Colorado State University Athletics
For Rams, Tournament is More of the Same
3/9/2022 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CSU enters bracket with confidence
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – New season, same path.
By earning the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Mountain West Tournament, which begins play Wednesday, there's little reason for Colorado State men's basketball coach Niko Medved to be enticed to change anything.
The Rams, 24-4 on the year, may not be the top-seeded team, but they do own two wins against Boise State this year. They've been ranked, the Mountain West Player of the Year – David Roddy – resides on their roster.
They can score, defend and handle the tight moments down the stretch. What's not to like?
"We'll approach it the same way. It looks like we'll probably play either Utah State or Air Force; obviously we won't know until later on (today) who that's going to be," Medved said after the regular-season finale. "I think we'll take Sunday off and then turn our attention just to ourselves again, just trying to get better."
The Rams won't take part of the first round of games, earning a bye which makes their tourney opener a 7 p.m. (MT) tip on Thursday, but an interested observer to find out if it is Air Force or Utah State as the opponent.
What they do know is the conference season was a grind, filled with more tight games than easy results. It's a field which includes at least five teams which have the talent and moxie to raise the trophy on Saturday, and they all know each other's tendencies pretty well after the past two months.
That was clear as the Rams beat Boise State at Moby Arena to end the regular season, a close game where the Rams had to make the right plays down the stretch. It wasn't just because it was the top two teams in the league on the floor, because others have played out in the exact same manner.
"That's what every single game in the Mountain West tournament is going to be like is making winning plays," Roddy said. "It's trying to box out as much as possible and get as many rebounds as possible. Those are winning plays. Diving on the floor, knowing your personnel, as well, is key."
As their record shows, what the Rams have been doing all year has been good enough to come out on top more often than not. It's a veteran group and one which began the season with determination to reach specific goals.
One of them was to win the Mountain West. That didn't happen the first chance, but the tournament represents a new target. Another was to reach the NCAA Tournament field, which most people believe will not be an issue. The resume is there, but they'd love a guarantee, and the tournament title will give it to them.
So, there are no tricks up their sleeve they've been saving for this moment. Just the tried and true approach.
"I don't see a reason to change. We are where we are for a reason, and we have a good team," Medved said. "There's a lot of good teams in this league. That's the thing, you can play really well and not win.
"You've just got to focus on playing well, playing at a high level, doing what you do every day in practice, and that's what this team does. We have confidence if we do that, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win."
Wednesday's games open at noon with Nevada vs. New Mexico, followed by the game the Rams are most interested in, with Fresno State-San Jose State the nightcap. It's not a bracket many expect will go chalk, and if a team does, they may be the reason it doesn't.
And the Rams feel good heading into the draw. Not just because of the season sweep of Boise State, but the team has won three consecutive games and eight of the past nine. And as it has become tougher to score down the stretch, the Rams have met the challenge defensively.
A good vibe going in never hurts.
"It's awesome. It's just what we needed going into the postseason," Roddy said. "We're heading in the right direction, and we showed it."
By earning the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Mountain West Tournament, which begins play Wednesday, there's little reason for Colorado State men's basketball coach Niko Medved to be enticed to change anything.
The Rams, 24-4 on the year, may not be the top-seeded team, but they do own two wins against Boise State this year. They've been ranked, the Mountain West Player of the Year – David Roddy – resides on their roster.
They can score, defend and handle the tight moments down the stretch. What's not to like?
"We'll approach it the same way. It looks like we'll probably play either Utah State or Air Force; obviously we won't know until later on (today) who that's going to be," Medved said after the regular-season finale. "I think we'll take Sunday off and then turn our attention just to ourselves again, just trying to get better."
The Rams won't take part of the first round of games, earning a bye which makes their tourney opener a 7 p.m. (MT) tip on Thursday, but an interested observer to find out if it is Air Force or Utah State as the opponent.
What they do know is the conference season was a grind, filled with more tight games than easy results. It's a field which includes at least five teams which have the talent and moxie to raise the trophy on Saturday, and they all know each other's tendencies pretty well after the past two months.
That was clear as the Rams beat Boise State at Moby Arena to end the regular season, a close game where the Rams had to make the right plays down the stretch. It wasn't just because it was the top two teams in the league on the floor, because others have played out in the exact same manner.
"That's what every single game in the Mountain West tournament is going to be like is making winning plays," Roddy said. "It's trying to box out as much as possible and get as many rebounds as possible. Those are winning plays. Diving on the floor, knowing your personnel, as well, is key."
As their record shows, what the Rams have been doing all year has been good enough to come out on top more often than not. It's a veteran group and one which began the season with determination to reach specific goals.
One of them was to win the Mountain West. That didn't happen the first chance, but the tournament represents a new target. Another was to reach the NCAA Tournament field, which most people believe will not be an issue. The resume is there, but they'd love a guarantee, and the tournament title will give it to them.
So, there are no tricks up their sleeve they've been saving for this moment. Just the tried and true approach.
"I don't see a reason to change. We are where we are for a reason, and we have a good team," Medved said. "There's a lot of good teams in this league. That's the thing, you can play really well and not win.
"You've just got to focus on playing well, playing at a high level, doing what you do every day in practice, and that's what this team does. We have confidence if we do that, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win."
Wednesday's games open at noon with Nevada vs. New Mexico, followed by the game the Rams are most interested in, with Fresno State-San Jose State the nightcap. It's not a bracket many expect will go chalk, and if a team does, they may be the reason it doesn't.
And the Rams feel good heading into the draw. Not just because of the season sweep of Boise State, but the team has won three consecutive games and eight of the past nine. And as it has become tougher to score down the stretch, the Rams have met the challenge defensively.
A good vibe going in never hurts.
"It's awesome. It's just what we needed going into the postseason," Roddy said. "We're heading in the right direction, and we showed it."
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