Colorado State (14-7, 3-3) has been on a bumpy ride the last few weeks.
After winning eight straight games, the Rams fell to Wyoming and New Mexico in blowout fashion, then responded to upset No. 13 SDSU last Saturday as the signature win of their season. But Wednesday night, they came up short against No. 11 UNLV in Vegas which ran their loss total to seven on the season.
Air Force (11-9, 1-5) coming to Fort Collins Saturday, signals the end of the first round of conference play, meaning only eight games remain on the Rams schedule including the game against the Falcons Saturday at 3 p.m. MST.
If Colorado State—which sits at No. 20 in RPI and No. 6 in strength of schedule—want to make the NCAA Tournament, they can't afford to lose more than three more games, two (which would put CSU at 20-9) would be even better. That means beating one of the powers (New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV) and beating every other team on their schedule.
The Falcons, who beat CSU by 17 last season, are the first game with road contests against TCU, Boise State and the home half of the Boarder War against Wyoming making up the four must-win games.
TCU (13-8, 3-3) beat Wyoming on Wednesday, handing them only their fifth loss, and the Horned Frogs took the Rams to double overtime on January 14, losing to CSU 95-89. The two play next Saturday, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. MST.
Then Colorado State travels to Boise, Idaho to play against the Broncos (10-11, 0-6) Wednesday February, 15 at 8 p.m. MST. The Broncos are the worst of the Mountain West, and CSU has to beat them to keep their tournament dreams alive.
Finally, the Rams must beat Wyoming (17-5, 3-3) when they come to Fort Collins two weeks from today. The Cowboys' staunch defense frustrated CSU in the loud Arena Auditorium, and the Rams will have the backing of the Moby Maniacs this time around.
Can CSU win all four games?
Yes, they just have to make sure to play their game—moving the ball for open looks inside and out while giving effort on the defensive end. Too often as of late, the Rams have played what head coach Tim Miles calls "hero ball," or individuals playing selfishly instead of thinkg about the team first, and CSU has struggled.
Their first test comes Saturday afternoon, 3 p.m. MST at Moby Arena against Air Force. If you can't be there, the game will be televised on CBSSports.
Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist actively seeking a career in journalism. Along with being your CSU Rams Examiner, Kurtzman is also the Denver Broncos Examiner and writes for Blake Street Bulletin, Stadium Journey, Bleacher Report, and Mile High Hoops.
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