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As the Colorado State men’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.

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

Midseason Analysis

Hovey: A-

CSU deserved a C+ by the end of the nonconference schedule. The team was about where most people thought they’d be — considering the adjustments to the roster — and possibly in a slightly better position. Now, it’s easy to see how the Rams have outperformed their seventh-place Mountain West preseason projection.

The one thing holding this team together is Nique Clifford. Sure, players like Kyan Evans, Rashaan Mbemba and even Nikola Djapa have been pleasant surprises, but everyone knows what Clifford has done for this team. He hasn’t exactly replaced Isaiah Stevens in terms of play style, but the impact he has on each and every game is undeniable. As long as he’s healthy, the Rams have a good shot at winning most 50-50 matchups.

Mbemba, on the other hand, hasn’t been as resilient this season as injuries continue to plague him. The team has shown they can plug someone else into the down-low, physical role, but he’s a guy the Rams will definitely appreciate down the stretch.

Evans is undoubtedly the best 3-point shooter on the team, but he still seems a bit hesitant to pull from beyond the arc at times.

The passing and cohesion of the team have definitely improved with in-game reps, but one thing really stood out against Boise State in particular: winning a close 50-50 game. That one probably wouldn’t have fallen in the Rams’ favor early in the season, but they managed to just barely close out.

This team has clearly surpassed preseason expectations.

Webb: B

It was hard to tell how CSU would rank in conference after finishing the nonconference season 7-5, but it has done well for itself, only losing to San Diego State and New Mexico.

Currently, CSU has a solid streak of wins. Hopefully a good game against Air Force can prepare the team to take on UNM again.

Imsirpasic: B+

The Rams have found their stride at the perfect time.

They have won eight out of their last 10 games, cruising through their conference schedule thus far. CSU is 13-7 as of right now and stood at 15-5 last season at this time, which is impressive when considering the more star-studded roster last year.

CSU has done a great job of internally replacing some areas of need this season, including the rise of guards Jalen Lake and Evans as well as an NBA-ready leap from Clifford. The Rams took some tough losses in the earlier portion of the season, but they seem to have found a spark in a solidified nightly rotation that allows them to hang around with any opponent on any given night.

Prediction

Hovey: 19-12, 13-7

Though the season has been successful thus far, the worst is yet to come. Utah State and UNM seem to be on a slightly higher level than CSU, but SDSU, BSU and UNLV could be anyone’s game.

Assuming things generally stay the same, those games will go as expected. If Lake can take the next step and become a legitimate 3-point volume threat and if the defense can start to hold strong the entirety of the game, then who’s to say the Rams can’t tack on a couple more wins?

Webb: 21-10, 15-5

If CSU loses to SDSU again, it could threaten the team’s current third-place ranking in MW standings.

If key players like Clifford and Lake help lead and set that fire early on in games, CSU has a good chance of ranking high within the conference and going far in the MW championship.

Imsirpasic: 20-11, 14-6

The Rams have their work cut out for them for the remainder of their Mountain West schedule. With matchups looming against UNM, Utah State and SDSU — all top-end MW teams — the Rams should be glad they have already taken care of some easier matchups so far.

Boasting a current 7-2 conference record, they have gotten their early taste of this season’s conference matchups but have lost to UNM and SDSU, two tougher opponents. With eight remaining games against teams currently above .500, I expect the Rams to dip a little from this hot start in their remaining conference games while maintaining pace near the top of the Mountain West through their complete roster and current momentum.

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