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The Colorado State Rams defeated New Mexico on Tuesday night.
For bubble teams, spots in the NCAA Tournament aren't clinched in February, but with their 71-63 victory over the New Mexico Lobos, the Colorado State Rams made a strong case on Tuesday night for their inclusion. In his up-to-the-minute projection of the 2012 NCAA Tournament field, ESPN's resident bracketologist Joe Lunardi now projects the Rams as one of the "last four in" the tournament.
Along with their victory over the Lobos, Colorado State received some help on Tuesday night when the Miami Hurricanes fell on the road to the Maryland Terrapins, dropping them from the field, at least for the moment. The good news for the Rams is that although their current inclusion in the field is very much tenuous, they have upcoming games against the San Diego State Aztecs and UNLV Rebels, both of which are ranked.
For more Mountain West basketball, head over to Mountain West Connection. Check out SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes as we approach March Madness.
The Colorado State Rams entered Tuesday night's contest against the Mountain West-leading New Mexico Lobos in desperate need of a victory to boost their profile for the NCAA Tournament, and the Rams got the job done in a 71-63 win. The victory moves Colorado State to 17-9 overall and 6-5 in the Mountain West, while No. 18 New Mexico falls to 22-5, 8-3.
The Rams played only seven players while New Mexico played 10. Dorian Green was the high man for Colorado State, finishing with 17 points. Forward Pierce Hornung turned in a gargantuan effort for the Rams, posting 13 points and 16 rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting. Guards Wes Eikmeier (11 points) and Jesse Carr (nine points) also helped pace the CSU offense in the win.
Kendall Williams scored 16 points on 3-of-13 shooting to lead the Lobos. Teammate Demetrius Walker added 14 points in the loss.
For more Mountain West basketball, head over to Mountain West Connection. Check out SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes as we approach March Madness.
If the Colorado State Rams make the NCAA Tournament, they will certainly have earned their way in. Three of the Rams' four remaining games are against Top 25 teams, starting tonight with No. 21 New Mexico. After one half, Colorado State leads the Lobos 30-29.
Guard Dorian Green has a game-high nine points for the Rams on 3-of-6 shooting. Teammate Kaipo Sabas scored seven points in the first half, while three Rams players scored four.
Guard Demetrius Walker scored seven points on 3-of-6 shooting to power the Lobos. Chad Adams scored five for New Mexico in the first half.
Both teams are struggling shooting the ball. Colorado State finished the half 10-of-27 from the field (37 percent), while New Mexico shot 12-of-32 (37.5 percent) from the floor.
For more Mountain West basketball, head over to Mountain West Connection. Check out SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes as we approach March Madness.
The Colorado St. Rams (16-9, 5-5 MWC) will have a chance to pick up another signature win this season when they face the No. 18/21 New Mexico Lobos (22-4, 8-2 MWC) on Tuesday night. At the end of January, the Rams defeated the San Diego St. Aztecs, ranked just outside of the 10, but that win doesn't look as good right now with the Aztecs having lost its last three games (UNLV, New Mexico and Air Force).
The Rams haven't found much consistency since an eight-game winning streak came to an end against the Wyoming Cowboys on Jan. 21. They've gone just 3-5 since then but enter this contest having defeated Wyoming at home, splitting that season series. The Rams needed a 16-6 run down the final seven minutes of that game to pick up the 54-46 victory. Greg Smith's three-pointer -- the only one he made successfully -- at the seven-minute mark sparked that comeback.
New Mexico, meanwhile, enters this game on a seven-game winning streak and atop the Mountain West standings. This win streak began right after the Lobos dropped back-to-back games to San Diego State and UNLV, the two teams the Lobos beat last week to take a two-game lead over them. Drew Gordon scored 27 points and pulled down 20 boards in the 20-point victory over UNLV.
As we approach March Madness, New Mexico, UNLV and San Diego State have all done enough to put the Mountain West in position for three bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Rams are bubble team right now and would only strengthen their postseason resume with a victory the Lobos or its next two opponents (San Diego State, UNLV).
Game time/date: 8:00 p.m. MT, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012
Location: Moby Arena, Fort Collins, CO
TV: The Mtn.
Game notes from Colorado State
For more Mountain West basketball, head over to Mountain West Connection. Check out SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes as we approach March Madness.
Mountain West Standings 2012: Colorado State Rams Tied For 4th Place
Colorado State's game against first-place New Mexico on Tuesday night carried big postseason implications for the Rams, and they were able to deliver a 71-63 upset victory that improved their standing in the Mountain West and in the eyes of the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Related: Bracketology 2012: Colorado State In Joe Lunardi's Updated Field Of 68
As of Thursday, the standings in the Mountain West look like this:
1.) New Mexico (22-5 overall, 8-3 in MWC)
2.) UNLV (23-6, 7-4)
3.) San Diego State (21-6, 7-4)
T4.) Colorado State (17-9, 6-5)
T4.) TCU (16-11, 6-5)
6.) Wyoming (18-9, 4-7)
7.) Boise State (13-13, 3-8)
8.) Air Force (13-12, 3-8)
The Rams are battling with the Horned Frogs for the four-seed in the upcoming MWC tournament, and they have a great opportunity to move up with a strong finish, as they play both San Diego St. and UNLV in the coming days.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage of MWC hoops, head over to Mountain West Connection. And for more from around the world of college basketball, visit SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.
Feb 23 6:53p by Steven Muma