Colorado State erased a halftime deficit on Friday to secure a program-defining NCAA Tournament win over 5-seed Memphis. But how did we get here?
Of all Niko Medved’s Colorado State teams, this version was perhaps the last one anyone would have expected to be basking in the March limelight.
After five years and more than 150 career starts, CSU finally said goodbye to program legend Isaiah Stevens in the offseason, as well as three other starters. Having lost 65.9% of its minutes from the season prior, a seventh-place preseason media prognostication felt appropriate.
Perhaps that’s why Friday’s 78-70 first-round NCAA Tournament win over 5-seed Memphis — the program’s first Round of 64 victory in 12 years — was such a triumph.
After all, Colorado State’s first two months were especially unsteady. With several role adjustments up and down the roster, the Rams faced an uphill climb toward maturity and cohesion. Come mid-December, CSU had split its first 10 games while sliding out of the KenPom top 100.
This certainly didn’t look like a group poised for a March run. Then, a holiday break and a shift towards conference play provided a necessary reset for a squad seemingly stuck in neutral.
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Winter break gives Rams chance to get warm
“We’ve got character, and we were 5-5. We knew it would be hard early, maybe harder than we thought,” Medved said in Friday’s postgame media availability.
Sure enough, CSU found its footing as January arrived and the coaching staff solidified the rotation. Since New Year’s Eve, the Rams have employed the same starting lineup in 21 of their past 22 games; Colorado State is 19-3 over this stretch.
In Medved’s eyes, the winter break grind was the season’s turning point.
“The teams that can make the biggest jump here when we can watch extra film, be in the gym more, connect more as a group are the ones who can make noise in conference season and they really took that to heart,” the coach said.
It’s the opposite trajectory from Medved’s previous two tournament teams. In 2022, CSU started 16-1 before finishing 4-3 down the stretch with a 12-point loss to 11th-seeded Michigan. Last year, the Rams again won 13 of their first 14 games but snuck into a Dayton play-in game with a 10-8 league mark. They eventually bowed out with a whimper in the Round of 64.
This group possesses the resilience to reverse the trend.
Friday’s win was already Colorado State’s seventh this month and its fifth away from Fort Collins. According to BartTorvik.com, CSU ranks No. 6 in the country in efficiency in March, trailing only Florida, Gonzaga, Houston, Iowa State and Duke.
In terms of postseason context, Colorado State has now won four consecutive win-or-go-home matchups dating back to its Mountain West quarterfinal matchup against Nevada. Remember: The Rams needed the Mountain West trophy to even hear their name called on Selection Sunday.
‘We just keep getting better’
While Medved has five 20-plus-win seasons since taking over in 2018, this year’s group is the first to hit its stride at the right time of year.
“What’s great about this team, we just keep getting better,” Medved said.
One Ram in particular who’s improved throughout the year is Kyan Evans. While he’s somewhat lurked in the shadows of all-leaguer and future pro Nique Clifford, Evans has looked the part of the next CSU great. The 6-2 guard caught fire against the Tigers’ defense, scorching the nets with six made 3-pointers and a career-high 23 points while dishing out four assists.
6TH 3-POINTER OF THE DAY FOR KC EVANS ☔️#MarchMadness @CSUMBasketball pic.twitter.com/6VDV1LtfS7
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2025
A year ago Friday, Evans logged two minutes in CSU’s first-round loss to Texas. Now, he’s leading the Rams to NCAA Tournament victories with momentum-shifting plays on the biggest stage. It’s the latest instance of Medved’s staff prioritizing in-house development and reaping the benefits as players gain experience and confidence.
The only difference now is that the stakes have never been higher: Colorado State will look to add its season-long ascension Sunday against 4-seed Maryland, with a Sweet 16 bid hanging in the balance. It would be CSU’s first Sweet 16 since the NCAA Tournament expanded to its current format.
“We’re playing better these last three weeks than we were the three weeks before that. That’s what you want to see,” Medved said. “So hopefully we can keep playing better because if you want to advance in this tournament, we’ll have to play even better on Sunday.”
Image courtesy of AP photo/Lindsey Wasson