Colorado State men's basketball preparing for Denver matchup with Kansas State

Representatives from the CSU men’s basketball program recently visited the Pepsi Center in preparation for a Dec. 17 matchup with Kansas State this season.

Site visit at @PepsiCenterCO for Dec 17 game vs Kansas State! Get your tickets for an exciting season! #mwhoops pic.twitter.com/ploN0UbGcJ

— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) June 6, 2016

The matchup with the Wildcats is the second game of a home-and-home between the two programs. The two teams faced off last December, with the first contest taking place at the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas; K-State won a nail-biter 61-56, in a game where the Rams gave their best defensive effort of the season.

Unfortunately for CSU, just two days before the two teams met last year, the Rams lost leading scorer Gian Clavell to a season-ending injury. Without the hot hand from Clavell, CSU struggled to create any offensive rhythm, shooting just 29 percent from the floor.

When the two teams meet this December, CSU will look to produce more offensively. A win over Kansas State would be huge for the program as the Wildcats are regularly attendees of the NCAA Tournament in March. CSU will be looking to once again make a run at the NCAA themselves, and winning non-conference matchups against prominent opponents will go a long way in achieving that goal.

With conference expansion still in the air as well, a win over a Big 12 opponent would be a good look for Larry Eustachy’s Rams.

Yesterday, Eustachy’s team filled their final scholarship with the addition of Maine transfer Kevin Little. Little, like multiple other DI transfers, will have to sit out the 2016-17 season before he has two years of eligibility left. The 6-foot guard was Maine’s second-leading scorer last season at 14.7 points per game.