Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Use Week for Internal Focus
3/2/2022 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Team has one game remaining before conference tournament
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – In one room, Chandler Jacobs will be listening to music. It may be some jazz, but he may be feeling some blues. Whatever mood strikes him.
He will have to turn the dial up a little bit, because the television in the other room is attached to the back side of his bedroom wall. And as much as Jacobs likes to play college basketball, he's not into watching it all the time; he'll get the scores later and look over the stats as his leisure.
Not his roommates, one of whom is Isaiah Stevens, a teammate who devours the sport on television. And every day this week, there is a Mountain West game being played, all of which will hold some sway with how the upcoming conference tournament is seeded. The Rams, well, they're off until Saturday when Boise State comes to a sold-out Moby Arena (6:30 p.m.) to finalize the regular season.
It's a schedule which provides the Rams a bit of 'me time.' There's an upside to it, but some of them – Jacobs among them – would rather be playing. Either way, there's benefits the Colorado State men's basketball team will seize upon.
"The way the schedule played out for us, we really haven't had any byes in the conference, and now we kind of get a different window to have one," head coach Niko Medved said. "For us, the first thing was get a couple of rest, and then we get back here to practice. You maybe get a chance to practice things, your fundamentals, instead of just focusing on preparing for another team.
"That's different. Having a couple of days off is good. Also, when you're in a rhythm and playing, you like to keep playing, too. But I think the rest is good for us."
After Saturday's road win over Utah State, the team came back to Fort Collins and was able to take Sunday and Monday off. When they returned to the court on Tuesday, the upcoming game was on their minds, but it wasn't an immediate need to check off the list.
What the week does allow is a chance for the Rams to work on some fundamental areas which Medved said were so targeted in June and July. Not that the team ever gets away from those during a season, but the intensity and devotion they are showed gets overshadowed at times by game-play installation and particular matchups.
The team's success this season is based off what they do so well, which has led to a 23-4 mark, 13-4 in league play. In essence, the team has never strayed far or for long from them, but a bit of polish going into the postseason is a bonus.
"Like the fellas say in the locker room, we call it working on the Rams," said guard Kendle Moore, the third member of the team to reach the 1,000-point career club this season. "A lot of that is individually and as a team, go over our strengths and weakness and try to get ready for Saturday. I feel like it's great. We get a little break before Saturday, and after Saturday, it will be game after game. I like that we get a break other teams might not have, so we're going to take advantage of it.
"It's not going too hard, but you're definitely getting up and down a bit and working on our shots, keeping our intensity right. Like Tuesday, we did a bit of everything. Offense first, defense next and some team bonding at the end. We're just working on ourselves, trying to be the best team we can be."
Medved and his team will enjoy the virtual bye at this point of the season, with the full understanding of what awaits them. Since January, the team hasn't gone more than four days apart between games, and seven times it's been three days, twice just two days.
When the tournament begins, the Rams will be geared up to play three games in as many days as they target the tournament title and the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. At best, the Rams can go in as the No. 2 seed, as the Broncos secured the regular season title with Tuesday's win over Nevada. As Medved said, this month just creates another jolt.
"Again, you're used to at least at some point in the conference season you do have that week. We didn't have that this year, so I think for us, that's good, just to have a couple of days physically and mentally to get your legs back and get back to work again," he said. "It's March. I think now there's also adrenaline that kicks in regardless of what you've been doing all year. It's nice to get rest, but every team is excited right now. We're headed down the stretch, getting ready for the postseason and there's that adrenaline that kicks in."
This week, Jacobs will try to temper it a bit for when it is needed on Saturday. But in some ways, each night will be a battle for him with the room next door.
What's March Madness for some is a lifestyle for others.
"I hear them watching the game. Especially Isaiah," Jacobs said. "I hear it every night. I have my music up so loud, we just drown each other out."
He will have to turn the dial up a little bit, because the television in the other room is attached to the back side of his bedroom wall. And as much as Jacobs likes to play college basketball, he's not into watching it all the time; he'll get the scores later and look over the stats as his leisure.
Not his roommates, one of whom is Isaiah Stevens, a teammate who devours the sport on television. And every day this week, there is a Mountain West game being played, all of which will hold some sway with how the upcoming conference tournament is seeded. The Rams, well, they're off until Saturday when Boise State comes to a sold-out Moby Arena (6:30 p.m.) to finalize the regular season.
It's a schedule which provides the Rams a bit of 'me time.' There's an upside to it, but some of them – Jacobs among them – would rather be playing. Either way, there's benefits the Colorado State men's basketball team will seize upon.
"The way the schedule played out for us, we really haven't had any byes in the conference, and now we kind of get a different window to have one," head coach Niko Medved said. "For us, the first thing was get a couple of rest, and then we get back here to practice. You maybe get a chance to practice things, your fundamentals, instead of just focusing on preparing for another team.
"That's different. Having a couple of days off is good. Also, when you're in a rhythm and playing, you like to keep playing, too. But I think the rest is good for us."
After Saturday's road win over Utah State, the team came back to Fort Collins and was able to take Sunday and Monday off. When they returned to the court on Tuesday, the upcoming game was on their minds, but it wasn't an immediate need to check off the list.
What the week does allow is a chance for the Rams to work on some fundamental areas which Medved said were so targeted in June and July. Not that the team ever gets away from those during a season, but the intensity and devotion they are showed gets overshadowed at times by game-play installation and particular matchups.
The team's success this season is based off what they do so well, which has led to a 23-4 mark, 13-4 in league play. In essence, the team has never strayed far or for long from them, but a bit of polish going into the postseason is a bonus.
"Like the fellas say in the locker room, we call it working on the Rams," said guard Kendle Moore, the third member of the team to reach the 1,000-point career club this season. "A lot of that is individually and as a team, go over our strengths and weakness and try to get ready for Saturday. I feel like it's great. We get a little break before Saturday, and after Saturday, it will be game after game. I like that we get a break other teams might not have, so we're going to take advantage of it.
"It's not going too hard, but you're definitely getting up and down a bit and working on our shots, keeping our intensity right. Like Tuesday, we did a bit of everything. Offense first, defense next and some team bonding at the end. We're just working on ourselves, trying to be the best team we can be."
Medved and his team will enjoy the virtual bye at this point of the season, with the full understanding of what awaits them. Since January, the team hasn't gone more than four days apart between games, and seven times it's been three days, twice just two days.
When the tournament begins, the Rams will be geared up to play three games in as many days as they target the tournament title and the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. At best, the Rams can go in as the No. 2 seed, as the Broncos secured the regular season title with Tuesday's win over Nevada. As Medved said, this month just creates another jolt.
"Again, you're used to at least at some point in the conference season you do have that week. We didn't have that this year, so I think for us, that's good, just to have a couple of days physically and mentally to get your legs back and get back to work again," he said. "It's March. I think now there's also adrenaline that kicks in regardless of what you've been doing all year. It's nice to get rest, but every team is excited right now. We're headed down the stretch, getting ready for the postseason and there's that adrenaline that kicks in."
This week, Jacobs will try to temper it a bit for when it is needed on Saturday. But in some ways, each night will be a battle for him with the room next door.
What's March Madness for some is a lifestyle for others.
"I hear them watching the game. Especially Isaiah," Jacobs said. "I hear it every night. I have my music up so loud, we just drown each other out."
Players Mentioned
Friday, June 05
Saturday, March 07
Saturday, March 07
Friday, March 06