Colorado State University Athletics
Wednesday, December 6
Fort Collins, CO
7:00 PM
Colorado State
9-0,0-0Mountain West
90
vs
80
Denver
6-4,0-0Summit League
1
2
F
Denver
39
41
80
Colorado St.
35
55
90
Rams Figure Out A Victory Against Denver
12/6/2023 10:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ranked Rams decipher new roles and altered lineups at home
Every night, there are aspects of a game a team has to figure out. How to counter one thing, stop another.
Â
For the foreseeable future, the process is going to be amplified as Colorado State continues to operate. Everyone knows the Rams are ranked. Nobody cares they'll go about their business for a spell minus one starter (Josiah Strong) and a very valuable bench piece (Jalen Lake), their absence greatly affecting the way the Rams defend on the perimeter.
Â
With a new starting five and a few alterations at halftime, the No. 12/13 Rams worked their way to a 90-80 victory Wednesday night over Denver at Moby Arena, the first of two home games this week.
Â
Colorado State coach Niko Medved felt his team looked tired on the floor, emotionally and physically. He talked about finding their 'A' game and not playing their best, but the reality is they're going to have to find a new way to reach those markers.
Â
"We're going to have to mix and match. We played a lineup with Kyan (Evans), Tavi (Jackson) and Zay (Isaiah Stevens) for awhile and we've never practiced that," Medved said. "Which is fine. It kind of felt like that's maybe what was working for us. I thought Tavi looked like maybe he was the best matchup on (Tommy Bruner) for a little bit.
Â
"Probably the thing we did clean up at halftime was the 3-point defense. I did think we did a much better job of challenging 3s. They made us pay in the first half."
Â
Especially Bruner. The Pioneers hit 8-of-14 from deep in the opening 20 minutes, with Bruner making four of the five attempts he took. Then again, he did enter fourth in the nation in scoring at 23.6 points per game, but the idea was the Rams wanted to make him work harder for what he was having to do on his way to 15 points.
Â
The Rams had a spurt in the first half which put them up by eight, but by the break, Denver's outside shooting had made it up and passed the Rams by with a 39-35 edge at the break.
Â
Bruner would finish with 28, but he missed all four of his shots from deep and made just three more field goals, getting most of his points in the second half at the line. The Pioneers went from 55.6 percent shooting down to just 46.7.
Â
"Not pressure him too much. Stay solid, don't fight his dribble, contest his shot, be a second off the floor," said Jackson of the approach to guarding him, an assignment he shared for the most part with Nique Clifford. "Really, just stay solid and don't let him get easy ones off and we'll be good."
Â
The Rams just needed to find a new way of going about things, which they would eventually figure out in moving to 9-0 on the year. They went small at times, even big. For the most part, what they never missed was scoring.
Â
That they can do quite well, regardless of who is on the floor. Patrick Cartier posted a season-best 19 points to lead the team, making 8-of-10 from the floor, a performance which included back-to-back trifectas to ignite a run as the Rams led the final 13:02 of the game.
Â
He had plenty of help, as Clifford poured in 15 points and a career-best seven assists as the Rams finished with 24 as a team. Joel Scott added 11, pulling down 11 rebounds. Or course Stevens contributed, albeit in a strange fashion.
Â
In the first half, his shots hit about every part of the rim, just never the bottom of the net. The second half, he couldn't miss, no matter how tough the shot, and naturally, he contributed nine assists.
Â
But the high praise was saved for those with expanded roles.
Â
"We've said all year our depth is crazy. We have guys that can step up any given night, and you never know who's night it's going to be," Clifford said. "Tavi stepped up to the challenge, and other dudes like Kyan. It's going to be important, because we're going to face adversity all year so different guys are going to have to step up and we're going to have to come together."
Â
Joe Palmer moved into the staring lineup, Evans was asked to do more and so was Jackson, playing in just his second game of the season. After playing one minute against Washington, he was on the floor for 13, scoring six point, grabbing four boards and contributing two assists.
Â
"It honestly felt great," Jackson said. "It felt a little weird at the beginning, but after the first bucket and playing more and more, I sort of felt like I had my groove back."
Â
Injuries have been part of the equation already for the Rams' run into national prominence, they're just stacked a little more at this point. It's a fact of life which will remain for the foreseeable future.
Â
Each one of them will be asked to do more. Some of them will be asked to contribute in new ways. Medved doesn't think there's an ask he can make his players won't try to fill.
Â
"I feel like they're always going to give everything they have to try to do the right thing for the team. This is a team they care about their team, they care about their teammates and then it's self," Medved said. "I think that's how this group is wired. I think there's a high sense of urgency in these guys who are getting more of an opportunity now. They're not trying to come in and prove what they can do, they want to come in and find a way to help the team. I believe that's their mindset and I thought all of those guys did that tonight."
Â
They may have been a bit tired. The Rams were definitely shorthanded. Even still, they remain undaunted, and better yet, undefeated.
