Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
21-12,11-9Mountain West
San Diego State
21-10,14-6Mountain West
Season’s Journey Ends for Rams in Loss to Aztecs
3/12/2026 11:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SDSU’s physical play send CSU home from Las Vegas with a 71–62 ending
LAS VEGAS — A season often feels like a large collection of moments rather than a single, coherent story.
Colorado State felt all of them this year — the frustration of a 3–8 start, the momentum of an undefeated February and the intensity of March basketball. Thursday night against San Diego State added one final feeling to the list.
The end.
CSU had been on the floor just 24 hours earlier. In March, a single day can feel like both an eternity and nowhere near enough time. A tricky balance which never truly feels settled. So by the end of the night, the Aztecs' legs carried them to the Mountain West semifinals while the Rams carried them back to Fort Collins after a 71–62 loss.
From the opening tip, the physical gap was clear. The Aztecs attacked the glass in relentless fashion leaning into the bruising style which has long defined them.
"Their offense is defense," Brandon Rechsteiner said.
They hunted contact and forced their way to the line, finishing with 42 free-throw attempts yet only 22 makes.
But the damage wasn't only coming from the stripe. SDSU established control in the paint early, overpowering CSU inside. By halftime, the Aztecs had already scored 24 points in the key. The Rams had four.
"I wish we would have had the last six minutes of the first half back," coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. "The offensive rebounding, that was the difference in the first half. It separated the game from that standpoint."
An 11–0 Aztec run to close the half stretched the lead and quieted CSU's momentum. The SDSU bench felt the upper hand while the Rams walked to the locker room carrying a deficit which felt heavier than the numbers alone.
In March, everything does. The crowd gets louder, the stakes rise higher and tired legs somehow feel even heavier. Still, the Rams fought.
SDSU's defense made every possession difficult. Passing lanes disappeared and driving lanes collapsed as the Aztecs swarmed the ball.
"They're super aggressive," Rechsteiner said. "They've got shot blockers. They kind of play the passing lanes and gaps. When you drive, they kind of just swarm to you. You've got to be strong with the ball."
CSU tried to respond in the second half, but the same patterns continued. Loose balls slipped away, rebounds bounced toward Aztec jerseys and second chances kept piling up. SDSU finished with 43 rebounds, turning many of them into extra opportunities which slowly drained CSU's momentum.
Jevin Muniz knocked down a 3-pointer early in the half, briefly sparking the Rams. The Aztecs answered quickly with two layups in succession, restoring control.
"I just thought they were really aggressive," Jase Butler said. "They're a long athletic team. They forced us into some tough shots. They played well in the paint."
SDSU kept finding more possessions and more chances. Yet even as the game drifted away, the Rams kept pushing.
The final six minutes became a reflection of CSU's season. The Aztecs failed to make a field goal during that stretch as the Rams pressed and fought to extend their night.
"I think it's a testament to our whole season," Rechsteiner said. "We're down and we just keep fighting. The last six minutes they have no field goals. It didn't turn out how we wanted it to. Wish we would have made more shots down the stretch."
The comeback never fully arrived, but the effort told the story of the group.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Rams walked off the court slowly with heads lowered and faces tight with emotion. For many of them, the season had been exhausting in every sense.
This was year one of the Farokhmanesh era. CSU finished with 21 wins after a season that swung from frustration to momentum and finally into the intensity of March. More than anything, though, it was a season the players clearly felt.
"It's the most emotional year of basketball I've ever had," Rechsteiner said. "To go through so much and for him to keep showing up and pouring into us and individually working us out. It's tough to put into words.
"He's the best coach."
Those four words say plenty about where the program stands now. CSU's legs may have finally given out in Las Vegas, but the emotions remain.
"You want to be in a program that you care enough that you do feel like that," Farokhmanesh said. "You want to laugh. You want to cry. You want to have fun. You want to be sad. You want to experience all these emotions.
"I thought we got to experience all of them. That's why these guys are so emotional. That's why they care. I'm lucky enough to be with a group of people that I get to experience that with, too."
Eventually every season runs out of floor.
The legs which carried CSU through winter, through an undefeated February and into March finally slowed in Las Vegas. The scoreboard closed the chapter, but the story of the season was never only about one night.
It was about everything the Rams felt along the way — the setbacks, the fight, the belief which kept them moving forward even when the path grew heavy and the ending grew dim.
So that's what remained while walking back to the locker room.
Not just the loss.
But the journey which made it made it matter in the first place.
