Editor’s Note: All opinion content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

As the Colorado State women’s basketball team has passed the halfway point in the 2024-25 season, it’s time to analyze the level of play thus far and predict how it will progress.

Devin Imsirpasic and Sophie Webb of The Collegian‘s sports desk graded the team’s performance so far and predicted their final regular season record.

Midseason analysis

Imsirpasic: B+

The Rams have had to spend a large portion of their season dealing with a dilemma: trying to find a new identity.

The team dealt with eight veteran departures this past offseason and have, so far, done a great job of filling those holes on the team to continue their past success. Whether that be through the spark that the new Ronsiek sister pairing brings to the court every night, the shooting that transfer guard Hannah Simental displays or even the hustle and grit that first-year Kloe Froebe and Brooke Carlson deliver, it is clear the Rams should be happy with the retooling of their roster.

They sit currently at 13-6 on the season and are on a steady trajectory to approach right around the 20-win total they have reached the past three seasons. Despite not quite achieving the constant improvement that coach Ryun Williams seeks year-by-year — such as exceeding the 20-win mark and also potentially winning the Mountain West — the fact that they have continued this pace with no relapsing after a near-full roster change makes this season a win for them so far. In my eyes, the Rams have earned an above-average grade.

Webb: B

Right now the Rams are exactly where they need to be.

In conference play, CSU has only lost twice, with both teams in the top three in the Mountain West and both games within ten points. Throughout this season, we can see three main groups shine: the Ronsiek sisters, the transfer athletes and the first-years. With Emma Ronsiek added to the roster, she has been the clear leader of the season, overpowering in all categories. Emma Ronsiek joined her sister, Hannah Ronsiek, who is in her third season with CSU. The sisters completely dominate the court, but a team is made up of more than two players.

Simental falls into that transfer category with Emma Ronsiek and has made a name for herself with the Rams. Simental continuously feeds 3-pointers into the basket, gaining those faster points for her team. Finally, the last category: first-year players Froebe and Carlson. Behind the aforementioned players, the next two statistically best players are these two first years. Audience members often see the two on the starting roster, and combined, they have tallied 257 points for the team so far.

Prediction

Imsirpasic: 21-10, 12-6

Winning 20 games twice and having a 21-win year in their prior three seasons, nothing much should change as the Rams wrap up their regular season in the coming months. They play only conference opponents for the final month and change of the season, with multiple matchups against teams competing at the top of the Mountain West.

Currently CSU is tied for second in the conference standings, with very little wiggle room between them and the other top-five teams: UNLV, New Mexico, Wyoming and Fresno State. Of their remaining 12 games, five of those will come against those teams, and the Rams should be up for the challenge. They have already lost once to both UNLV and UNM, but I expect the Rams to aggressively attack those upcoming matchups and split those respective season series.

The Rams want to prove that this young team can compete for years to come, and they will attempt to make a statement by striving for that top seed in the Mountain West, ending their season on a high note by beating strong conference opponents the rest of the way.

Webb: 22-9, 13-5

With these groups, CSU is guaranteed a chance in the Mountain West tournament, but as the Rams are getting deeper into the conference season, they have to fight harder. What I want to see are games similar to Gonzaga in which, instead of a few players shining through, all players who touch the court are consistent.

Hannah Ronsiek, one of the team’s longest-tenured and most skilled players noted that this roster is younger than previous ones. After losing eight members before the season, CSU needed to rally a good number of transfers in order to have a chance in competing with other Mountain West teams. CSU went ahead and did, gathering amazing players. But because the team is relatively young, I want to see them develop that connection on the court and reach the maturity to fight other teams that have been together for years.

When they match up against the conference teams they previously lost to, I think the Rams will have more chemistry on the court, and because they lost by so little last time, they have a true chance of maintaining their high rank — maybe even increasing — if they can beat these skilled teams.

To go onto the Mountain West championship and win, CSU needs to be a well-oiled machine, and I believe they have the ability to get there.

Reach The Collegian Sports Desk at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @RMCollegianSpts.