FEBRUARY 2024

Centennial, CO-- An ugly performance in San Diego on Tuesday has once again provoked Rams fans into a slight panic. the 16-point-loss to the Aztecs proved that CSU is not near the caliber they want to be, and there are major concerns around this team playing in a neutral site. UNLV will host the Mountain West Championship tournament, creating both a possible home playoff atmosphere for the Rebels, or even more of a distraction for the wishy-washy Rams, and there is only so much time to try and get a good seed. In a conference that is on its way to having a 5 bids in the big dance, it is absolutely crucial CSU finishes their season on a high note, preferably with some more wins on the road. Currently, the Mountain West rankings (for teams that have a chance) stand as followed: Utah State (9-3), New Mexico (8-4), San Diego State (8-4), Boise State (7-4), UNLV (7-4), CSU (7-5), Nevada (6-5). Utah State is looking like the dominant #1 seed thus far into the season, but CSU has a chance to make some major noise Saturday with a win over the Aggies in Moby Arena. The next three games for CSU are absolutely crucial, as just one loss can lead to a devastating tournament schedule come early March. In their last matchup, Utah State's shooting got the best of the Rams, and since then it seems as if the Rams have lost their winning recipe from their first ten games. We have seen both the Rams look like a sweet 16 team, and a NIT- bound team, and it will be very interesting to see what team shows up the next 3 weeks. 

JANUARY 2024

Centennial, CO-- FINALLY- I can write about a worthy victory for the Colorado State Rams basketball team after their dominant win over San Diego State last night in a jam-packed Moby Arena. In what was a exhilarating atmosphere celebrating the Rams repping of their state pride uniforms, in addition to fan-favorite Joe Palmer's birthday and free hadband night, there was a really good basketball game and a tremendous showcase between two powerhouses in the Mountain West, giving us a possible preview of what's to come the second week of March. 

Leading up to the game, anticipation was high as the Rams were coming off an agonizing defeat on the road to conference-foe Wyoming, and the San Diego State Aztecs have been nothing short of impressive this season. The Mountain West Conference has been an absolute gauntlet this year with 5 teams competing for bids in the NCAA tournament and as cheesy as it may sound, every game matters from here on out as each team is trying to prove they are worthy of dancin'. 

The first 10 minutes of the game was all Colorado State as Nique Clifford scored the first four points and was followed by 3 3-pointers from Isaiah Stevens. Stephens and the Rams simply couldn't miss last night as they went 5 for 9 from deep range with two of Stevens' threes coming from the parking lot. SDSU eventually rallied until it was a tightly contested affair, with both teams forcing turnovers and finding ways to expose their opponent's weaknesses on defense, respectively. San Diego State was very stingy with points coming in the paint, but Niko Medved and the Rams made a great adjustment early by moving the ball and sticking to their pass-first style of offense with the assistance of lights out shooting from the Rams; a feat that arguably has not come since the first half of the season. Ultimately, it was the energy of Moby Arena and the dominating outings from Nique Clifford that resulted in the Aztecs finding themselves down 10 with 2 minutes remaining. 

The Rams really showed maturity and composure in the last two minutes after completely botching a win versus Wyoming, blowing a 11 point lead with 50 seconds left in the game. However, this is really one of the main strengths of this team is our experience, maturity, and leadership in the locker room. Led by senior and pre-season all conference point guard, Isaiah Stevens, with the offseason additions of Nique Clifford and Joel Scott, the Rams have shown real glimpses of being a contender in March. Playing to their opponents' level is something the Rams have struggled with this year, but this game versus the defending national championship runner-ups showed Ram fans that Colorado State is here to stay, and they are not going to roll over and play dead when hiccups happen. The reality is every Mountain West team, with the exception of Utah State, has had an ugly conference loss this season and there is still just a slither of wiggle room before the conference tournament begins on March 10th. 

The Rams will look to begin another win streak as they finish the last month of regular season play when they travel to Fresno State to duel a struggling Bulldogs team. 

Englewood, CO-- Once again, I come writing to you with sadness as the Colorado State Rams fell short in another Mountain West showdown with the Nevada Wolfpack. As conference play is beginning to ramp up, we are seeing an unfortunate correlation with the team's inconsistencies. Colorado State simply did not play well in their matchup versus Nevada last night, shooting a poor 39.3% from the field and 26.1% beyond the arch. Senior Captain, Isaiah Stevens, despite contributing 5 assists in the first half, was held scoreless while Oregon State transfer Jarod Lucas was an asbolute bucket. Lucas notched his 11th game this season with over 20 points, which leads the Mountain West, with a incredibly impressive 28 points for the Wolfpack. Jalen Lake kept the Rams in the game with timely three pointers, sinking 3 of his 6 attempted, finishing with 13 points. As for Nevada, Kenan Blackshear was a major contributor in the contest, scoring 20 points to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Statistics aside, the story of this road game for the Rammies was unfortunately Jarod Lucas as his arsenal was fully loaded and on display last night. In combination with good ball movement, and transitions off turnovers, Lucas was able to make space virtually everywhere last night and consistently hit shots from the mid and deep range. The Rams are now entering the gauntlet of their season with not playing any more non-conference games, and will need to be very consistent in the win column if they want a good seed heading into the Mountain West cofnerence tournament. But let's be honest, the Mountain West is a gauntlet itself this season and there are major implications on the remainder of regular season play as the reality of there being more than 3 Mountain West bids is slim. Politics man. 

Englewood, CO-- The #17 ranked Colorado State Rams fell victim to the turnover bug on the road last night versus a hot Boise State Broncos team. The Broncos emerged victorious due to a sound offensive performance from Junior Forward O'Mar Stanley. Stanley tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win versus the Rams while upperclassmen Chibuzo Agbo and Tyson Dagenhart each scored 13 for the Broncos. As for the Rams, the first half was arguably Colorado State's worst first half showing of the season thus far. Isaiah Stevens was not himself in the first 20 minutes, scoring only 5 points and matching them with 5 turnovers. Boise State was not lights out from the field by any means but unfortunate for the Rams, the boys in blue and orange took full advantage of the Rams' mistakes and capitalized on costly turnovers. While the Rams were able to keep it within a few possessions in the entirety of the game, It just seemed as if Colorado State was playing just a tick behind Boise State. Whether it was the travel, still hungover from the loss to Utah State over the weekend, or just a bad night, Colorado State's chances to take the Mountain West have just decreased dramatically. With what should be at least a 3-bid conference in the Mountain West this college basketball season, the Rams are one of 5 teams in the conference with at least 10 wins, and their schedule is only getting more difficult.  In just three MW conference games, the Rams have seen three very good teams in the Lobos of New Mexico, the Aggies of Utah State, and most recently the Broncos. The Rams tote a 1-2 record and are currently ranked 7th in the Mountain West heading into their matchup with Air Force. Niko Medved and the streaky CSU Rams will look to get back in the win column in their matchup with the Falcons next week on January 16th at Moby Arena.