Â
Â
For the foreseeable future, the process is going to be amplified as Colorado State continues to operate. Everyone knows the Rams are ranked. Nobody cares they'll go about their business for a spell minus one starter (Josiah Strong) and a very valuable bench piece (Jalen Lake), their absence greatly affecting the way the Rams defend on the perimeter.
Â
With a new starting five and a few alterations at halftime, the No. 12/13 Rams worked their way to a 90-80 victory Wednesday night over Denver at Moby Arena, the first of two home games this week.
Â
Colorado State coach Niko Medved felt his team looked tired on the floor, emotionally and physically. He talked about finding their 'A' game and not playing their best, but the reality is they're going to have to find a new way to reach those markers.
Â
"We're going to have to mix and match. We played a lineup with Kyan (Evans), Tavi (Jackson) and Zay (Isaiah Stevens) for awhile and we've never practiced that," Medved said. "Which is fine. It kind of felt like that's maybe what was working for us. I thought Tavi looked like maybe he was the best matchup on (Tommy Bruner) for a little bit.
Â
"Probably the thing we did clean up at halftime was the 3-point defense. I did think we did a much better job of challenging 3s. They made us pay in the first half."
Â
Especially Bruner. The Pioneers hit 8-of-14 from deep in the opening 20 minutes, with Bruner making four of the five attempts he took. Then again, he did enter fourth in the nation in scoring at 23.6 points per game, but the idea was the Rams wanted to make him work harder for what he was having to do on his way to 15 points.
Â
The Rams had a spurt in the first half which put them up by eight, but by the break, Denver's outside shooting had made it up and passed the Rams by with a 39-35 edge at the break.
Â
Bruner would finish with 28, but he missed all four of his shots from deep and made just three more field goals, getting most of his points in the second half at the line. The Pioneers went from 55.6 percent shooting down to just 46.7.
Â
"Not pressure him too much. Stay solid, don't fight his dribble, contest his shot, be a second off the floor," said Jackson of the approach to guarding him, an assignment he shared for the most part with Nique Clifford. "Really, just stay solid and don't let him get easy ones off and we'll be good."
Â
The Rams just needed to find a new way of going about things, which they would eventually figure out in moving to 9-0 on the year. They went small at times, even big. For the most part, what they never missed was scoring.
Â
That they can do quite well, regardless of who is on the floor. Patrick Cartier posted a season-best 19 points to lead the team, making 8-of-10 from the floor, a performance which included back-to-back trifectas to ignite a run as the Rams led the final 13:02 of the game.
Â
He had plenty of help, as Clifford poured in 15 points and a career-best seven assists as the Rams finished with 24 as a team. Joel Scott added 11, pulling down 11 rebounds. Or course Stevens contributed, albeit in a strange fashion.
Â
In the first half, his shots hit about every part of the rim, just never the bottom of the net. The second half, he couldn't miss, no matter how tough the shot, and naturally, he contributed nine assists.
Â
But the high praise was saved for those with expanded roles.
Â
"We've said all year our depth is crazy. We have guys that can step up any given night, and you never know who's night it's going to be," Clifford said. "Tavi stepped up to the challenge, and other dudes like Kyan. It's going to be important, because we're going to face adversity all year so different guys are going to have to step up and we're going to have to come together."
Â
Joe Palmer moved into the staring lineup, Evans was asked to do more and so was Jackson, playing in just his second game of the season. After playing one minute against Washington, he was on the floor for 13, scoring six point, grabbing four boards and contributing two assists.
Â
"It honestly felt great," Jackson said. "It felt a little weird at the beginning, but after the first bucket and playing more and more, I sort of felt like I had my groove back."
Â
Injuries have been part of the equation already for the Rams' run into national prominence, they're just stacked a little more at this point. It's a fact of life which will remain for the foreseeable future.
Â
Each one of them will be asked to do more. Some of them will be asked to contribute in new ways. Medved doesn't think there's an ask he can make his players won't try to fill.
Â
"I feel like they're always going to give everything they have to try to do the right thing for the team. This is a team they care about their team, they care about their teammates and then it's self," Medved said. "I think that's how this group is wired. I think there's a high sense of urgency in these guys who are getting more of an opportunity now. They're not trying to come in and prove what they can do, they want to come in and find a way to help the team. I believe that's their mindset and I thought all of those guys did that tonight."
Â
They may have been a bit tired. The Rams were definitely shorthanded. Even still, they remain undaunted, and better yet, undefeated.
Â
Team Stats
Denver
CSU
FG%
.509
.604
3FG%
.476
.471
FT%
.750
.667
RB
23
31
TO
8
8
STL
4
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballColorado State Basketball (M): Season 1 - Ep. 1
Sunday, August 10
Ramily - CSU Men's Basketball
Tuesday, August 05
Ram Line - Shoot Around with Josh Pascarelli & Darnez Slater (MBB)
Monday, August 04
Behind the White Board - Ken DeWeese
Monday, August 04