Why Colorado State Can Win The Mountain West Tournament
The Rams have a chance to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament
Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire
Can the Rams get back to form?
After starting the season strong, the Rams faltered in conference play. Picked to finish 5th in conference, the Rams finished 7th with an overall record of 22-9 and a conference record of 10-8. Colorado State was a couple last second shots away from a 12-6 record and first round bye in the conference tournament.
Isaiah Stevens
Stevens was named a First Team All-Mountain West selection for the 2nd year in a row Tuesday. Stevens also became the only person in MW history to have been given conference honors five times. The Allen, Texas native has been an integral of this Rams squad since the moment he stepped on campus.
This season, Stevens has been stepped up just that little bit more. He is the teams leading scorer at 16.8 ppg, he leads the conference with seven assists per game, he chips in 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He’s shooting just under 50% from the field, 45.7% from three, and 83.3% from the line. Stevens has been content to let others score, but has also shown he can take over games when required.
https://twitter.com/CSUMBasketball/status/1767596418003603474
Inside Offense
The Rams showed they could shoot the ball earlier this season. During out of conference play, the Rams ranked #1 in the nation in field goal percentage for a few weeks. Conference play showed up and the suffocating defenses of the Mountain West showed up to slow CSU down. The Rams also didn’t help themselves when they were consistently missing open shots and easy layups.
In spite of the sputtering offense, which is still ranked 40th in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency, the Rams inside game is a key for them. When the Rams get inside of offense, they have the ability to take over games. The trio of Joel Scott, Patrick Cartier, and Rashaan Mbemba have all had games where they’ve done damage on the inside. And come tournament time, they’ll all need to step up again.
https://twitter.com/CSUMBasketball/status/1767631730478125498
Defense
The Rams have mostly been an offense centric team since Niko Medved stepped on campus. That’s not to say he’s completely ignored it, it just hasn’t risen to a high level. Until this season. The Rams defense has had it’s moments of lapse this season, but they’ve also stepped up when called upon.
In the early season, Colorado State held Creighton to 48 points on 28% shooting. The Rams are holding opponents to 68.1 points per game. The increased defense can be attributed to the increased length brought to this team, especially from Nique Clifford. The Colorado transfer has made an instant impact on both ends of the floor for Colorado State.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1361]
