Colorado State University Athletics
RamWire Mailbag: Scouting the Rams' Chances at the MW Tourney
2/13/2020 4:00:00 PM | RamWire
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Worlds are starting to collide.
Softball is off to a 4-2 start, both losses to teams ranked in the top 12. Tennis has played four duals, and is looking for its first victory this weekend at Grand Canyon. At the same time, winter sports swimming and diving and indoor track and field are headed for Mountain West Championships. In a few weeks, the basketball teams head to Las Vegas to do the same.
Football will begin camp the first week of March, then the track and field athletes will head outdoors by the end of the month. There's a lot of crisscrossing going in the offices, but nobody is wearing their pants backwards (vague reference).
Reaching in the bag …
What are the chances that CSU wins the Mountain West Tournament? What are the Vegas odds?
You know I don't bet, correct? And by NCAA rules, I cannot tell you about betting odds.
That aside, the chances the men win the conference tournament will increase dramatically the longer No. 4 San Diego State is avoided. That's a fact for every team in the field, because none of them want to face the undefeated Aztecs until the final night, when anything is possible.
Every team wants a first-round bye, and they'd prefer it to land them in either the second or third spot. As of today, the standings are a jumbled mess behind SDSU. Utah State, Boise State and Nevada are all 9-5, tied for second. CSU sits in fifth (technically), a half-game back at 8-5. The bad news: The Rams currently would not win a tiebreaker with any of the teams ahead of them, but that would change if they can beat San Diego State on the road, and the road trip to Viejas Arena the final week of the regular season will be a tall task.
Down the stretch, Utah State has the most favorable schedule, with four games remaining against teams which don't have winning conference records. Boise State and UNLV not only face each other (in Las Vegas), but also San Diego State. The Wolf Pack has SDSU still to play, but three games against teams not in the hunt.
There's no doubt the Rams can play their way to the title game on a neutral court if they are opposite SDSU in the bracket. As we've all seen, March Madness starts in the conference tournaments. A third shot at San Diego State will be a longshot, but it's one the Rams would take.
When will Steve Addazio hire his 10th assistant coach?
This has already taken place, and the head coach made it as official as can be Wednesday night at the Cherry Hills Country Club event when he announced Kap Dede to those in attendance. Dede will coach the safeties in Chuck Heater's defensive scheme.
For Dede, the former Auburn defensive back, this will be his first on-field coaching position. He spent last year as a defensive quality control coach at Arkansas, doing the same at Florida prior.
The hire completes Addazio's inaugural staff on the field, with others in place in quality-control roles – Jon Goodman with special teams, Clay Davie on offense. Like John Jancek before him, Heater is not assigned a position, allowing him to flow freely around the practice field.
March 3 is around the corner. It's going to be interesting to see how Addazio's practices run, because each coach has their own pace and flow they prefer.
Will there be a ripple effect from Mel Tucker's departure at Colorado?
Most definitely, but to what degree is to be determined. If Colorado goes after a current sitting college head coach, some other program could be in the same situation as the folks down south. From what CU athletic director Rick George said to the media Wednesday, the search for his replacement is expanding outside of Boulder.
There are other hits to be considered. What will Tucker do with the staff currently at MSU, and what will the incoming Colorado coach do with his staff? Programs all around the country have to be wondering if they are going to share in the problem, and the timing is obviously not ideal for anybody.
Pretty much every program in the nation will start spring camp sometime in the next three weeks, and dealing with the departure of a coach – and in turn, having to find a new one – throws an unexpected variable into the equation. This is the time they all want to feel the plan is in place.
The interesting part to me is Tucker's hire shows the financial gap extends beyond the Power 5 and Group of 5, but within the power conferences. The fact a Big 10 school could double Tucker's CU salary, and that of his coaching staff, shows the divide at the top is real.
What are your favorite cities in the Mountain West?
The top spot is really easy: San Diego. In general, I'm not a huge fan of California, but San Diego is the one place I'd live if forced to move there. And could afford. The Little Italy section of downtown is my favorite part of the city, and you can't beat the weather. Petco Park is a great place to watch baseball, too.
The rest of the top five:
2. Boise – I just really like the city, the ease of getting around it. The bowl game a few years back was brutal – didn't see the sun except for once – but the vibe of the city is really nice. Plus, the Ram Restaurant and Brewery.
3. Las Vegas – Not for the gambling, the people watching. You can sit on The Strip and be entertained for hours.
4. Albuquerque – Maybe because I've been there so much, I don't know. I don't really need GPS when I'm there, and you can't beat the cinnamon rolls or the fresh tortillas at The Frontier.
5. Colorado Springs – Even though I don't really ever stay there like the other places because it's in state, I like the setting of the Academy. I just hate the traffic getting in there on a football game day. Been there plenty, and there's not a loss for things to do with your down time.
