Colorado State University Athletics
Shootaround: Rams Not Surprised by Tourney Drama
3/11/2022 4:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Close games have been the norm through two days
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – None of this should really be a surprise.
The Mountain West men's basketball season was a year filled with drama, close games and enough surprising losses they started to lose their shock value. Did anybody expect the postseason tournament to be any different?
It has run chalk – there hasn't been a lower seed win yet heading into tonight's semifinal round – which could be a bit of a head scratcher to some. But outside of Utah State's first-round blowout of Air Force, every game has been tight. Remove the Aggies' 27-point win from the equation, the other six games have been decided by an average of 3.8 points. One game has gone to overtime, and four consecutive games were decided on the final possession.
"I wouldn't say I'm surprised, but this league is definitely a good league, and as you see, all the games are close games," Kendle Moore said. "Anybody could have won those games. That's not a surprise, but it's crazy. It just makes all the games feel that much closer."
Moore and his teammates expected to see dogfights when they came to Thomas & Mack Center and fully expected they would be in the thick of it. Naturally, they were in a heated battle Thursday with Utah State as neither team led by more than five points. The Rams advanced with a 53-51 win, the second team on the day to win scoring fewer than 60 points.
CSU coach Niko Medved has said the longer the season plays out, the harder it becomes to score, because tendencies are known by all.
As fun as it is to watch, Moore prefers his vantage point.
"Honestly, I'd rather be involved," he said. "There's just more energy and stuff going through, and I just love the moment."
The Series: The squads split this year, both winning at home. The Aztecs did so by 30, the Rams by 1 at Moby Arena. SDSU is the defending tourney champion and has played for the title the past four seasons. Their six tournament championships are the most by any team, and the Rams are 2-4 against the Aztecs in tourney play.
What to Watch SDSU: The Aztecs win games playing defense, leading the league by holding foes to 57.8 points per game, and half of their 22 wins have come with them scoring less than 70 points. Matt Bradley leads the team in scoring at 17.4 per game, but he's the only player averaging in double figures.
What to Watch CSU: The Rams lead the Mountain West in scoring at 74.28 points per game, but they can win defensively, too, holding teams to 65.8 points. David Roddy ranks fourth in the MW in scoring (19.3) and sixth in rebounding (7.6), and Isaiah Stevens sits sixth in scoring (14.72) and third in assists (4.9).
Of Note: This game will be the latest tip time for Colorado State this year (10 p.m. Mountain). It beats the Nevada start by an hour. … After not going to the arena on Thursday for shootaround, the Rams took their 50-minute session on Friday, leaving the hotel at 12:50 p.m. local time. It was perfect for the schedule, as it gave the team a chance to sleep in, eat breakfast and watch some game film before practice. … Some of the talk at breakfast between players was when they were going to take tests.
The Mountain West men's basketball season was a year filled with drama, close games and enough surprising losses they started to lose their shock value. Did anybody expect the postseason tournament to be any different?
It has run chalk – there hasn't been a lower seed win yet heading into tonight's semifinal round – which could be a bit of a head scratcher to some. But outside of Utah State's first-round blowout of Air Force, every game has been tight. Remove the Aggies' 27-point win from the equation, the other six games have been decided by an average of 3.8 points. One game has gone to overtime, and four consecutive games were decided on the final possession.
"I wouldn't say I'm surprised, but this league is definitely a good league, and as you see, all the games are close games," Kendle Moore said. "Anybody could have won those games. That's not a surprise, but it's crazy. It just makes all the games feel that much closer."
Moore and his teammates expected to see dogfights when they came to Thomas & Mack Center and fully expected they would be in the thick of it. Naturally, they were in a heated battle Thursday with Utah State as neither team led by more than five points. The Rams advanced with a 53-51 win, the second team on the day to win scoring fewer than 60 points.
CSU coach Niko Medved has said the longer the season plays out, the harder it becomes to score, because tendencies are known by all.
As fun as it is to watch, Moore prefers his vantage point.
"Honestly, I'd rather be involved," he said. "There's just more energy and stuff going through, and I just love the moment."
The Series: The squads split this year, both winning at home. The Aztecs did so by 30, the Rams by 1 at Moby Arena. SDSU is the defending tourney champion and has played for the title the past four seasons. Their six tournament championships are the most by any team, and the Rams are 2-4 against the Aztecs in tourney play.
What to Watch SDSU: The Aztecs win games playing defense, leading the league by holding foes to 57.8 points per game, and half of their 22 wins have come with them scoring less than 70 points. Matt Bradley leads the team in scoring at 17.4 per game, but he's the only player averaging in double figures.
What to Watch CSU: The Rams lead the Mountain West in scoring at 74.28 points per game, but they can win defensively, too, holding teams to 65.8 points. David Roddy ranks fourth in the MW in scoring (19.3) and sixth in rebounding (7.6), and Isaiah Stevens sits sixth in scoring (14.72) and third in assists (4.9).
Of Note: This game will be the latest tip time for Colorado State this year (10 p.m. Mountain). It beats the Nevada start by an hour. … After not going to the arena on Thursday for shootaround, the Rams took their 50-minute session on Friday, leaving the hotel at 12:50 p.m. local time. It was perfect for the schedule, as it gave the team a chance to sleep in, eat breakfast and watch some game film before practice. … Some of the talk at breakfast between players was when they were going to take tests.
Players Mentioned
Friday, June 05
Saturday, March 07
Saturday, March 07
Friday, March 06