CSU basketball to play in prominent early-season tournament in 2026

The Colorado State Rams will be thrust into the spotlight to kick off the 2026-27 college basketball season, as it was announced on Wednesday that the Rams would heading to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational Tournament.

𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐡𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐬 🏝️🐏😎#Relentless x #Ramily pic.twitter.com/VMspqNVBJk

— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) September 10, 2025

The Invitational takes place during ‘Feast Week’ every year, a period of the college basketball calendar that is filled with tournaments for teams across the country to compete in. The Colorado Buffaloes competed in the Maui Invitational in 2024, where they pulled off a miraculous top-five upset over the defending champion UCONN Huskies, and the Rams will get their chance to make a mark on the tournament two years later.

“Competing in the Maui Invitational is a great experience for our program. The Maui Invitational’s long history and tradition are something any kid dreams of being a part of. I am excited for us to compete against a great field and continue to grow the brand of CSU and CSU men’s basketball,” Rams head coach Ali Farokhmanesh said.

The Rams have never competed in the tournament, and will become the third school from the state of Colorado to do so. The Buffs participated in 2024 and 2009, while the Northern Colorado Bears took part in the competition in 2015.

Farokhmanesh, who is entering his first season as the program’s head coach, will begin a new era of CSU hoops when Incarnate Word comes to Fort Collins on Nov. 3. Shortly after, he lead his team to the Battle 4 Atlantis, one of the other prominent early-season tournaments.

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