FORT COLLINS — Appreciate the journey.
The Colorado State men’s basketball team (9-0) made a statement with its 74-58 win over Saint Mary’s (8-2) on Saturday afternoon. On a day where the Green & Gold led from wire to wire, in an arena that was completely stacked with Ram fans, CSU delivered in a major way and showed the rest of the country that this team is for real.
Following the 16 point victory over the Gaels, head coach Niko Medved expressed that this was a wonderful day for the program and that he couldn’t really ask for his guys to play any better than they did in this one. He also talked about the impact of the crowd and how good it felt to see the entire community so invested in CSU hoops.
“The crowd was unbelievable,” Medved said. “I thought it had a huge impact as well.”
Medved continued, reminiscing back to when he first returned to CSU four years ago. He always knew that under the right circumstances the magic could return to Moby Arena. It was something he told the coaches and players repeatedly.
“I said, guys, I remember when we used to have students lining up outside to go to the games, and this place was packed. It’s freaking awesome when it’s packed.”
For the first time in years, Moby Arena was legitimately packed on Saturday. It wasn’t quite a sellout but empty seats were few and far between. The crowd was engaged, the atmosphere was electric, it honestly felt like an NCAA Tournament game, which is something that couldn’t be said since about 2014-15. After years of frustration under the previous regime and then a few more to build the program back up under Medved, it finally feels like we’re back in position for CSU to have one of the best home court advantages in the Mountain West and that’s a testament to the hard work of everyone involved.
“To see four years later, you know, an hour and a half before the game, we’ve got students lined up to get in here, we’ve got a packed house. It’s just a cool time to reflect on that. And you know, the vision we had, and all the hard work that’s gone into it,” Medved said. “And to just see that manifest today, and the way the team played, and the crowd and the students — what a great day for us.”
“It was crazy. It really helps,” David Roddy said of the packed arena. “It’s definitely on par with the rest of the conference.”
Obviously this team still has much to accomplish. It’s way too early to start celebrating or planning on banners to be hung. And quite frankly, that’s terrific because it means we get to enjoy this season for longer. But while there is still work to be done, the fact that this program is in position to crack the top 25 and contend for a league title is something that should be held in esteem by Ram Nation. It wasn’t that long ago when CSU hoops was in disarray and needed to be completely rebuilt. Now they’re legitimately one of the most exciting teams in the entire country.
“Take a second to reflect and say, you know, this is what you wanted,” Medved said in response to a question about being able to enjoy the moment without getting complacent.
“This is the vision that you had for the program — to have a packed house, to have a great team and a team that can contend for an NCAA tournament bid, and hopefully have a chance to contend in our league again. I thought today was a huge day for our program, there’s no question about that and we should enjoy it.”
Medved finished by explaining that he isn’t worried at all about the mindset of his players or them starting to feel themselves a little too much. After being snubbed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee in 2021, Medved emphasized that his players know what it feels like to be sitting at home and not your name called. They know what it’s like to fall one game shy of the Mountain West Championship in Las Vegas as well.
“They know how hard this all is,” Medved said. “But I do think it’s important to take a second and reflect and take a look at where we came from versus where we are right now. It’s a cool day for our program.”
