CSU Men's Hoops jumps into top 20 after dominant showing at the Hall of Fame Classic

Colorado State men’s basketball is 6-0 and coming off a historic win over win over Creighton at the Hall of Fame Classic.

As a result of the red-hot start for the Rams, CSU jumped into the top 25, coming in at No. 20 in the latest AP Poll.

The top 20 ranking is CSU’s highest since December of 2021 when the Rams were also ranked 20th in the AP Poll. This is the first time that the Rams have been in the top 25 before the start of December though.

It’s only the third time overall that CSU has been ranked in the non-conference slate. So it’s clear that this group has caught the attention of the country with their quality play early. It’s not ever easy for a Mountain West team to garner this type of national respect, but especially at this stage of the season, when folks will use every excuse in the world to defend their favorite underperforming high-major.

Now that the Rams have the nation’s attention, we’ll see if they can keep up the impressive start when Colorado (5-1) comes to Moby Arena on Wednesday night.

Tad Boyle’s group did suffer their first setback of the 2023-24 campaign when they fell to Florida State in overtime last week, however, the athletic bunch responded well with a 17-point win over Iona on Sunday.

The Buffs smacked the Rams in the mouth in last season’s 93-65 win in Boulder. It will be interesting to see what the response is from the Green & Gold in this one.

It’s been a great start to the season for Niko Medved’s Rams. It’s cool to see the rest of the college basketball world taking note.

Along with the top 20 ranking in the AP Poll, CSU is also ranked in the latest coaches poll (No. 21).