Opinion: Defense to blame

Colorado State is going through a rough patch with its most recent wound coming at the hands of in-state rival Colorado. CSU lost to Colorado 88-77 at Moby Arena today, it's third straight loss and second consecutive defeat at home. CSU led 52-39 at the half, but fell apart in the second half en route to a difficult loss to swallow. This was a great opportunity - a statement game with two consecutive wins over Colorado - for CSU to right the ship after back-to-back losses to UTEP and Long Beach State. CSU now stands 5-3 with key questions about its defense at the forefront.

After a strong 5-0 start to commence the season, including an impressive win on the road at Northern Iowa to start the season and a solid win at home against Oakland, things were looking bright for a CSU team replacing J.J. Avila, Daniel Bejarano and Stanton Kidd. They combined to average 39.7 points, 19.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 3.2 steals last season. Several upper classmen have risen to the occasion to produce in the aforementioned trio's void.

Senior guard/wing Gian Clavell has made a seamless transition into the starting lineup. A key reserve last season, Clavell has taken advantage of being a primary offensive option for CSU, averaging 20.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists while making 41% of 3-pt shots thus far. His minutes are up as well as his efficiency across the board. Clavell is the alpha dog this year, and CSU will go as far as he takes them.

Last year's Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year John Gillon has also assumed a starting role and is performing at a high level. Gillon is averaging 16.4 points, 4.5 assists. He had to share ball-handling duties with Bejarano and even Avila last season, but CSU boasts a better adjusted offense per kenpom.com this year. Gillon appears poised to be the first point guard under Larry Eustachy since All-American Jamaal Tinsley to average at least 10 points and 5 assists per game. His defense is still mediocre at best, but his offensive production will outweigh his defense most of the time.

Sixth year senior guard Antwan Scott is showing what type of player he is when fully healthy. When Scott committed to CSU in the 2014 offseason, he was expected to be a rotation player in both backcourt positions. But lingering foot issues stemming from his days at Grambling State severely limited Scott, causing him to only appear in 4 games. The NCAA did Scott right by granting him a sixth year of eligibility, and he's taken full advantage of the opportunity.

Scott is averaging 14.3 points off the bench, shooting a scintillating 48% from three. He is only a reserve by definition, when the game is on the line Scott is on the floor. His effectiveness has pushed Eustachy to go with a small lineup of John Gillon, Antwan Scott, Gian Clavell, Joe De Ciman and either Tiel Daniels or Emmanuel Omogbo down low. This is an offensively gifted lineup because there are four legitimate 3-point threats, so the defense is stretched out and must account for the long ball. Gillon, Clavell, De Ciman and Scott also share the ball well so there's good ball movement. One has to wonder how good CSU would have been last year if Scott were healthy.

The bigs are also producing and playing to their strengths. Juco All-American Emmanuel Omogbo has lived up to the hype and is playing very well for a newcomer. The junior is averaging 11.5 points and 8.1 rebounds. He's CSU's best option in the paint, but he scores off drives, putbacks, dump-offs and being at the right place at the right time. He's not really a threat backing down an opponent in the post, but he contributes nonetheless. Omogbo has also attempted one too many three's, a small component of his arsenal where he isn't as effective. He's only made 1-9 three's through 8 games, he's much better inside the three point line. Omogbo also has his shortcomings as a rim protector, only totaling 2 blocks in 211 minutes. Lucky for him, he has redshirt senior Tiel Daniels anchoring the paint defensively.

There aren't too many 6-foot-5 centers in the country, but CSU has a productive one in Daniels. He knows who he is, sticks to only what he can do and picks his spots wisely. He has 60% field goal percentage to prove it. Daniels is averaging 7.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 block per game. He's still dismal at the free throw line with a 44% free throw percentage, but he's an important piece for an offensive-minded team like CSU.

Those are the positives, and the last three games have shed light on CSU's weaknesses.

Defense and rebounding are staples under any Eustachy team. This year's rendition has a long way to go in the defensive department. A long way. CSU opponents are scoring 85.8 points per game (this is a bit inflated because of the four overtime periods CSU has played, but that's still too high). They're making 50% of their 2-point attempts and 35% of their 3-point attempts. CSU also has a -3.5 turnover margin. Factor that all in, and you can see how the defense is performing poorly.

