Colorado State basketball schedule rewind: Analyzing the biggest games on March Madness path

LAS VEGAS — This is the path the Colorado State men's basketball team built to reach the NCAA Tournament.

The goal of coach Niko Medved and staff each year is to build a schedule strong enough for an at-large bid if the Rams can win enough games.

That means several high-major contests to highlight an NCAA Tournament resume and good mid-major games to add depth for a March Madness push.

It's always a guessing game, though, and opponents need to perform well through the season to help CSU. Here's a look through CSU's schedule at how the Rams and their opponents fared and what it meant to the resume.

CSU has a NET ranking of 37 after losing Friday's Mountain West semifinal. The Rams are 6-7 in Quad 1, 3-2 in Quad 2, 7-1 in Quad 3 and 6-0 in Quad 4.

Here is the breakdown of CSU's schedule, which should lead the Rams into the bracket on Selection Sunday:

Home vs. Louisiana Tech

• Result: CSU wins 81-73

• Notable: A huge second half (48 points) and the Rams start with a win that proved to be a solid victory. Louisiana Tech finished second in the regular season in C-USA and currently sit at No. 99 in NET. A solid depth piece to the resume as a top-100 win.

Home vs. Wright State

• Result: CSU wins 105-77

• Notable: A nearly perfect offensive night and 14 assists for Isaiah Stevens. Wright State finished fourth in the Horizon League. A NET of 153 makes it a Quad 3. Not much for the resume but an entertaining win.

Away at Northern Colorado

• Result: CSU wins 83-64

• Notable: A road win, which became more notable as the season continued. CSU handled the local rival comfortably. UNC finished second in the Big Sky. A Quad 3 game, so useful as a road win but not terribly notable to the resume.

Home vs. Kansas City

• Result: CSU wins 84-61

• Notable: A blowout win over a team that ended second in the Summit League. A Quad 4 game that won’t end up of note on the resume.

Neutral vs. Boston College (in Kansas City)

• Result: CSU wins 86-74

• Notable: Neutral games versus high majors play very well on the resume and this was CSU’s first key piece. A businesslike handling of a team that finished 11th in the ACC and made the conference tournament quarterfinals. Currently a NET of 80, a valuable Quad 2 win for the Rams.

Neutral vs. Creighton (in Kansas City)

• Result: CSU wins 69-48

• Notable: A win that will carry huge weight all the way through Selection Sunday. Creighton finished second in the Big East and is a projected 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament. And the Rams whipped them by 21. A Quad 1 win (Creighton has a NET of 11) that is one of the best regular season wins in CSU program history.

Home vs. Colorado

• Result: CSU wins 88-83

• Notable: A big win for rivalry sake and a big win for resume sake. Colorado has surged at the end of the season and will likely be in the NCAA Tournament as well. Rams fans should celebrate that, because it’s made it another strong Quad 1 (CU is No. 26 in NET) win.

Neutral vs. Washington (in Las Vegas)

• Result: CSU wins 86-81

• Notable: CSU played with a hobbled Patrick Cartier and Nique Clifford was ejected early, but the Rams found a way to win. Washington ended up having a disappointing season (finishing No. 8 in the Pac 12) but with a NET of 68 to diminish the win a tad but it’s still a solid Quad 2 victory over a high-major team. A strong depth piece of the resume.

Home vs. Denver

• Result: CSU wins 90-80

• Notable: This ended up a dangerous game to have on the schedule. Denver made the Summit League title game and has the nation’s No. 2 scorer in Tommy Bruner (24 points per game) but poor metrics. At No. 265 in NET, it was a Quad 4 game for CSU. The Rams handled it though, and a dangerous matchup was won.

