FORT COLLINS, CO. — Patience.
Colorado State men’s basketball still looks like a team that is trying to shake off three weeks worth of rust.
For the second straight game the Rams were held scoreless for the first 4 minutes and even once CSU was able to get things going on the offensive end, there were still way too many unforced turnovers. In the first half alone the Rams gave the basketball away nine times and missed 13 of 17 attempts from beyond the arc.
“I thought we had some great looks early but they just didn’t fall down,” head coach Niko Medved said postgame.
Even with the slow start, CSU still managed to score 31 points in the first 20 minutes, which after only scoring 33 points in the entire game at Saint Mary’s, was certainly an encouraging sign — especially because it was paired with a really stout defensive effort throughout. After holding Santa Clara to 25 points in the first half, the Rams contained the Broncos to 32 points in the second to secure a 70-57 victory and move to 3-1 on the young season.
“I thought our guys responded with a lot of toughness and grit,” Medved said postgame.
Medved continued by explaining that after how poorly the Rams looked offensively in the 20-point loss to the Gaels over the weekend, they just weren’t going to be able to come out and flip a switch on offense Tuesday. When the shots weren’t falling, though, the Rams kept battling and pushing themselves defensively; and it was that resiliency that stood out to the third-year Rams coach more than anything.
“Clearly, right now our defense is ahead of our offense and I don’t think that’s a bad thing because I think we’re going to be a good offensive team here when it’s all said and done,” Medved said.
In the 13-point win over the Broncos, the Rams had five different scorers contribute with a range of 10-16 points apiece, so it genuinely was a team effort — not just some coaching cliche that was spouted post-game. David Roddy paced the squad in scoring (16) and rebounds (8), while tying with Isaiah Stevens for the team lead in assists (4). Stevens wasn’t too shabby from the floor either with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. But coming off of the bench, it was John Tonje that was able to provide a boost for the Green & Gold with a career-high 12 points.
“I thought he was able to spark us with a couple of big shots,” Medved said of his sophomore sixth man.
Following a tough win over a Santa Clara team that entered the matchup undefeated, the Rams will finally have a chance to square off against league competition with a pair of home games against Fresno State (Dec. 28 & 30).
“We’re definitely further ahead than we were six days ago from playing two good teams like this,” Medved said. “I don’t know that we’re in the form that we need to be in. I mean typically you play what, 12 or 13 games? Sometimes it takes you awhile to figure out your rotation and young guys’ minutes as they pick up the speed of the game… But what I will say is that I believe this group is going to continue to improve — and that’s the mindset, we’re going to continue to get better.”
With three full months until the NCAA Tournament and the entire league slate still ahead of the Rams, everything that CSU wants to accomplish is still on the table. It’s been a unique road to this point of the season but it’s clear that the Rams will be a whole better come March than they are right now. This team is young, athletic, versatile and most importantly they play as a unit. In a league that is essentially wide open behind San Diego State, that should be very concerning to the rest of the Mountain West.