When Carlton Hurst transferred to South Dakota this past offseason, it wasn't viewed as a damaging hit to CSU's personnel. He only averaged 1.8 points per game and made one 3-pointer. O-N-E 3-pointer. But there's a reason he appeared in 31 out of 34 games last season: Hurst was an electric athlete who defended very well. Hurst, CSU's opponents and everyone at Moby Arena knew he didn't bring much to the table offensively. His jumper just wasn't reliable, and at his 6-foot-3 height, you need a jump shot. But Hurst relished the chance to defend the opponent's best perimeter threat. He stepped up and demanded to defend Georgia State standout Ryan Harrow last year, who was shredding apart CSU. Hurst knew what his calling card was: his defense.

Who's the defensive stopper for CSU this year? Is there one?

In CSU's last three losses, their opponents have had at least four players reach double-figures. UTEP's duo of Lee Moore and Earvin Morris went off for 28 points each. Long Beach State's Nick Faust erupted for 27 points. Those were all season-highs for Faust, Moore and Morris. That speaks volumes of CSU's defense that three separate opponents had their season scoring high against the Rams. Colorado big man Josh Scott, who CSU limited to 2 points and without a field goal in 35 minutes last season, totaled a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. CSU isn't clamping down and getting defensive stops when it needs them, especially in the second half. As good as CSU's offense has been, and it's been stellar, it's defense - or lack thereof - has cost CSU in the wins department.

The season is still young, with five more non-conference games left before Mountain West play starts at Boise State on January 2nd. The problem is 2 of the 5 games are against DII teams in Arkansas Fort Smith and Regis. 2 other games are against Northern Colorado and USC Upstate, who are a combined 2-15 so far. CSU won't face much of a challenge in those 4 games, and must not play down to its opponent's level like the Abilene Christian game.

The "neutral" site game against Kansas State in Wichita, Kansas becomes all the more important. Kansas State is 6-1, led by redshirt senior guard Justin Edwards and junior wing Wesley Iwundu. Freshman Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade are also key players for Kansas State, their best threats from beyond the arc. This game provides CSU a chance to win against a high-major foe, something the Rams will need come March to even entertain the thought of making the NCAA Tournament. CSU will also need to protect its home court in conference play, and steal a game or two on the road. The Mountain West Conference boasts plenty of talented teams this season.

UNLV is finally playing like their roster is comprised of numerous 4- and 5-star athletes. The Rebels have already defeated Indiana in a neutral court and Oregon at home. Patrick McCaw has been a revelation. He had a good freshman year, taking advantage of the injury to Rashad Vaughn to average 9.6 points per game. McCaw has improved immensely, currently averaging 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, 3.1 steals while shooting 53% from the field and 46% from three. He's got the talent to be a first round pick whenever he declares for the NBA Draft. Stephen Zimmerman has played well inside, almost averaging a double-double. He's played so well that he forced Goodluck Okonoboh, an elite rim-protector and former 4-star recruit, to transfer after 6 games in hopes of more playing time elsewhere.

San Diego State is 5-4, an uncharacteristically bad start, but does have a win over California. The Aztecs are still an elite defensive team, and that will keep them in any game. New Mexico is 5-2 with its only losses coming against Purdue and USC. The Lobos went through a transitional year last season, and now have Elijah Brown, Cullen Neal and Tim Williams in the fold. That's as good a trio as it gets in the MWC. Boise State, Fresno State and Utah State are all higher end teams in the conference as well. MWC play will be very competitive, so CSU will need to shore up its defensive issues fast.

These next five games afford CSU the chance to hone in on their defensive miscues and improve. Get some rest to Clavell and De Ciman, who have logged LOTS of minutes so far. Work Kimani Jackson into the rotation, CSU will need him going forward because the small lineup might not be sustainable for long stretches, especially on the defensive side.

5-3 isn't a bad place to be. But there is plenty to improve upon going forward for an offensively gifted team, and it all boils down to: D-E-F-E-N-S-E.