The Colorado State Rams are a top 15 team in the country and starting to receive some serious national buzz after this red-hot start to the season.
Now 9-0 on the year with four high major victories already in their pocket, CSU has not only earned the respect of the college basketball world, the Rams have also set themselves up to potentially have the most historic run in school history.
As things currently stand, No. 13 CSU has already earned its highest-ever AP ranking and tied the 1953-54 and 2014-15 teams with three straight wins while being ranked.
A win over Saint Mary’s College on Saturday would be the most consecutive victories a ranked CSU team has ever earned, as well as the most overall in any season.
A win over the Gaels would also set the Rams up nicely to potentially go undefeated in the non-conference slate for the second time in three years. The last time it happened in the 2021-22 campaign, the Rams went on to earn the school’s highest-ever seed in the NCAA Tournament (No. 6). That team’s resume in November and December was not nearly as impressive as this group’s is though.
Obviously at this stage of the season, it’s still too early to get carried away with any bold predictions about what will happen in March. A lot can happen between now and then. And your NCAA Tournament fate can largely be impacted by what type of draw you get early on.
But with where we are at right now — roughly one third of the way through the regular season — it does feel fair to start thinking bigger we originally were coming into the year.
Pretty much everyone expected CSU to take a big step back in the right direction, especially with Isaiah Stevens electing to run it back one last time. You’re a filthy liar, though, if you say that you expected the Green & Gold to be flirting with the top 10 before even getting to the league slate.
This group has very quickly outperformed even my wildest expectations for the first six weeks of the year. So while I understand that there is still plenty of basketball to be played, it’s not time to count our money while we’re sitting at the table, at the same time this team is pretty dang special. And it’s a whole lot of fun thinking about what could be if this group is able to stay healthy enough to really make a run these next few months.
The Rams are already missing Jalen Lake (broken finger) and Josiah Strong (broken wrist) for at least the next six weeks. Patrick Cartier has missed some time with back troubles as well. Being realistic about the situation, the injury bug will likely impact CSU negatively in a matchup or two. We already saw it play a role in the first half of the DU win, when without two of the three best perimeter defenders in the rotation, CSU allowed the Pioneers to go 8-of-14 from 3-point range.
So long as the Rams can stay whole enough, and they have their key guys ready come springtime, CSU seems like a team that is capable of doing anything.
High-level point guard play, offensive versatility and the ability to defend elite offenses like Creighton are typically aspects that translate well in March Madness. And while CSU may not have a future first-round pick in the starting lineup like David Roddy, Niko Medved has said himself that this is the deepest team he’s ever had.
“There’s nobody that I don’t trust,” Medved said postgame Wednesday night.
“There’s nobody that I don’t believe has their heart in the right place, that cares desperately about the team and wants to do the right. It’s a special group that way.”
Dream big, Ram Nation. You never know how many seasons like this you will get to experience in your lifetime. And while there are no guarantees in this world, CSU has already proven they can hang with the best of them.
Nine down. 22 more to go.
