CSU seniors reached unprecedented heights in 2023-24, veteran Rams will leave a lasting legacy

Colorado State’s seniors really made their mark this season. 

Highlighted by Isaiah Stevens, the Rams have been carried by a veteran group that includes six players with four or more years of collegiate experience. Unsurprisingly, in the portal era, most of them started their careers elsewhere. Of the six in their fourth year or more, Stevens is the only one that didn’t transfer in. There are only two players on the roster that have even played three years at CSU. 

While they may not have all been in Fort Collins for very long, the togetherness of this team has been evident from the start. Following a Senior Day win over Wyoming, Joel Scott talked about how despite only playing one season with the Rams, it felt like he’d been there for four. It always felt very natural for him with this team. 

Watching the starting five this season, it really has looked like a team that has been together for years. The chemistry, particularly on defense, is not something that you always get when you bring in multiple new starters. Going back to November, though, this group has really functioned well defensively. And while the offense has been a bit more inconsistent, the issue has never been the fit or how guys mesh together. 

At their peak, this team looked like they could beat anybody. And even if they did not win the program’s first-ever regular season Mountain West title, they certainly accomplished things that are extraordinarily rare in CSU’s history. Being ranked for nine weeks, taking down a top 10 team, even beating four high major opponents in the regular season — all of these achievements are essentially unprecedented. The potential to make more history in the NCAA Tournament is still on the table as well. 

So long as the Rams can scrape together a win or two prior to Selection Sunday, CSU will be comfortably in the field for the second time in three years. Going back to 1985, there have only been two other times that the Rams could say that; which is an important perspective to keep in mind given the way February played out. 

That’s not to say that the fans can not be frustrated about some of the outcomes, or how a few shortcomings prevented CSU from making even more history in the regular season. There are three or four losses that very easily could have gone the other way. But considering how deep the league has proven to be, and the way the unbalanced schedule did not do CSU any favors, if nothing else it should be acknowledged that this Rams team battled hard through a gauntlet of a season. 

With the talent in the MW, I don’t think people realize how easily the Rams could have crumbled, especially with the shooting struggles. When you lose a couple of heartbreakers, human nature can set in and all of a sudden you let a bad situation completely spin out of control. Despite what the harshest critics may say, that isn’t what really happened this season. The Rams had one truly awful loss in Laramie, an odd game that got away from them in Viejas and a handful of close losses that truly could have gone either way. Through it all, though, you never saw a stretch where CSU was uncompetitive. 

There is definitely more pressure to finish strong than any of us would have imagined a few months back. Winning on Saturday and picking up at least one win in the Mountain West Tournament is probably a necessity if we don’t want to have to squirm on Selection Sunday. 

I just hope that in the intensity of the moment, Ram Nation is able to take a step back and really appreciate how much fun this season has been. This group is special and there will not be a lot of teams like this one. 

I don’t have a crystal ball and I have no idea how the rest of the season will play out. The one thing I do know is that I will never forget this group.