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Colorado State Heads To The Caribbean For Some Sun & Basketball
The Rams could face a familiar face on the court
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CSU gets to face some good competition early in the season.
Most Colorado State fans figured the Rams would be headed to Cayman Islands Classic thanks to a January 16th tweet from college basketball reporter Jon Rothstein.
It was finally confirmed on May 7th that the Rams would join Wyoming and Boise State as Mountain West teams to have participated in the tournament.
The Rams will be joined in the Caribbean by George Mason (A-10), Loyola Chicago (MVC), Nebraska (Big Ten), New Mexico State (WAC), Old Dominion (CUSA), South Florida (AAC), and Washington State (Pac-12).
“This is a great field for us,” second-year head coach Niko Medved said in a press release. “I’ve heard so many great things about the event and to get an opportunity to play some teams from some of the best leagues in the country and to have the chance to do that on a neutral court is great. It’s something we are really looking forward to and it’s an outstanding opportunity for our program and the Mountain West.”
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CSU could see one familiar face and just missed out on potentially seeing another. Former Ram Deion James announced he was leaving CSU and joining Washington State as a graduate transfer. The Rams just missed out on potentially facing former coach Tim Miles, as he was let go by Nebraska after the end of last season.
The Rams have faced five of these teams before, with Nebraska (3-7) being the team they’ve faced the most. Colorado State has also faced Washington State (8-1), New Mexico State (5-3), South Florida (2-0), and Loyola Chicago (1-1) before. CSU has never met George Mason or Old Dominion on the court.
This will be a good test for the Rams as five of these teams reached post-season play last season. New Mexico State and Old Dominion made the NCAA tournament. Loyola Chicago and Nebraska participated in the NIT. And South Florida won the College Basketball Invitational.
Colorado State will likely use this tournament to test their retooled roster. The Rams have had eight players leave during the offseason. The Rams winning will be the best surprise, but even a respectable performance will get CSU fans excited for the season to come.
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