DENVER — ”Everybody gets whooped every now and then, so we’ll take it on the chin.”
Isaiah Stevens was calm and collected while speaking with the media following Saturday’s 79-49 loss to San Diego State. Despite seeing CSU’s 11 game winning streak come to an end in dramatic fashion, Stevens was the same even keeled guy that we’ve become accustomed to seeing over the last three years during his availability session. And that’s a good thing.
For the first time this season the Rams got bullied by an opponent in a hostile environment. It was a disappointing outcome, especially with the game being nationally televised on CBS. But as much as Saturday was a gut punch for Ram Nation, it’s important to remember that CSU is 11-1 for a reason. The Green & Gold have been a top 25 team for the last month for a reason.
Jan 8, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; Niko Medved reacts on the sideline during the first half against the San Diego State Aztecs at Viejas Arena. PHOTO: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
It’s perfectly natural to be upset about the way that CSU performed. With a chance to really cement themselves as one of the nation’s elite groups on a premiere stage the Rams had their worst showing of the 2021-22 season. Niko Medved even said it himself, he hated the way that his team played, they got beaten in every facet of the matchup.
We’ll have to see whether or not the poor showing costs CSU a spot in the AP and Coaches Polls, but I’d have to imagine that at the very least it will open up the door for critics to claim the Rams were overrated. Let them. Let the doubters overreact to 40 minutes of basketball in one of the toughest venues in the country, in a matchup that was announced just 48 hours prior and also happened to be CSU’s second time out following 24 days of inactivity. Let the cynics do what they do. And then remember it when CSU is making a run in the NCAA Tournament this spring.
The road from November to March is a long one. It features twists and turns along the way, but over the course of an entire season we typically end up seeing who the best teams truly are. If you focus too much on one key victory it’s easy to get lost in the hype. Conversely it’s just as easy to react as if the sky is falling on a day when the team just didn’t seem to have it. As I wrote in my 21 predictions for the 2021-season, college basketball is always wacky, let alone when you factor in the wrenches caused by a pandemic. Between everything mentioned and a competitive schedule built specifically to challenge the Rams, it’s not all that surprising we saw a talented CSU squad fall short this time. After all, it’s not like anyone legitimately anticipated the Rams would go undefeated.
“I can promise you we won’t be the last team losing at Viejas Arena this season,” Niko Medved said postgame.
What’s most important is how CSU responds. After a humbling loss at Saint Mary’s in 2020 the Rams bounced back by winning eight of nine. And after a 13 point loss to SDSU last season the Rams were able to follow it up by taking six of seven. Everything this group wants to accomplish is still on the table, they just have to go out and execute at the level we all know CSU is capable of.
Isaiah Stevens said postgame that if the Rams take away anything from Saturday it’s that they need to be tougher both physically and emotionally. Sometimes it takes a setback for a successful individual or group to look in the mirror and see what adjustments need to be made. That doesn’t mean that it’s time to panic or diminish what’s already been achieved. But sometimes a team really does learn more about themselves in a loss than they do in a win.
“We’ve got to pick ourselves up,” Stevens said. “Who wants to actually learn from it? Everybody gets whooped every now and then, so we’ll take it on the chin.”
The Rams know that their mission has only just begun. Despite a humbling loss, they’re staying focused on the mission at hand and that’s NCAA Tournament or bust. Ram fans should too.
