After Colorado State men’s basketball worked relentlessly, going from seventh in the preseason ranking to winning the entire conference, there is only one way to properly celebrate: dancing.
Following the win, CSU was announced as the No. 12 seed in the West region and will face off against No. 5 Memphis. The first round for the Rams is set for noon MST Friday, March 21 at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.
The Rams knew they had a shot at an at-large bid going into the Mountain West Tournament, but also that they would not only have to showcase their chemistry on the court but make a deep run.
CSU did have its struggles at times whether it was offensive inefficiency against Nevada, fizzling out against Utah State or struggling to find consistency early on against Boise State. But with every game, the Rams learned from their previous mistakes resulting in a 69-56 win over BSU and an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
Like the Rams, the Tigers are on a hot streak. They have won their past eight games and have a 29-5 record overall.
Yet it is hard to mention MEM without bringing up PJ Haggerty in the same sentence.
Haggerty — a 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore — averages 21.8 points per game, placing him third in the NCAA for PPG. In a game against Wichita State, he scored 42 of the 83 points — 16 of which were field goals — and one block.
In the Tigers’ most recent game against UAB — the final game in the American Athletic Tournament — Haggerty scored a team-high 23, along with seven rebounds and two assists.
Right there with him was Dain Dainja. Dainja chipped in 22 points of his own, and averaged 14.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season.
As the Rams and Tigers prepare to face off, one thing is for certain: it will be a battle of the guards.
For CSU, Nique Clifford has been the most consistent player on the team, debuting the peak of his skills thus far in the MW Tournament. In every single game the Rams played throughout the tournament, Clifford scored the most points and achieved a double-double in two of three games.
When struggling with offensive consistency in the first round of the tournament, the Rams knew they had to play to their strengths, and their biggest one was their 6-foot-6 guard. The NBA prospect has led his team to victory, and there is no doubt that he will play a large part in CSU’s upcoming game.
Although 1-on-1 matchups are a natural part of the game, basketball is a team sport and this coming game is when the Rams need to capitalize on the consistency and support from the bench.
Fans saw CSU sharpen its play by the time it played BSU, as all active players were able to score. Although the game ran through Clifford, Ethan Morton and Bowen Born — the two who scored the first ten points for CSU against BSU — had the chance to showcase their skills throughout the tournament.
Rashaan Mbemba and Kyan Evans helped lead the game against UNR, each having four rebounds with Evans scoring the most 3s of the game — going 3-of-6. Jalen Lake then took over in the next game against USU who shot 62.5% from the field, while Evans still maintained a key place in shooting 3s — sinking 4-of-5.
To secure their spot in future rounds of the NCAA Tournament, each of the Ram needs to continue to produce the work they displayed throughout the tournament to not burn out throughout the game or take too long getting started.
CSU has displayed the ultimate comeback story, building momentum on its hot ten-game streak, and — despite being the lower seed — is a team that nobody wants to play.
Reach Sophie Webb at sports@collegian.com or on X @sophgwebb.
