CSU men’s basketball readies for historic rivalry matchup, fights for program future

With every season comes highly anticipated games, whether it’s a matchup against a top-ranked team or a rival. For Colorado State men’s basketball, one of the biggest games of the season is approaching.

Ram fans are no strangers to rivalry games, whether they’re against Air Force or Wyoming. Still, for most, the competition, the angst and the need for superiority centers on a school just 45 minutes south of CSU’s campus: Colorado.

For decades, the loathing for the other school has run deep, and one of the easiest ways for students to go head-to-head is in games.

Just last year was the first time the football programs faced off at Canvas Stadium, and for CSU, a large part of the week was dedicated to the rivalry, as it would be the teams’ final game until 2029.

And because most current students will have already graduated by the time the teams meet again in football, there are only a few other times in the year when the rivalry match occurs in athletics.

CSU volleyball already had its 2025 match against the Buffs, in which the Rams took home the Golden Spike trophy. Seeing that women’s basketball and softball aren’t going against CU this season, there’s only one more opportunity for CSU fans to go out with friends and family and potentially walk home with the satisfaction of a win.

And that game is less than a week away.

Last season, the matchup didn’t exactly go in the Rams’ favor. Former head coach Niko Medved noted postgame that “disappointing” would be an understatement to describe the game. The Buffs won 72-55 after taking advantage for most of the night.

Current NBA player for the Sacramento Kings and CSU star Nique Clifford even fell short, scoring just 10 points by the end of the night. Clifford originally started his collegiate career at Boulder, and he finally got his chance to seek revenge after transferring out, but the Rams lacked on all fronts.

And historically, CSU has some catching up to do.

The teams have faced off 130 times, dating back to 1906, with the Rams winning just 40 of those games. Here’s a look at the most recent record:

2024 (loss): 72-55

2023 (win): 88-83

2022 (loss): 93-65

2019 (loss): 56-48

2018 (loss): 86-80

2017 (win): 72-63

Especially through the earlier decades, the matchup leaned in CU’s favor. Between 1908 and 1922, CSU only won twice; meanwhile, the Buffs took away 23 victories.

Overall, CU has enjoyed the longer runs of success, but at times in the ’90s and early 2010s, CSU held its own, resulting in more evenly matched decades. On the other hand, the Buffs mainly dominated the ’80s and early 2000s.

As history continues, so does the rivalry. Whether at Moby Arena or the CU Events Center, the games are nothing short of intense. The 2023 matchup held one of the closest final scores, with the Rams emerging victorious by five points.

But the closest wedge came 14 years ago in 2011 when CSU snuck away with the win with just one point.

And now, the Rams are about to embark on their next era of history, as this is their last year in the Mountain West before heading to the Pac-12 in 2026.

In 1999, CSU was one of the first schools to leave the Western Athletic Conference and was one of eight founding schools for the MW. But 24 years later, CSU President Amy Parsons released a statement saying that CSU would be joining the Pac-12.

This season is the Rams’ chance to prove they belong in this new conference; it’s the time to beat a well-ranked rival and to rewrite the poor matchup from last season.

When CSU’s Carey Booth steps up to the tip-off Dec. 6, he will be joining a tradition that spans nearly 120 years of history. And for a new roster looking to assert dominance before the conference season begins, this rivalry match could be considered a must-win game.