Colorado State

Out west, a team is quietly putting together another solid season and is poised to be a potential sleeper come March. That team is the Colorado State Rams. The Rams are 21-4 (8-2) and in a virtual tie for 1st in the Mountain West. The head coach is Larry Eustachy who left Southern Miss following last season to take over for the departed Tim Miles. Miles did not leave the cupboard bare. Brian's last mock had them as a 7 seed and given the unpredictable nature of the season, they will not be a team an inexperienced or undisciplined 2 seed would want to see.

The Rams RPI is a robust 13. Their best wins are within a very solid conference with their best win a road win at Washington. The only head scratcher on the resume is an early December loss at Illinois-Chicago. They sit 15th as of today in KenPom. Their AdjO is 9th, while theire defense is 54th.

They shoot okay. Their effective FG% is 49.2 (141). They shoot 72% from the line but Colton Iverson, the most proficient at getting to the line only shoots 60%. 23.7% of their scoring comes at the line, 28th best in the land. They protect the ball. The Rams TO % is 17.2, 22nd best in America. Their steal % is 8.0%, 19th best. What really impresses you is their voracious offensive rebounding %, a healthy 42.3%, 2nd best. They also get to the line at a solid clip. FTA/FGA is 42.3, 34th best. They're an average 3pt shooting team and don't use it much. Overall, they're 32nd in overall scoring and 1st in conference, so they can put it in the bucket.

They're not as good defensively but that doesn't mean they don't play good defense. Teams have an effective fg% of 45.8. The national average is 48.5%. They don't turn teams over. They're 325th in TO% and are susceptible to the long ball. Teams get 32% of their points that way but they defend it well enough where teams make it at about the national clip. Teams get to the line a little less against the Rams than the national average. Like on offense, they are a great rebounding team, getting 42.6% off defensive rebounds, the best in the land. They get second chances and they don't give up many. You better bring your shooting touch.

Eustachy walked into an ideal situation. He has 5 seniors getting the bulk of the playing time and providing the bulk of the production. They include former Minnesota F-C, Colton Iverson who has really had a nice season. Iverson is shooting 58% scoring it at 13.8pg adding 9.6 rpg. He is an impressive defensive rebounder, getting 25.7% of opponents misses. Greg Smith and Pierce Hornung fill out the frontcourt. Hornung is averaging 9.9 & 9.6 and has an effective fg% of 59.5%. The backcourt is comprised of Wes Elkmeir and Dorian Green who pulls the trigger. Also getting minutes is former Arizona top-50 recruit, Daniel Bejarano. He's another efficient rebounder.

If you're looking for a mid-seed to possibly pull an upset, you'd do a lot worse than the Rams. A Sweet 16 isn't out of the realm of possibility depending on seeding. If they get stuck as an 8-9, they'd still be dangerous but as a 6 or 7, they'll be intriguing.