CSU is March Madness bound after blasting Boise State

CSU is headed to March Madness … and it will go as Mountain West men’s tournament champions for the first time in 22 years.

The Rams used a 3-point barrage to blast Boise State 69-56 on Saturday to win the conference title and punch its third ticket to the NCAA Tournament in the last four seasons and second in a row.

Colorado State went 12-of-23 from beyond the arc, building a 25-point lead before the Broncos went on a late stat-padding run to make the final score respectable. The 12 3-point field goals were a MWC title-game record.

The Rams seized control of the game with a 15-0 first-half run, taking a 25-9 lead. Boise State whittled the Rams’ advantage to five points at 32-27 early in the second half, but an 11-0 Rams spurt began a 29-5 run that effectively settled matters.

Guard Nique Clifford led the way with 24 points, going 3-of-8 from 3-point range to power the Rams back to the big dance.

MVP MVP MVP#TeamTogether x @AlpineGardens pic.twitter.com/o2VyEpAW0X

— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) March 15, 2025

CSU OVERCAME A SLOW START TO THE SEASON

Of the three bids earned by Colorado State under head coach Niko Medved, this one was the least likely.

The Rams struggled at the season’s outset, dropping most of their chances for big non-conference wins to bolster their NET ranking.

One particularly heartbreaking loss — a 77-75 home decision to UC Riverside — came after a last-second, half-court heave banked off the backboard to force overtime, just 2.8 seconds after CSU had hit the apparent game-winning three-pointer.

In mid-December, the Rams were 5-5; after a Dec. 28 home loss to eventual Mountain West regular-season champs New Mexico, the Rams were 7-6 and 1-1 in the conference.

Three days later, CSU won at San Jose State on New Year’s Eve, starting an 18-3 run that includes a 10-game winning streak the Rams will carry into the NCAA Tournament.

CSU will learn its first-round opponent Sunday afternoon. As a conference winner with an automatic bid, it will avoid playing in the First Four in Dayton, where the Rams started their tournament journey last year with a win over Virginia before falling two days later.

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