Softball is off to a 4-2 start, both losses to teams ranked in the top 12. Tennis has played four duals, and is looking for its first victory this weekend at Grand Canyon. At the same time, winter sports swimming and diving and indoor track and field are headed for Mountain West Championships. In a few weeks, the basketball teams head to Las Vegas to do the same.
Football will begin camp the first week of March, then the track and field athletes will head outdoors by the end of the month. There's a lot of crisscrossing going in the offices, but nobody is wearing their pants backwards (vague reference).
Reaching in the bag …
What are the chances that CSU wins the Mountain West Tournament? What are the Vegas odds?
You know I don't bet, correct? And by NCAA rules, I cannot tell you about betting odds.
That aside, the chances the men win the conference tournament will increase dramatically the longer No. 4 San Diego State is avoided. That's a fact for every team in the field, because none of them want to face the undefeated Aztecs until the final night, when anything is possible.
Every team wants a first-round bye, and they'd prefer it to land them in either the second or third spot. As of today, the standings are a jumbled mess behind SDSU. Utah State, Boise State and Nevada are all 9-5, tied for second. CSU sits in fifth (technically), a half-game back at 8-5. The bad news: The Rams currently would not win a tiebreaker with any of the teams ahead of them, but that would change if they can beat San Diego State on the road, and the road trip to Viejas Arena the final week of the regular season will be a tall task.
Down the stretch, Utah State has the most favorable schedule, with four games remaining against teams which don't have winning conference records. Boise State and UNLV not only face each other (in Las Vegas), but also San Diego State. The Wolf Pack has SDSU still to play, but three games against teams not in the hunt.
There's no doubt the Rams can play their way to the title game on a neutral court if they are opposite SDSU in the bracket. As we've all seen, March Madness starts in the conference tournaments. A third shot at San Diego State will be a longshot, but it's one the Rams would take.
When will Steve Addazio hire his 10th assistant coach?
This has already taken place, and the head coach made it as official as can be Wednesday night at the Cherry Hills Country Club event when he announced Kap Dede to those in attendance. Dede will coach the safeties in Chuck Heater's defensive scheme.
For Dede, the former Auburn defensive back, this will be his first on-field coaching position. He spent last year as a defensive quality control coach at Arkansas, doing the same at Florida prior.
The hire completes Addazio's inaugural staff on the field, with others in place in quality-control roles – Jon Goodman with special teams, Clay Davie on offense. Like John Jancek before him, Heater is not assigned a position, allowing him to flow freely around the practice field.
March 3 is around the corner. It's going to be interesting to see how Addazio's practices run, because each coach has their own pace and flow they prefer.
Will there be a ripple effect from Mel Tucker's departure at Colorado?
Most definitely, but to what degree is to be determined. If Colorado goes after a current sitting college head coach, some other program could be in the same situation as the folks down south. From what CU athletic director Rick George said to the media Wednesday, the search for his replacement is expanding outside of Boulder.
There are other hits to be considered. What will Tucker do with the staff currently at MSU, and what will the incoming Colorado coach do with his staff? Programs all around the country have to be wondering if they are going to share in the problem, and the timing is obviously not ideal for anybody.
Pretty much every program in the nation will start spring camp sometime in the next three weeks, and dealing with the departure of a coach – and in turn, having to find a new one – throws an unexpected variable into the equation. This is the time they all want to feel the plan is in place.
The interesting part to me is Tucker's hire shows the financial gap extends beyond the Power 5 and Group of 5, but within the power conferences. The fact a Big 10 school could double Tucker's CU salary, and that of his coaching staff, shows the divide at the top is real.
What are your favorite cities in the Mountain West?
The top spot is really easy: San Diego. In general, I'm not a huge fan of California, but San Diego is the one place I'd live if forced to move there. And could afford. The Little Italy section of downtown is my favorite part of the city, and you can't beat the weather. Petco Park is a great place to watch baseball, too.
The rest of the top five:
2. Boise – I just really like the city, the ease of getting around it. The bowl game a few years back was brutal – didn't see the sun except for once – but the vibe of the city is really nice. Plus, the Ram Restaurant and Brewery.
3. Las Vegas – Not for the gambling, the people watching. You can sit on The Strip and be entertained for hours.
4. Albuquerque – Maybe because I've been there so much, I don't know. I don't really need GPS when I'm there, and you can't beat the cinnamon rolls or the fresh tortillas at The Frontier.
5. Colorado Springs – Even though I don't really ever stay there like the other places because it's in state, I like the setting of the Academy. I just hate the traffic getting in there on a football game day. Been there plenty, and there's not a loss for things to do with your down time.
Tuesday, May 13
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Thursday, December 15