Colorado State had a tumultuous season this year, going from 9-2 to 12-10, then rebounding to win eight of nine entering the MW Tournament. After beating Fresno State 74-70 in the first round of the MW Tournament, the Rams fell to SDSU 71-62 in the quarterfinals, ending any hopes of another run to a conference title on the way out the door.
After being invited to host the first round of the NIT as a three seed, it would have only been fitting for the Rams to end their season with yet another close
game, but their 69-64 loss to Saint Joseph’s wasn’t really that for the majority of the proceedings, as Year 1 under Ali Farokhmanesh ends with a 21-13 record.
After the Rams jumped out to a 2-0 lead, CSU never led again the rest of the way. The Hawks flew away, leading by five at halftime and by as many as 11 with 7:02 remaining in the second half. A furious 14-3 allowed the Rams to tie the game with 1:24 to go. The Rams’ next six plays resulted in a turnover, two missed threes, and a missed layup, all while Saint Joe’s made a three and seven free throws to ice the game, 69-64.
The Rams were led by Jevin Muniz, who scored 14 points in his 37 minutes of play, along with five rebounds and five assists. Jase Butler (11) and Carey Booth (10) also scored double figures, the latter’s six rebounds only trailing Kyle Jorgenson’s tally of nine.
Thirteen was the unlucky number of the Rams’ season-ending loss, as CSU allowed three Hawk players to score exactly 13 points. Notably, all three (Austin Williford, Jaiden Glover-Toscano, and Derek Simpson) were starting guards, meaning CSU’s biggest weakness defensively this season never got even slightly fixed. Forward Anthony Finkley also ripped through the Rams’ defense, joining his teammates in double figures with 10 of his own.
Saint Joe’s held leads in field goal percentage (40 to 36), three point percentage (30 to 23), rebounds (41 to 36), and points in the paint (32 to 24). The Hawks were just slightly better in every area of the game, and such was the case in the final score as well, with the unseeded Hawks upsetting the three-seed Rams to end their season.
With Colorado State’s loss, their time in the Mountain West Conference is officially over. Their time comes to an end with a 478-385 record (.554), two conference tournament titles, and six March Madness appearances, advancing as far as the Round of 32 in 2013 and 2025. The Rams’ time in the Mountain West may not have ended in a way anyone had hoped, but Rams fans everywhere can look back on their time in the conference as the time the CSU Rams revitalized their basketball program, prepping it for the future; one that looks very bright, if only they could learn how to defend guards.
