The Border War; always a contentious contest between Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming.
But, on Saturday afternoon, CSU’s offense was repulsive to begin the game and then Wyoming’s Josh Adams went off for 37 points which all added up to an 84-66 blowout by the Cowboys over the Rams.
Following the game, Larry Eustachy said of his Colorado State Rams men’s basketball program, “Long term, I feel real comfortable. Right now, I feel like sh*t.”
https://twitter.com/RichKurtzman/status/701185236734902272
Meanwhile, as the Cowboys drove north on 287 back to Laramie, Wyoming, the team bus took a pitstop at the Colorado/Wyoming border. That’s where “Papa Shy” Larry Shyatt got out of the bus with his team and did a victory dance which included a “dab.”
Papa Shy caps off CSU sweep with a #dab at the state border! #GoWyo #ADU pic.twitter.com/CZULZeW1EH
— Wyoming Cowboy Basketball (@wyo_mbb) February 21, 2016
For the two Larrys of the Mountain West, the reactions to the game were nearly opposite one another, which is to be expected in a game of that magnitude.
But, let’s go back to Eustachy’s quote after the loss. Let’s watch it in it’s entirety, as the head coach comes to grips with the 2015-16 season calling it a “replacement year” and then finishes by saying he feels comfortable with the program in the long term, but currently feels, well, terrible.
“We knew it was going to be a replacement year,” Eustachy said. “There’s some big shoes to fill. It’s tough for Joe (DeCiman) to go from one role and then take J.J.’s (Avila) role. It’s tough when you lose…Gian’s (Clavell) capable of doing what Josh Adams did tonight. Did it against UTEP. Call Tim Floyd. It’s tough when you lose that type of player. So, I have no issues about where our program is at. They’re (Wyoming) now 12-15 and they went to the tournament last year. It’s a game. It’s a 40 minute game. That’s what it is. Long term, I feel real comfortable. Right now I fell like sh*t. That’s the best way to put it.”
For a head coach to open up and admit this is a “replacement year” is rare, especially when the season is far from over. There are four more regular season games, which Emmanuel Omogbo said after the Border War the team wants to go out and win all four, as well as the Mountain West Tournament. Of course, Eustachy is being a bit of a realist here, so we can’t really fault him for that. His Rams would have to get on a roll to finish the regular season and then continue that roll in the conference tournament, winning the whole thing to make it into the NCAA Tournament.
As Daniel Bejarano said in his interview with BSN Denver last week, this year reminds him of DB’s junior year (2013-14) when the Rams went 16-16. That season followed an run to the Big Dance and five seniors graduating. This time around, CSU’s top three seniors from last year – Bejarano, J.J. Avila and Stanton Kidd – are all gone and the Rams are scrambling to fill big shoes and bigger voids in production. Couple that with the loss of Gian Clavell near the beginning of the season, the Omogbo family tragedy and some disconnect between Eustachy and the players, well, it’s been a tough year to say the least.
It should be noted that fans’ frustrations around the men’s hoops team – and namely Eustachy – are growing. Or, at least, they’ve been more vocal through social media like Twitter, lately. When I tweeted the coach’s quote about being comfortable long term, fans took it as Eustachy saying he feels comfortable where he is, with some noting his large $4.5 million buyout. But, it seems he meant he’s comfortable with where the basketball program is on the whole, not necessarily his personal position.
On Tuesday, the Rams look to shake off their current three-game losing streak as New Mexico comes to Fort Collins for an 8 p.m. tip-off.
