Be in position to be in position.
That’s the mantra that coach Niko Medved has preached throughout the season and an idea that the men’s basketball team has invested in.
Ad
With the Mountain West having potentially the greatest season as a conference in its 25-year history, Colorado State slots in as one of the premier teams.
First up, CSU (22-9, 10-8 MW) will enter the arena with a battle against No. 10 San Jose State (9-22, 2-16 MW) — a team they beat by 19 at home in the regular season. While it might be easy to look ahead to a potential rematch against No. 2 Nevada (26-6, 13-5 MW), the Rams’ focus remains on the task at hand.
“It’s the same thing we’ve done all year — it’s one game at a time,” Medved said. “These guys know. Every game has been hard in this league. It’s survive and advance. From here on out, the rest of the year, this tournament — and if we’re fortunate enough to play in another one — you win, or you go home.”
A year ago, CSU came into the tournament as the No. 8 seed, and despite winning seven more games, the Rams slot in as the No. 7 seed heading into this year’s championships.
How good CSU has been this year speaks volumes to the improvement of the MW this season. While SJSU boasts a woeful 2-16 conference record, a new season begins Wednesday.
“Understanding that both teams are 0-0, all the records and everything that happened prior is essentially wiped away,” Isaiah Stevens said. “You can’t go with that in the forefront of your mind. Just because you beat them once, that has nothing to do with this game that we’re walking into.”
A loss would almost certainly have to come alongside an astronomical meltdown from CSU, and while the Rams aren’t necessarily a bubble team, a win would guarantee they see the other tournament Medved alluded to.
Beating the Spartans really should pose no issue. Yes, it’s a new season, but the disaster that SJSU was in the regular season cannot be ignored. Of the top seven teams in the MW, the Spartans lost by an average of 18 points, with their two wins coming against the other bottom of the barrel team: Air Force.
“I think the adversity that we’ve been through, from injuries to the close games that we’ve had this year, I feel like we’re ready in those situations,” Nique Clifford said.
Ad
Adversity has been a familiar face for CSU this season, from dealing with the injuries of Patrick Cartier, Jalen Lake and Josiah Strong to playing in a ton of close games in one of the premier conferences in the nation.
“When it comes down to the wire, I feel like we know better how to come away with a win,” Clifford said. “We haven’t been able to do so in certain games this year, but I feel like it’s those learning experiences that are going to take us to the next level when we’re in this postseason.”
The value of having so much experience in so many close games simply cannot be overstated.
One other big factor that always comes into play, no matter the level of competition, will be who has the best player on the floor. The way Stevens can take over a game will be an advantage for the Rams no matter who they face in the tournament.
“Isaiah is going to lead the charge,” Clifford said. “He’s going to be a great leader and teammate for us. He’s just a competitive person, so he wants to win all the time. He’s been in the March Madness, he’s been in these big games where he’s hit big shots, so he understands what it takes to be successful.”
The biggest threat to a potential third date with Nevada is SJSU guard Myron Amey Jr., who averaged 18 points and 5.7 rebounds in the last month of conference play.
While he’s certainly looked like an all-conference level of player over the last month, the Rams match up well with their plethora of perimeter defenders.
“They’ve got terrific guard play: They shoot it, coach (Tim) Miles’ teams play hard as heck, they compete like crazy,” Medved said. “The one thing about this tournament, every team in the country — regardless of where you finished — everybody (is) 0-0, and it’s a new season.”
1-0, while cliche, is the mindset.
Get the easy job done first before dreaming about that third battle with the Wolf Pack.
“I think it’s just like we did all year,” Medved said. “It’s just staying in the moment. Regular season’s over, and the guys have earned the right to play in big games. But now we’ve got another job to do.”
Reach Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dwcook2001.
Interested in more sports content? Sign up for Ram Report here for weekly CSU sports updates!
