FORT COLLINS, Colo. — With just a few weeks until Colorado State men’s basketball officially opens the 2019-20 season, the Rams will prepare for the upcoming year with a closed scrimmage on Friday.
CSU has not publicly announced the scrimmage but sources confirmed to DNVR Rams that the team will play the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Although the matchup is the only one this season between the NoCo programs, due to NCAA rules the exhibition is closed to the public and media.
It’s a bummer that the local hoops fans will not get the chance to see these two teams play — but outdated rules aside — the scrimmage will be an excellent opportunity for Niko Medved and the staff to evaluate the roster against another team.
The updated practice regulations allowed the Rams to get a much earlier jump on practicing this fall than previous seasons but there’s nothing quite like the energy that comes from playing a live game against a new opponent. In particular, the Bears will definitely want to prove that they can run with the bigger local program, so this scrimmage has the potential to really feel like a live game.
Led by head coach Jeff Linder, Northern Colorado has won 20+ games in each of the past two seasons. After going 26-12 in 2017-18, the Bears finished 21-11 last year and finished second in the Big Sky Conference.
UNC may no longer have guard Jordan Davis to count on for 23.5 points, five assists and five rebounds per game. Even so, though, the Bears were still projected to finish in the top half of the league by both the media and coaches.
Of the players that could give CSU some trouble, a pair of local guards come to mind. Jonah Radebaugh, a senior from Thorton, Colo., and Brodie Hume, a sophomore from Sterling, Colo., are both back after playing significant roles last season. Now without Davis in the mix, the two will be expected to step up this year.
After the scrimmage against Northern Colorado, CSU will play its first official exhibition against Western Colorado on Friday, Nov. 1. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. MT and tickets are available for the public. A few days later, the Rams will host the Denver Pioneers in the regular season opener on Nov. 5. Tipoff is at 7:00 P.M. MT and the game is viewable online through the Mountain West Network.
