CSU Rams Look to Carry Late-Season Surge into Mountain West Tournament

Rams enter tournament as No. 7 seed after strong finish to regular season

Mar. 10, 2026 at 8:06pm

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The Colorado State men's basketball team is heading into the Mountain West Conference tournament on a high note, having won 8 straight games before dropping their regular-season finale to Boise State. The Rams finished the season 20-11 overall and 11-9 in conference play, earning the No. 7 seed. They will open the tournament on Wednesday against No. 10 Fresno State, a team they defeated earlier this season. Head coach Ali Farokhmanesh is confident his team can build on their late-season surge and make a run similar to last year's tournament championship.

Why it matters

CSU is looking to carry momentum from their late-season surge into the Mountain West tournament, where they won the championship last year. A strong tournament performance could help the Rams secure an NCAA Tournament bid as they prepare to transition to the Pac-12 conference next season.

The details

After a slow start to the season, the Rams won 8 straight games before falling to Boise State in their regular-season finale. They finished the year 20-11 overall and 11-9 in conference play, earning the No. 7 seed in the Mountain West tournament. CSU will open against No. 10 Fresno State, a team they defeated earlier this season. The Rams were without several key players for stretches of the season due to injuries, but have gotten healthier down the stretch. Coach Farokhmanesh is confident his team can trust each other and execute at a high level to make another tournament run.

  • CSU will open the Mountain West tournament on Wednesday, March 12, 2026 at 7 p.m.
  • The Rams won the Mountain West tournament championship last year.

The players

Ali Farokhmanesh

Head coach of the Colorado State men's basketball team, in his first season at the helm.

Brandon Rechsteiner

Leading scorer for the Rams, averaging 12.3 points per game.

Kyle Jorgensen

Rams player who missed time earlier in the season due to injury.

Josh Pascarelli

Sharpshooter for the Rams who has missed the past few games.

Jevin Muniz

The lone senior on the Rams roster, named to the All-Mountain West third team.

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What they’re saying

“They've shown that. I think that's on me, too; that's on our staff to get them back up, to realize, hey, there were a lot of things that were in our control (against Boise State). It wasn't like they just made a bunch of shots. We missed some shots. It was more like if we would have executed this a little better, if we would have stayed in the fight longer, if we would have just hit more on box-outs.”

— Ali Farokhmanesh, Head Coach

“It's a lot similar. Obviously you can dwell on games like this. You can be upset. But at the end of the day, you have to move on. Now it's do-or-die. After every game, you just have to reset. You just have to focus toward whoever's next.”

— Kyle Jorgensen, Player

What’s next

If the Rams get past Fresno State in the opening round, they will face No. 2 seed San Diego State in the quarterfinals.

The takeaway

The Rams have shown resilience all season, bouncing back from a slow start to win 8 straight games and earn a spot in the Mountain West tournament. With a healthy roster and the confidence of last year's tournament championship, CSU is poised to make another deep run and secure an NCAA Tournament bid before transitioning to the Pac-12 next season.