DENVER — What a journey. 

Colorado State’s season ended much sooner than Ram Nation hoped for. After earning a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament, the highest-ever for any CSU team, the opportunity to make a deep run was right there for the Green & Gold. 

Unlike college football, where if you aren’t one of the 15 richest programs in the country, March Madness allows for true chaos to ensue. Any team that gets hot at the right time has a legitimate chance to contend for a National Championship. Shoot, we’re seeing it play out right now with Saint Peter’s University — one of the smallest schools in the country has played its way into the national spotlight. And although the odds are stacked against them, the fact that they’ve managed to make the second weekend of the event is absolutely incredible in itself.

That’s the thing, though. That’s what makes CSU falling to Michigan in the opening round so painful for the die-hards. With as much talent as Niko Medved’s squad possesses, the possibility of making it into the Sweet 16 or even beyond might have been wishful thinking to a degree, but it certainly wouldn’t have been as improbable as what we’ve seen from the Saint Peter’s Peacocks.

After all, we’ve witnessed what David Roddy and Isaiah Stevens are capable of on any given night. Plus, when also factoring in CSU’s impressive resume, the Rams were a battle-tested bunch that had proven they were capable of going toe to toe with a multitude of NCAA Tournament teams. 

The guys inside that locker room certainly felt they were good enough to make some noise. So why wouldn’t the fans feel the same?

“Like I told the guys after they should be disappointed. We came here to win,” head coach Niko Medved said postgame. “We’re happy to be here but we weren’t just happy to be here. We wanted to win. And we believe we can win.”

To those that feel dejected, I certainly get it. You never know how many opportunities there will be, so it’s hard to see your team have a golden one slip through their fingers. And it’s not like the Rams weren’t good enough, they were up by 15 for goodness sake. 

At the same time, however, it’s also important to keep perspective. This is a program that has now seen substantial growth in four consecutive seasons. There have been high points and low points, but time after time they’ve been able to learn through the experiences. And each season they’ve come back wiser, tougher and more consistent. 

Was it disappointing that the Rams failed to win the Mountain West Conference and then got bounced in the opening round? Of course it was. This group had earned every bit of high praise and the lofty expectations that naturally come with having a genuinely talented team. 

Alas, the Rams just ran into an incredibly athletic Wolverines team — a group that had been wildly inconsistent — but were also just a year removed from an Elite 8 appearance. Michigan looked and played like a group that had been there before, while the Rams looked like a team that over-exerted themselves in the first 20 minutes.

The loss certainly stung. CSU will learn from it, though. Just like they were able to grow through their NIT run in 2021 after getting snubbed, the Rams will use the heartbreak and come back a better team for it. 

“I think when the dust settles for these guys, and they don’t want to hear it right now, but it’s been an incredible season,” Medved said. “… We’ll just do it like we always do. We’ll take this opportunity to learn from it, and we want to be back here next year and plan on having a different outcome.”

At the end of the day, winning in the postseason is what truly defines legacies, so until the Rams are able to do so, the mission will always feel incomplete. But while it is natural to be bummed out about the final game, I’d also recommend trying to embrace the journey. The build-up is what ultimately makes crossing that final threshold so satisfying. Without the tragic moments, the great ones would feel much less extraordinary. 

Last Thursday sucked. There’s not really a more eloquent way to say it. The future of this program is incredibly bright, though. Assuming most of the roster comes back, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the Rams in 2022-23. 

This is only the beginning.