first season of collegiate basketball. His 35 games played were the second most by a freshman in school history, while his 333 points were 10^th most by a CSU freshman for a season. Kenic's 49 threes were tied for the fourth most by a freshman in program history for a season.
• CSU's six seniors – Carpenter, Terrell Hales, Hairston, Derek Sloan, Word and Wright – concluded their careers as Vikings.
• Head coach Dennis Felton concluded the season with 196 career victories. He led a team to the championship of the conference tournament for the sixth time in his 12 seasons as a head coach.