4 takeaways: Colorado State takes down Mississippi State in the Naismith Hall of Fame Classic

DENVER — Rank the Rams you cowards. 

The Colorado State men’s basketball team improved to 10-0 for just the second time in program history with a 66-63 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday. 

The Rams trailed for nearly 32 minutes against Mississippi State (6-3) in what was a strong defensive showing from a pair of final four teams from last season’s NIT. The Bulldogs led by as much as 11 and still were up 8 points with 6:16 remaining (57-49). After keeping the game close enough to be within striking distance, though, the Rams closed out with a 17-6 run and survived an attempt to tie it up at the buzzer. The 66-63 win over the Bulldogs improves CSU’s all-time record against Mississippi State to 2-0 and it moves their record against current SEC members to 11-8 overall. 

Here are the takeaways from the neutral site victory in Fort Worth, TX. 

This Rams fought like hell against a physical team

Coming into the matchup one of the things that I was really curious about was how CSU would be able to deal with the length and physicality of Mississippi State. While the Bulldogs certainly challenged the Green & Gold in this one with aggressive on-ball defense and did a great job of contesting most of CSU’s looks, as well as creating turnovers, the Rams were persistent with their effort all over the floor and it showed in the final outcome. 

CSU finished the victory with a 26-21 advantage in defensive rebounds, which is a big reason why the Rams were able to complete the comeback. Not only did they defend well when the game was up for grabs but CSU closed out the possessions with important rebounds and then looked to create scoring chances of their own in transition. The Rams didn’t run their opponent off the floor — something they are capable of doing most nights — but they did hold a 17-9 advantage on the fast break. CSU also matched Mississippi State’s 26 points in the paint, even despite having a much smaller lineup on the floor all game. 

If the Rams are going to survive the gauntlet that is the Mountain West slate and potentially make even more noise in the postseason, they are going to have to win gritty games like Saturday’s, so this was a great indicator of this team’s potential. Another double digit comeback, the third of the young season, was yet another example of this team’s fighting spirit as well. There is no quit in this group. And as talented as they are, that very well be CSU’s greatest strength. 

CSU capitalized with timely buckets

It wasn’t a day where everything was falling for CSU. The Rams actually finished 47 percent from the floor and 42 percent from deep but the offensive production came in runs and wasn’t quite as consistent as it was in some of the other non-conference victories. When the game was on the line and Mississippi State started to tighten up, though, the Rams looked confident and poised over the final 6 minutes. 

Chandler Jacobs hit a big three down the stretch. Isaiah Stevens and Kendle Moore both did too. And when the ball wasn’t finding the bottom of the net as frequently in the first half, Adam Thistlewood hit a pair of important threes to keep things close. 

So much of winning tight games comes down to which group was able to figure things out in timely stretches. And on Saturday the Rams proved that in an intense matchup between two talented teams, they were more ready for the big moment. They didn’t flinch or panic after recording as many turnovers in the first half as they typically average in a game (10). CSU didn’t force things when Mississippi State regained the lead late in the second half either. They stuck to their game, played inside out and found a way to produce enough to win. 

David Roddy has been the best player in the Mountain West over the first month of action

Nobody has really figured out how to slow down David Roddy yet and that now includes a team that’s expected to be competitive in the SEC. Roddy had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting on Saturday. His biggest plays of the afternoon might have been on the defensive end though. 

With about 2 minutes left in the first half, after CSU had cut into Mississippi State’s lead and made it a two possession game, Roddy impressively was able to block a 3-point attempt with an incredible closeout at the perimeter. Then a few minutes later, Roddy came up with another block at the rim with just seconds remaining in the half. 

It was that type of hustle and relentless effort that kept CSU in the game and prevented things from spiraling out of control early. Being willing to dive for loose balls, battle in the paint, etc, those small plays add up over 40 minutes. And the Rams had quite a few of them in the victory. 

It’s time to rank the Rams

I haven’t yet written this as an official takeaway but at this point it’s evident there are not 25 better teams in the country than CSU. The Rams have an in-season tournament title, multiple wins over Sweet 16 teams from last spring and they now have a neutral site victory over an SEC squad. 

There are plenty of national basketball pundits that have already bought into the Rams. Jeff Goodman has CSU in his top 20. Heat Check CBB has has had a ton of love for Niko Medved’s group too. It’s time for the Associated Press to give this team the respect it deserves.