The Colorado State Rams men's basketball team represents
Colorado State University
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...
, located in
Fort Collins, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, in
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
competition. They play their home games at the
Moby Arena and are members of the
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...
. The Rams have appeared 13 times in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2025.
History
The men's basketball team at Colorado State University—then called Colorado Agricultural College—began competing in the 1901–02 season.
The school became a member of the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...
in the 1910–11 season, and followed most of the larger schools in that conference into the
Mountain States Conference
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
in the 1938–39 season and stayed in the conference until 1961–62. Colorado State then joined the
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington.
Due to ...
(WAC) in 1969–70. After 20 seasons in the WAC, Colorado State moved to its current
MWC in 1999–00.
Colorado State was an inaugural member of the MWC.
Postseason
NCAA tournament results
The Rams have appeared in 12
NCAA Tournaments, with a combined record of 5–13.
NIT results
The Rams have appeared in 10
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...
s (NIT), with a combined record of 9–11.
CBI results
The Rams have appeared in one
College Basketball Invitational (CBI) and lost the opener.
Notable games
*March 13, 1969, in the "Sweet 16" round of the
NCAA tournament: Colorado State beat in-state rival and
AP #18
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
64–56.
*January 19, 1984, at
Moby Arena: Colorado State beat
AP #5
UTEP 63–51.
*December 29, 1989, at
McNichols Sports Arena
McNichols Sports Arena was an indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado, United States. Located adjacent to Mile High Stadium and completed in 1975, at a cost of $16 million, it seated 16,061 for hockey games and 17,171 for basketball games.
Sp ...
: Colorado State beat AP #24
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
78–67 in the Mile High Classic, a four-team tournament in Denver also featuring
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
and
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. Colorado State beat Massachusetts the next night to win the tournament.
*December 22, 1999, at the
Cannon Activities Center at
Laie, Hawaii: In a Pearl Harbor Classic tournament game, Colorado State upset AP #18
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
55–54. John Ford made a free throw with 23 seconds left that turned out to be the winning margin.
*December 30, 2003, at
Moby Arena: Colorado State hosted
AP #22
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...
. Down 4 points with 7 seconds left, Colorado State committed a foul. In the double bonus, Purdue missed both free throws. CSU scored a three pointer with 0.7 seconds left. The ensuing Purdue inbound pass was tipped; the ball fell into the hands of Michael Moris who shot the game winning three pointer at the buzzer. The game was not televised. CSU was awarded the points and won the game by two points.
*March 21, 2013, in the "Round of 64" of the
NCAA tournament: Colorado State beat #9 seed
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
84–72 to advance to the Round of 32.
*January 2, 2021, at
Viejas Arena: Colorado State came back from a 26-point deficit to beat
San Diego State
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system. SDSU is ...
70–67, the largest comeback in
Mountain West history.
*November 22, 2021, at
Sports and Fitness Center
The Elridge Wilburn Blake Sports and Fitness Center is an indoor sporting arena located in Charlotte Amalie West, Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. : After trailing
Northeastern by 20 points early in the second half of the 2021
Paradise Jam tournament
The U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam is an NCAA college basketball tournament that takes place annually in late November. The men's tournament typically takes place the week before Thanksgiving (United States), Thanksgiving, with the women's tou ...
championship game, the Rams put together a comeback and outscored the Huskies 47–17 in the final 17 minutes to win the game — and the tournament — 71–61.
David Roddy, who scored 27 points — and averaged 31 points a game — was named the
MVP
MVP most commonly refers to:
* Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition
* Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering
MVP may also refer to:
...
of the tournament.
*November 23, 2023, at
T-Mobile Center
T-Mobile Center (formerly Sprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It is located at the intersection of 14th Street and Grand Boulevard on the east side of the Power & Light District. It has ef ...
: Colorado State upset
AP #8
Creighton 69–48 in the
Hall of Fame Classic championship game. It was the Rams first win over a top 10 opponent since upsetting AP #5
UTEP in 1984.
Isaiah Stevens, who scored 20 points, seven rebounds, and six assists – was named MVP of the tournament.
*March 15, 2025, at the
Thomas & Mack Center
The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference.
History
The facility first ...
: Colorado State won its first Mountain West Conference title since 2003 69-56. Slated to finish No. 7 in the conference at the beginning of the season, CSU ended up sweeping three of the six teams seated above it throughout the season (
Boise State,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
and
UNLV
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...
). Nique Clifford — the MVP of the tournament — scored 24 points.
Rivalries
Within the
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...
, Colorado State has notable rivalries with these schools:
*Air Force: Colorado State has an in-state rivalry with the
Falcons
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distribu ...
of the
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...
in
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...
. As of the 2024–25 season, Colorado State leads the series 91–34.
*Utah State: Colorado State and the
Aggies of
Utah State University
Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...
were rivals in the
Mountain States Conference
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
from the 1939–40 to 1961–62 seasons. Beginning in the 2013–14 season, the two schools again competed in the same conference, the
Mountain West. Utah State has a 60–44 lead in the series as of the 2024–25 season.
*Wyoming: In a rivalry dubbed the "
Border War",
the
Cowboys
A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia.
Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford
* ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...
of the
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...
have a 138–105 series lead over Colorado State as of the conclusion of the 2024–25 season.
Outside the MW, these are noted rivalries:
*Colorado: This in-state
basketball rivalry pits Colorado State against
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, a member of the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...
. As of 2024, Colorado leads the series 94–41.
*Denver: Also in-state, this rivalry is against the
Pioneers of the
University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...
, a member of
The Summit League. Colorado State leads the all-time series 96–68 as of 2024.
*Northern Colorado: This rivalry pits Colorado State against the
Bears
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout most o ...
of the
University of Northern Colorado, a member of the
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference, affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I with college football, football competing in the Football Cha ...
in
Greeley, another city in the
Northern Colorado region. Colorado State leads the series 70–38 as of 2023.
Players
NBA
12 former Colorado State players have appeared in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
or
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...
:
*
Gian Clavell
*
Pat Durham
*
Rick Fisher
*
Eddie Hughes
*
Stanton Kidd
Stanton Kidd (born March 18, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Sendai 89ers of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for South Plains College, North Carolina Central Eagles men's basketball, North Carolina Cent ...
*
John O'Boyle
*
Milt Palacio
Milton Sigmund Palacio (born February 7, 1978) is a Belizean American professional basketball coach and former player.
Early life
Palacio, a Belizean citizen, was born and raised in Los Angeles, California by Belizean parents.
College career
P ...
*
David Roddy
*
Bob Rule
*
Dale Schlueter
*
Jason Smith
*
Lonnie Wright
References
External links
*
{{Mountain West Conference men's basketball navbox
1901 establishments in Colorado