Colorado State Rams men’s basketball has started off hot, at a perfect 4-0, but they’ll be tested this week in the Hall of Fame Classic.
The Rams, led by Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year Isaiah Stevens, first face off against Boston College on Wednesday. Then, depending on the outcome, Colorado State will face either Loyola Chicago or No. 8 Creighton.
Niko Medved’s Rams have established themselves as one of the best offensive teams in the nation so far this year, but it will be interesting how well they perform against tough opponents in back-to-back games.
Boston College led by big man Quinten Post
Ironically, when looking at the Hall of Fame Classic—which takes place in Kansas City—in the preseason, Boston College looked like the worst of the four teams.
But, just like the Rams and Creighton Bluejays, the Eagles are a perfect 4-0 on the year so far.
Quinten Post, a 7′ senior forward, paces the Eagles with 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He was also named ACC Player of the Week last week, including a dominant 20-point, 19-rebound game in the win over Harvard on Saturday.
Post is flanked by junior guards Jaeden Zackery and Claudell Harris, who average 13.8 and 12.5 points, respectively.
The Rams are a far better scoring team (88.2-76.2 PPG), but BC out-paces the Rams on the glass by an alarming 11 rebounds per game (42-31). In fact, the Rams are one of the worst rebounding teams in the nation, and that’s the main area they need to work on going forward.
How the Rams can beat Boston College
Where Colorado State flourishes is on the offensive end, though.
Stevens is a true floor general, with 8.0 assists per game, a career-high for the senior. And he’s helping spread the ball to Joel Scott (16.8 PPG), Nique Clifford (14.8), and Patrick Cartier (13.3), among others.
He and the rest of the Rams have embraced playing true team basketball, sharing the rock with ease. And their 23.3 assists per game are fourth-best in the nation. Right behind that is their field goal percentage, which is 55.2% and fifth-best in the country.
Stevens being CSU’s best player but still sharing the ball makes teammates more willing to do the same, and the result is lots of easy buckets near the rim.
To beat Boston College, Colorado State needs to continue to share the ball well and get contributions from lots of folks. If they can continue to rack up assists on easy buckets, it will help CSU mitigate the rebounding disadvantage.
Stevens, who it tied with Scott as the team’s leading scorers, will be counted on to fill it up some, too.
If the Rams beat BC, they’ll face the winner of No. 8 Creighton vs. Loyola Chicago on Thanksgiving Day. A loss will mean facing the loser of the other game.
No. 8 Creighton is a true contender
If Colorado State wins on Wednesday against Boston College, they’ll likely face No. 8 Creighton.
The Bluejays are the 14th-best scoring team in the country, at 92.0 per game, and they’re the No. 1 team in the nation shooting inside the arc (70.3%).
Junior guard Trey Alexander leads Creighton in both points (21) and rebounds (7.3) per game, and fellow guard Baylor Scheierman isn’t far behind (18, 6). The Bluejays live on the 3-point line, making a nation-leading 13.5 from downtown per game at a 40.0% clip.
They also rebound the ball extremely well, at 43.2 per game (31st).
Meanwhile, Loyola Chicago is currently 2-2 and seemingly the worst team in the tournament. They may get boat raced by Creighton.
The Rams face Boston College at 11:30 a.m. MT on CBS Sports Network on Wednesday, Nov. 22. If they win, they’ll face the winner of Creighton-Loyola Chicago at 2 p.m. MT on Thanksgiving. The other game will tip off at 11 a.m. MT.
