Mountain West Standings 2012: Colorado State Drops To Fifth Place

After an impressive upset of New Mexico on Feb. 21, the Colorado State Rams couldn't follow up with another upset of a ranked opponent during the weekend, losing to San Diego State. The loss dropped Colorado State to 6-6 against Mountain West Conference opponents, good for fifth place in the conference standings.

UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State, all ranked nationally, are tied for first place in the conference with identical 8-4 records in conference, while TCU is in fourth place with a 7-5 record. Wyoming, Air Force and Boise State finish up the standings below Colorado State.

The Rams have two remaining games on the schedule, against No. 20 UNLV and Air Force. With a 17-10 record overall, they're not likely to be considered for the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Getting a pair of wins to end the season could improve their seeding for the conference tournament, though, which is likely their best chance of getting in.

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Colorado St. Vs. No. 24 San Diego St. Final Score: Rams Nearly Pull Off Upset, Lost 66-74

The Colorado St. Rams (17-10, 6-6) teetered on the brink of major upset of the No. 24 San Diego St. Aztecs (22-6, 8-4) but could not hold their lead in the second half, falling 66-74 late.

Midway through the first half, the Rams took a 21-12 lead, but the Aztecs put up 8 straight points to draw the game to 21-20 with 5:46 remaining in the half. The Rams drew the margin back out to 34-30 by the half, but San Diego State kept the game even closer through the early part of the second half.

The Aztecs finally took and kept the lead midway through the second half, eventually drawing out their lead to 67-59 with just 1:40 remaining in the game. The Rams fought back, but steady free throws from the San Diego State offense undid the Rams' hopes of an upset.

Junior G Wes Eikmeier (14 pts, 3 reb), and junior G Dorian Green (14 pts, 7 reb) and junior F Pierce Hornung (11 pts, 9 reb) all played major roles in the Rams chances, but ultimately, the team could not contain the dual threat of sophomore G Jamaal Franklin (31 pts, 16 reb), who landed 13 points in the last four and half minutes alone.

The Rams will be back in action on Wednesday night, taking on the No. 20 UNLV Runnin' Rebels

For more on the Aztecs and the Air Falcons, visit SB Nation's Mountain West blog Mountain West Connection and SB Nation Denver. For more on NCAA basketball, stay tuned to SB Nation's college basketball hub.

Colorado St. Vs. San Diego St.: Rams Continue Push For Tournament Spot

Colorado St. (17-9, 6-5) faces a huge test when it travels to face No. 25 San Diego St. (21-6, 7-4).