CSU men's basketball shows they are a team on the rise with an incredible comeback win over Loyola

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The past couple of years have not been easy for the Ram faithful. Colorado State football will not be bowl eligible for the second season in a row and what’s worse is that the Rams still haven’t beaten a rival since 2015.

Things on the hardwood have not been much easier. Since going 24-12 and finishing second in the Mountain West in 2016-17, the Rams have gone 27-44 over the last few years. Now in his second season as head coach, though, Niko Medved is on the verge of something special.

The Rams (4-3) are currently just one game above .500 but their record is somewhat misleading. After blowing a double-digit lead to Arkansas State at home, CSU still had an opportunity to tie the game as time expired, but simply couldn’t get the ball to Nico Carvacho in the post. A loss is a loss but all things considered, they were a couple of missed free throws from having a chance to redeem themselves completely.

Then after trailing New Mexico State for the entirety of regulation on Monday, the Rams were able to erase an 8-point deficit with 2:30 to go and force OT against an extremely talented Aggies team. CSU ended up falling short in the extra period but the fact that they even had a chance to win was a testament to their grittiness and never-say-die attitude. Again, all losses count the same at the end of the season, but the effort was admirable.

On Tuesday, that same competitive spirit was on display against Loyola University (Chicago) as CSU was able to erase another double-digit deficit in the second half and steal a 61-60 win over the Ramblers in regulation.

Trailing 60-59 with 7 seconds remaining, freshman point guard Isaiah Stevens took the inbound pass from Carvacho, split a defensive double-team at mid-court, drove in the lane and dropped in a game-winning floater (61-60). The play capped off a 10-o run by CSU over the final 4:02 and completed an incredible comeback effort after being down 9 with less than five minutes remaining in the second half.

@isaiahstevens7 with floater for THE GAME WINNER! #CSURams #TeamTogether pic.twitter.com/CldvxjKb5K

— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) November 26, 2019

During the final run, sophomore forward Adam Thistlewood accounted for the team’s first six points with a layup, free throw and and an incredible 3-pointer in the corner with 45 seconds left on the clock. Thistlewood made three shots from beyond the arc in the win, but this was by far the most impressive — not to mention the most clutch as the shot made it a one-possession game and kept the rally alive after CSU went over a minute without finding the bottom of the net.

Following Thistlewood’s, or ThistleGOOD’s 3-pointer, the Ramblers were able to waste 22 seconds after using their final timeout of the game. Unfortunately for sister Jean, Loyola failed to put the final dagger in CSU, and that’s when Stevens took over.

The rising star grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast to coast to make a layup with 9 seconds left (60-59). Stevens, Kris Martin and David Roddy then astutely fouled the Ramblers three consecutive times while only allowing about 2 seconds of time to come off the clock. This defensive sequence was not sexy but it was very well executed and should not be overlooked.

Finally, after Loyola’s Aher Aguak missed the first of a one-and-one, the Rams secured the board and went on to win the game on Stevens’ last-second floater. In total, Stevens finished with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 34 minutes of action. The young hoopster made an impact on both ends of the floor and played like a veteran down the stretch, despite it only being his seventh career game. Really, it was a great showing for a lot of Medved’s signings, though.

David Roddy, one of CSU’s other leading contributing freshmen, scored 10 points and was a pit bull on the defensive end down the stretch. The sophomores were stellar as well — Thistlewood totaled 14 points and picked up three steals to boot — and Kendle Moore paced the Rams in scoring with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field (3-of-5 from 3-point).

When the final buzzer sounded in the Cayman Islands, 57 of CSU’s 61 points were scored by either first or second-year players — meaning despite getting a combined four points out of Carvacho, Martin and Hyron Edwards, CSU’s most experienced players, the Rams were incredibly still able to win.

Moving forward, it seems highly unlikely that there will be many games in which the seniors finish 1-of-12 from the field, so if the up-and-coming starters and role players can build off of their big-time performances against the Ramblers, the Rams are legitimately going to be one of the toughest teams in the league. The key of course will be consistency and finding a way to stop putting themselves in such difficult positions. But after watching this team fight to the bitter end against two quality opponents in less than 48 hours, it’s very clear that Moby Madness will be back before we know it.

Get your popcorn ready, folks. The fun of college basketball season is just getting started and so are the Rams.