On Saturday, Colorado State (14-6, 2-2) upset one of the top teams in the nation, beating No. 13 SDSU 77-60.
The win, which wasn't close for most of the contest, was the most monumental of Tim Miles five-year tenure with the Rams and the first time CSU defeated a top-25 school since March 11, 2004.
Following the game, the Moby Maniacs rushed the court, showing support for their Rams. It was the second time this season Moby's floor had been rushed, with the 65-64 victory over CU in November being the first.
And beating San Diego State stands as the Rams' signature win of the year, with wins over CU and DU close behind.
With Colorado State looking to go dancing this March for the first time in eight years, beating SDSU was a big boost for their hopes.
Here are the reasons why:
1. RPI—CSU's RPI, which was already in the top-30 for weeks, has shot all the way up to No. 18 in college basketball. Along with that, defeating 18-3 SDSU means the Rams' strength of schedule is now ninth overall. If the season ended today, the green and gold would make the tournament due to those extremely high numbers and it's a good sign that if the Rams take care of business—by winning six of their last nine
games—they'll make the tourney.
2. Confidence boost—Colorado State took down the Aztecs, who had won nine straight against the Rams and have only lost five games over the last two seasons combined. It's a colossal confidence boost because CSU knows now they can beat the best teams in college basketball if they play their best game. And that's what the Rams did Saturday, play their best possible game on both ends of the court, and the upset win should act as a blueprint of how they can beat other MWC powers UNLV and UNM.
3. National recognition—While it wasn't on CBS, the game was shown on NBCSports to a national audience. Following the upset, Colorado State was on SportsCenter all night, and Miles acknowledged himself that winning the afternoon game meant his team would run across the bottom line all day. The Rams rarely—if ever—are given love by the national media, and all those on the NCAA selection committee have now seen CSU at their very best.
In the end, as coach Miles said following the game, “It was a good win, but it's just one win.” Yes, beating SDSU will help CSU's NCAA Tournament hopes, but they have to continue to take care of business and win games against good teams to make the big dance.
Colorado State takes on No. 11 UNLV (20-3, 4-1) Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. MST in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game will be televised on The Mtn. and it will be interesting to see how the Rams respond after their biggest win in years.
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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