Home vs. Saint Mary’s

• Result: Saint Mary’s wins 64-61

• Notable: Saint Mary’s was struggling at the time but this turned into a great team. The Gaels knocked Gonzaga off the West Coast Conference perch and are in line for a No. 6 or 7 seed. CSU was without both Josiah Strong and Jalen Lake. It would have been a massive win for the Rams but instead goes down as a loss that doesn’t hurt the resume. It’s a Quad 1 game with Saint Mary’s at No. 15 in NET.

Home vs. CSU-Pueblo

• Result: CSU wins 86-54

• Notable: A buy game against a Division II team. Will not be factored on NCAA Tournament resume.

Away at Loyola Marymount

• Result: CSU wins 76-67

• Notable: LMU ended a disappointing 12-19 and sit at No. 198 in NET. While it is a road win and those are always valuable, it’s a Quad 3 that doesn’t provide a ton value to the resume.

Home vs. Adams State

• Result: CSU wins 106-61

• Notable: A buy game against a Division II team. Will not be factored on NCAA Tournament resume.

Home, road and neutral vs. New Mexico

• Results: CSU 76-68 win in Fort Collins; New Mexico 68-66 win in Albuquerque; New Mexico 74-61 win in the Mountain West semifinals.

• Notable: With New Mexico’s current NET of 23, it’s three Quad 1 games against the Lobos. CSU just missed on a huge road win at Albuquerque that could have made an important seeding impact. A regular season split means a good resume win for each team. New Mexico's MW tournament win was an important Quad 1 win for the Lobos, but not a damaging loss for CSU.

Home and road vs. Utah State

• Results: Utah State 77-72 win in Logan; CSU 75-55 win in Fort Collins

• Notable: Utah State currently sits at No. 30 in NET and needs to stay top-30 for it to be a Quad 1 home win for the Rams. It was a Quad 1 road loss. The margin of victory for CSU at home over the MW regular season champs is important.

Home and road vs. Boise State

• Results: 65-58 Boise State win in Boise; CSU 75-62 win in Fort Collins

• Notable: Another team the Rams have a tight road loss against and dominant home win. With a NET of No. 27, it’s a Quad 1 home win for CSU against the Broncos.

Home and road vs. Air Force

• Results: CSU 78-69 OT win in Fort Collins and 82-73 win on the road

• Notable: CSU’s home escape was massive to avoid a bad Quad 4 loss. The Air Force games aren’t about good resume wins but avoiding bad losses.

Home and road vs. UNLV

• Results: CSU 78-75 win at home; UNLV 66-60 win in Las Vegas

• Notable: UNLV currently sits at No. 77 in NET, just outside Quad 2 (top 75) range for a home win. The loss counts as a Quad 2 for CSU. So, not a hurtful defeat but a missed opportunity.

Home, road and neutral vs. Nevada

• Results: Nevada 77-64 win in Reno; Nevada 77-74 win in Fort Collins; CSU 85-78 win in MW tournament

• Notable: The regular season sweep for Nevada was a Quad 1 and Quad 2 loss for CSU, but the Rams responded with a Quad 1 win in the Mountain West tournament.

Home and road vs. Wyoming

• Results: 79-76 (OT) Wyoming win in Laramie; CSU 70-62 win in Fort Collins

• Notable: The final-minute meltdown in Laramie is the lone black mark on CSU’s resume, a Quad 3 defeat.

Home and road vs. San Diego State

• Results: CSU 79-71 win in Fort Collins; San Diego State 71-55 win in San Diego

• Notable: Each team notched a Quad 1 home win. CSU held a big halftime lead in San Diego but crumbled in an 11-point second half to miss on what would have been a seed-line-moving road win.

Road at Fresno State

• Result: 73-61 CSU win

• Notable: The only thing of note in this Quad 3 win is it is one of CSU’s four true road wins.

Home and neutral vs. San Jose State

• Results: CSU 66-47 win at home and 72-62 win at MW tournament

• Notable: Like Air Force, winning was all that mattered. Not good resume pieces but important bad losses avoided.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: CSU basketball rewind: Analyzing the biggest games on March Madness path