Colorado State Basketball’s Five Biggest Games in 2019-20
The Rams’ non-conference schedule includes a trip to Tobacco Road
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How will the Rams fare in these five important matchups?
The Rams come into the 2019-20 season with their eyes set on bouncing back from an unquestionably disappointing campaign last season. First-year head coach Niko Medved struggled to find the success that he had conjured up during his previous stops at Furman and Drake, posting a 12-20 record in his debut season at the helm for Colorado State. Medved had inauspicious first seasons with the Paladins and the Bulldogs, though, too. So maybe it’s not time to panic yet in Fort Collins.
Colorado State got a huge shot in the arm when star big man Nico Carvacho elected to return to school for his final season in the green and white. Carvacho has a great chance at being drafted next summer, but he has chosen to embark on what could be a record-setting senior year. Sophomores Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood will look to build on promising seasons to make up for the loss of JD Paige to graduation and Anthony Massinton-Bonner to transfer.
This group is certainly talented enough to register some easy victories over bottom-feeders, but what about their stiffer competition? The Rams have drawn up a pretty meaty non-conference schedule, including an early trip to take on one of college basketball’s blue bloods. Let’s dive into the five biggest games on Colorado State’s schedule in 2019-20.
11/8 Duke (Durham, NC)
Obviously, anytime Duke is on the schedule, that date is going to be circled on everyone’s calendars. And so it is with the Rams, who will travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the Blue Devils in the second game of the season. But before you rest too comfortably on the thought that Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cam Reddish are gone, just remember that Coach K brings back stud point guard Tre Jones. Not only that, but the Dukies scored the third-best recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports, including four Top 50 players in Vernon Carey, Matthew Hurt, Wendell Moore, and Cassius Stanley. Long story short, this is still Duke. The Rams will struggle, but if they keep it close, this contest really could be a confidence booster for the players. This game will also provide extra exposure to Carvacho, who will hope for a strong showing in the limelight to help boost his NBA Draft stock.
12/7 Boise State (Boise, ID)
This is the second game of league play for the Rams but notice the date. This game, as well as their league opener against San Diego State, are taking place in early December. Because the MWC Tournament had to moved up due to time conflicts at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, the conference schedule was adjusted to include two league games in the middle of the non-conference season. This works out nicely for Colorado State, because the Broncos will be without transfer forward Abu Kigab, who must sit out until the second semester after leaving Oregon midway through last season. As far as why beating Boise State is important? The Rams’ ceiling is realistically somewhere around a fifth-place finish. That’s also right about where I expect the Broncos to finish. This game marks the only time these two schools will meet in the regular season, so the Rams will look to score a road victory against Boise State before the Broncos’ roster gets to full strength.
12/13 Colorado (Fort Collins, CO)
Not only is this an in-state rivalry game, but it’s also a great chance for the Rams to nab what would probably be a Quadrant 2 victory. Though the NCAA Tournament is probably out of reach for Colorado State, a win like this could certainly help their cause for one of the lower-tier tournaments. However, Colorado is not going to be an easy opponent by any stretch of the imagination. Tyler Bey is a good bet to make the All-Pac 12 team and could be in the running for the league’s Player of the Year award. Another Colorado player with eyes on Pac-12 hardware is McKinley Wright IV, who has proven to be a reliable floor general in his first two years and could take another big step forward in his junior season. Tad Boyle brings almost everything back from last year’s team, which won 23 games and made the NIT. Expectations are high in Boulder this year, but can the Rams play spoiler and steal a win at home?
2/12 Utah State (Fort Collins, CO)
While there is something of a rivalry between these two teams, this game’s importance goes beyond that. Utah State has a lot of hype coming into the season after winning a share of the Mountain West crown and the MWC Tournament a year ago. With the Aggies bringing back nearly everyone, including reigning Player of the Year Sam Merrill and promising big man Neemias Queta, this is a team with the potential to be a Top 25 mainstay throughout the year. Those hopes hinge on the health of Queta, who was injured during a FIBA match this summer. Assuming he doesn’t miss significant time, this home game against the Aggies could be Colorado State’s best chance at a marquee victory in the league. And if Queta can go, this could be the best matchup of big men that the conference has to offer. This is another game that could really help Nico Carvacho raise his draft profile. In all likelihood, Queta will be entering the NBA Draft alongside Carvacho next year, so both men will be looking to shine in this one.
2/29 Air Force (Fort Collins, CO)
The Rams will host the Falcons in the final contest of the regular season. Of course, this game holds all the attendant importance that any in-state rivalry game does. However, this one also falls into the same category as the Boise State game – a game that should have direct implications on the Mountain West leaderboard. There’s a great chance that Colorado State and Air Force are going to be close neighbors in the standings, likely somewhere between sixth and eighth position. However, if a few teams currently projected ahead of them happen to stumble, this game could potentially decide which team receives the fifth seed in the MWC Tournament. Note that the top five teams in the Mountain West receive a bye directly into the quarterfinals. One fewer game in what should be a contentious conference tournament would be quite the prize for either one of these two sides.
Honorable Mention
You may have noticed that I did not include Colorado State’s trip to the Cayman Islands Classic above. That’s not because those games aren’t important; it’s because there were simply too many different possibilities to choose from. So, let’s break that tournament down. The Rams will start off against a very worthy adversary in New Mexico State, whose recent run of WAC domination has earned them some serious cachet in the mid-major world. After that, they’ll take on either South Florida or Loyola Chicago. The Ramblers are led by head coach Porter Moser and will smother teams defensively. Speaking of defense, USF’s LaQuincy Rideau is one of the nation’s most talented players on that side of the ball. So, neither proposition is especially rosy for Niko Medved’s club.
Then, they will face one team from the other side of the bracket, which contains Nebraska, Washington State, Old Dominion, and George Mason. And though it is likely that Colorado State will end up matched up with one of the two Virginia schools, it would certainly be noteworthy if another Power 5 team landed on the Rams’ non-conference plate. So the Cayman Islands Classic is absolutely an important event for Colorado State this year.
The Border War games against Wyoming also merited consideration. But with the Cowboys potentially vying with San Jose State for the Mountain West basement, those games just don’t feel quite as weighty as they have in years past. There’s also an in-state game against Denver in the home opener, as well as two other Summit League opponents in Omaha and South Dakota State. All told, it’s a pretty decent non-conference schedule for the Rams.
Colorado State has a few good chances to grab important victories as they set out to improve on last year’s forgettable results. The program could also reap some benefits from the continued star turn of Nico Carvacho. If he remains in the national spotlight throughout the year and ends up hearing his name called in the NBA Draft, that could certainly be a recruiting boost for the Rams.
But Carvacho and company are out for more than just individual glory. How they perform in these games will be incredibly important for their season. Some good performances here could help Colorado State return to postseason play after staying home the past two seasons.
Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.
