RELEASE FROM CSU ATHLETICS:
FORT COLLINS – Colorado State will make its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2013 as the No. 6 seed in the NCAA South Regional, taking on No. 11 seed Michigan (17-14, 11-9 in Big Ten) in the opening round on Thursday. Playing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., the winner of that game will meet the winner of No. 3 Tennessee and No. 14 Longwood on Saturday.
The Rams will be in the tournament for the 11th time in program history and the first time under head coach Niko Medved, who picked up his third postseason invitation as CSU’s leader and first-ever NCAA Tournament bid as a head coach. This is the third time Medved has been a part of Colorado State in the NCAA Tournament, as he was an assistant on the staff when the Rams made the field in 2012 and 2013. This is also the highest seed ever for the Rams in the NCAA Tournament, surpassing 2013’s No. 8 seed.
This season, the Rams enter the tournament at 25-5 overall, including finishing as Mountain West runner-up in the regular season with a 14-4 conference mark. The 25 wins are the third most in program history, while the 14 conference wins ties the school record set last year by Medved’s team.
Led by Mountain West Player of the Year David Roddy and Second Team All-Mountain West pick Isaiah Stevens, the Rams earned their highest seed ever in the tournament, surpassing the No. 8 seed in 2013. That year, CSU defeated Missouri in the second round before falling to Louisville.