Colorado State Men’s Basketball Team Eyes NCAA Tournament Bid
FORT COLLINS – The Colorado State men’s basketball team is on quite a roll, having recently clinched four straight wins and seven out of their last eight games. With ten victories in their last twelve outings, the Rams currently find themselves tied for second in the Mountain West Conference, a league that previously sent six teams to the NCAA Tournament last year. However, despite these strong performances, CSU faces significant challenges on their path to the NCAA Tournament.
As of February 3, the Rams’ resume doesn’t support a strong case for an at-large bid. They are not currently projected to be in the NCAA field according to various bracketology sources. In fact, out of 91 brackets examined, none included CSU. This absence from the bubble discussions can be attributed to their lack of Quad 1 victories. Their most notable win was a home game against Boise State, ranked No. 49 in the NCAA NET rankings, while their best nonconference win came against TCU, which is at No. 78.
Unfortunately, CSU has faced nonconference losses against teams like UC-Riverside (No. 148 NET) and Colorado (No. 104 NET), which has hurt their overall standing. Though they have a chance to enhance their resume, they still need to secure significant wins going forward. Looking ahead, the Rams have several crucial matchups that could make or break their NCAA Tournament aspirations.
Starting Wednesday, CSU is set to face off against conference leaders New Mexico at 8:30 p.m. in Albuquerque. This game is categorized as a Quad 1 opportunity, and a victory here would significantly boost their chances of making it to the big dance. Following this, they’ll play an important game at home against San Diego State (Quad 2) and then travel to Utah State (Quad 1).
To improve their postseason prospects, Colorado State may need to win at least 16 Mountain West games and perform well in the conference tournament. Alternatively, winning the Mountain West tournament to secure an automatic bid could be their best route to the NCAA Tournament.
