CSU Rams men’s basketball team is back in the NCAA tournament

The CSU Rams men’s basketball team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.

Although they’re going to have to play an extra game that many folks didn’t expect.

Colorado State found out the news on Sunday afternoon, as the bracket was revealed to the whole country. The Rams will be a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region, facing Virginia in a play-in game. The game will be played in Dayton on Tuesday night, with a time forthcoming. If they win that game, they’ll face No. 7 Texas in the Round of 64 in Charlotte on Thursday.

𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞!#Stalwart x #TeamTogether pic.twitter.com/ZxTnjkzPfq

— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) March 17, 2024

The bracket show revealed the Rams were the last team in the country to make the field of 68 teams.

Head coach Niko Medved led CSU to the big dance for the second time in three years, after posting a 24-10 record and winning two games in the Mountain West conference tournament. The Rams lost to New Mexico 74-61 on Friday night in the semifinals, but still had a solid enough resume to have the committee put them in.

That included wins over Creighton, Colorado and Washington during the non-conference schedule. Colorado State went 10-8 during regular season conference play, and then beat San Jose State and Nevada during the conference tournament in Las Vegas.

In 2022, the Rams lost to Michigan in Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament by a score 75-63. Their last win during “March Madness” came in 2013 against Missouri. They then fell in the Round of 32 to Louisville. The program has won four games in its history in the big dance.

CSU is led by senior Isaiah Stevens who is averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 assists per game. Joel Scott and Nique Clifford both average more than 12 points and six rebounds per contest. 

The CSU Rams got as high as No. 13 in the AP rankings this season, their highest ever. They cooled off after a hot start, but still did enough to make the tournament.

Now, they’ll try to bust brackets and win a few games. That journey begins against the Cavaliers in only two days.