DAYTON, Ohio — Colorado State did not expect to be playing in Dayton, Ohio this week.
After going 12-1 in the non-conference slate with wins over four high major programs and then reaching the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament — all in a year where the league was deeper than ever — most folks in the college basketball world projected the Rams to be comfortably in the field.
An 8-seed in Indianapolis, a 9-seed in Charlotte, any of those situations would have made sense given CSU’s 2023-24 resume. But as we all saw on Selection Sunday, the committee was simply not feeling the same love for the MW as the rest of us.
For Colorado State, who just a few short months ago was knocking on the door of being a top 10 team in the country, being the last at-large bid accepted into the field could be viewed as a disappointment. And for some critics it may be. That’s not, however, the approach the Rams are taking going into the matchup with Virginia on Tuesday night.
“We found a way to get ourselves here. So we’re excited to be here,” Niko Medved told the media on Monday.
“The way I look at this is we’re a 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and we just get to play one more game than everybody else. That’s a pretty cool deal.”
Isaiah Stevens matched the sentiments of his coach, telling reporters that he understands it’s a privilege to participate in March Madness and not just a given.
“It’s great to be part of it,” Stevens said. “It’s not every year you get to have this opportunity, so the fact that we were able to put together a resume this season that allows us to be in this position is not something we are taking for granted.”
“We’re excited to be here,” Nique Clifford later added. “This is a goal we set out at the beginning of the year to accomplish. So we’re here now. We’re not finished. We’ve got a lot more to prove but definitely just happy to be here.”
Although naturally excited for the moment, obviously the turnaround was much quicker than anticipated after already playing three games in three days out in Las Vegas last week. And that of course was after playing an absolute gauntlet of a conference schedule over the past few months.
According to Medved, it’s all about being a cockroach in this situation and not a panda bear. Pandas need to be in the perfect climate in order for them to survive. The temperature, the food, it all has to be just perfect. Cockroaches, on the other hand, can survive through anything. They always live to fight another day.
“Whether it’s 50 below zero (or) 150 degrees,” Medved said. “I remember having them when I was first a student assistant and they’re in your apartment, and you’re trying to stomp on them with your feet or throw basketballs at them to kill them. They just live through everything.
“That’s what it is,” he continued. “Things happen in life, situations happen on a daily basis, and you’ve got to be a cockroach. You’ve got to find a way to not only survive but learn to thrive in those situations and make the most of what’s next. And it’s just another situation to do that.”
The Rams got thrown a curve ball this past weekend. After getting back to Fort Collins around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, by Monday morning the guys were already on a plane for Dayton. And by the afternoon, the guys had begun the preparations for the Virginia matchup and were practicing in a new city.
“It’s just a different kind of preparation, but at this time of the year, you’ve gotta do the things that you’ve practiced all year that have allowed you to be successful.”
When asked how the players have handled this whirlwind of a situation, Stevens said that the guys have adapted well and that they are not flinching at the doorsteps of adversity. He also said they’ve been able to pick up the game plan and are really just trying to put their best foot forward in a unique spot.
In fact, according to Stevens, the toughest part of the whole ordeal might have actually been just trying to get their laundry done in time after being in Sin City for most of last week. Fortunately, he and his roommate were able to get everything situated.
“Definitely been pretty busy. Like Zay said, it was just getting the laundry done was kind of the most important thing to do last night,” Joel Scott later added. “But other than that, I think everyone’s kind of — it’s more just excitement. We’re all ready to go besides, again, the laundry, but we’re excited to be here.”
Virginia will certainly provide some unique challenges for the Rams in this one, particularly on the defensive end. According to KenPom, the Cavaliers ranks 7th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. They’re also top 15 in defensive effective field goal percentage, top 5 in block percentage and top 40 against both 2-point and 3-point offense.
For CSU, according to Medved, the key is understanding that UVA is going to do what they do on the defensive side. Their pack line defense is as consistently effective as any approach in the game. The Rams have to make sure they also do what they do best, which is sharing the ball, limiting turnovers and creating high quality looks. It’s also getting back on defense and preventing transition scores, defending late into the possession and just generally being tough minded.
“They are never going to beat themselves,” Medved said. “You have to try and beat them. They’re going to play the style of game they want no matter who they are playing, and it’s been like that through the course of (Tony Bennett’s) career. It’s difficult to get anything in transition. It’s difficult to get quality shots. They’re going to force you to guard and screen you. Really, it’s like being in quicksand sometimes, playing against them.
“If you’re going to have an opportunity to go out and beat Virginia, you’ll have to earn it and win possessions and find a way to steal it at the end.”
It’s been over a decade since the Rams last won in the NCAA Tournament. Medved was actually an assistant on Larry Eustachy’s staff back then. The team, though, much like the 2023-24 Rams, had a ton of seniors.
Anything is possible in March. You just need a ticket to the dance.
