CSU hosts Texas Southern

Colorado State comes into tonight's contest against Texas Southern with a respectable 5-4 record. According to RealTimeRPI.com, the Rams have played the fifth toughest schedule in the nation, including a 23-point loss at Duke in their most recent game.

However, the Rams' biggest ailment from their losses to Northern Iowa and Duke were rebounding, and they get an enormous boost tonight. Leading rebounder Pierce Hornung returns after sitting out a month with post-concussion symptoms. He leads the team with 7.3 boards per contest.

Hornung, who stands at only 6-foot-5, is the key cog for CSU in the paint. His tenacity and work ethnic make up for his lack of size, and his omission from the lineup clearly hurt CSU in their previous two losses. With dizziness and other symptoms behind him, he had been cleared to practice this past week leading up to tonight's game.

TSU (1-7) is winless on the road, having lost by 16 or more points in five of its past six road games. While they have struggled this season, Texas Southern had a similar result to Colorado State last year, going 19-13 overall with a loss in the NIT.

Three Rams are averaging double figures in scoring per game. Dorian Green (11.7 ppg) and Greg Smith (11.6 ppg) trail only Wes Eikmeier, who leads the team coming in with 16.7 ppg. Eikmeier also comes in shooting 40 percent from behind the arc and 87 percent behind the charity stripe.

Colorado State holds a respectable 4-1 edge at home this season. The Rams have six more non-conference games (including tonight's) before kicking off their conference slate at home against TCU on Jan. 14.

If you can't make the 7 pm contest at Moby Arena tonight, tune in to 560 AM radio and listen to the Voice of the Rams, as Brian Roth will call the action from courtside.