Colorado State didn't receive a single vote in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll, presumably because the Rams finished 110th at KenPom.com last season and were merely picked fifth in last month's Mountain West Conference preseason poll.
They weren't supposed to be good.
But they are -- and Wednesday night provided the latest bit of evidence via an 88-83 victory over Colorado that pushed Colorado State's record to 7-0. CSU has now beaten the schools ranked 16th (Creighton) and 35th (Colorado) at KenPom in back-to-back games. The five-point victory over the Buffaloes represented Colorado State's first win over its in-state rival since 2017.
"[Beating Colorado] was probably one of the last things I had left on my bucket list," Colorado State's Isaiah Stevens told reporters afterward, according to The Denver Post. "To be able to get [a win over Colorado] in my last year [here] was pretty special."
Stevens finished with 20 points and 11 assists against Colorado and is now averaging 17.9 points, 8.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 32.9 minutes per game. He's the main reason the Rams are up to No. 11 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
It's worth noting that the Rams have already improved a remarkable 49 spots at KenPom in just 24 days and are now projected by that algorithm to win at least a share of the Mountain West title. Colorado State will have a chance to add a fourth victory over a power-conference opponent on Saturday when the Rams play Washington in the Las Vegas Invitational.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Braden Smith finished with 19 points and 10 assists in Tuesday's 99-67 win over Texas Southern. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday at Northwestern. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Tyler Kolek finished with 16 points and three assists in Tuesday's 93-56 win over Southern. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday at Wisconsin. | -- | 27-10 |
| 3 |  | Caleb Love finished with 17 points and four assists in Thursday's 74-68 win over Michigan State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Colgate. | -- | 27-9 |
| 4 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 71-63 win over Eastern Illinois. The Jayhawks' next game is Friday against UConn. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 5 |  | LJ Cryer finished with 24 points and four rebounds in Friday's 79-44 win over Montana. The Cougars' next game is Friday at Xavier. | 1 | 32-5 |
| 6 |  | Donovan Clingan finished with 29 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 84-64 win over New Hampshire. The Huskies' next game is Friday at Kansas. | 1 | 37-3 |
| 7 |  | Reed Sheppard finished with 21 points and three steals in Tuesday's 95-73 win over Miami. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against UNC Wilmington. | 1 | 23-10 |
| 8 |  | Langston Love finished with 23 points in Tuesday's 108-70 win over Nicholls. The Bears' next game is Saturday against Northwestern State. | 2 | 24-11 |
| 9 |  | Ryan Nembhard finished with 22 points and five assists in Tuesday's 81-65 win over Cal State Bakersfield. The Zags' next game is Saturday against USC. | 2 | 27-8 |
| 10 |  | Jared McCain was 1-of-7 from the field in Wednesday's 80-75 loss at Arkansas. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Georgia Tech. | 6 | 27-9 |
| 11 |  | Isaiah Stevens finished with 20 points and 11 assists in Wednesday's 88-83 win over Colorado. The Rams' next game is Saturday against Washington. | 4 | 25-11 |
| 12 |  | Alijah Martin finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 84-50 win over Virginia Tech. The Owls' next game is Thursday against Liberty. | -- | 25-9 |
| 13 |  | Max Abmas finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Sunday's 86-63 win over Wyoming. The Longhorns' next game is Thursday against Texas State. | 1 | 21-13 |
| 14 |  | Armando Bacot finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 100-92 win over Tennessee. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Florida State. | 5 | 29-8 |
| 15 |  | Jordan Gainey was 1-of-9 from 3-point range in Wednesday's 100-92 loss at North Carolina. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against George Mason. | 6 | 27-9 |
| 16 |  | Wade Taylor IV was 2-of-10 from the field in Wednesday's 59-47 loss at Virginia. The Aggies' next game is Wednesday against DePaul. | 3 | 21-15 |
| 17 |  | Nijel Pack was 1-of-6 from the field in Tuesday's 95-73 loss at Kentucky. The Hurricanes' next game is Saturday against Notre Dame. | -- | 15-17 |
| 18 |  | Trey Alexander missed 15 of the 16 shots he attempted in Thursday's 69-48 loss to Colorado State. The Bluejays' next game is Thursday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 25-10 |
| 19 |  | Johni Broome finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 74-57 win over Virginia Tech. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against Appalachian State. | 7 | 27-8 |
| 20 |  | Jaden Akins finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 86-55 win over Georgia Southern. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday at Nebraska. | -- | 20-15 |
| 21 |  | Terrence Shannon finished with 19 points and two rebounds in Friday's 84-52 win over Western Illinois. The Illini's next game is Saturday against Rutgers. | -- | 29-9 |
| 22 |  | Javian McCollum finished with 18 points and three assists in Friday's 72-70 win over USC. The Sooners' next game is Thursday against Arkansas Pine Bluff. | -- | 20-12 |
| 23 |  | TJ Bamba was 0-of-5 from the field in Wednesday's 78-65 loss to Saint Joseph's. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at Kansas State. | 7 | 18-16 |
| 24 |  | Jaykwon Walton was 1-of-9 from the field in Friday's 79-63 loss to Villanova. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Ole Miss. | 1 | 22-10 |
| 25 |  | Jaxson Robinson finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Friday's 95-86 win over NC State. The Cougars' next game is Friday against Fresno State. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 26 |  | Dylan Andrews was 2-of-15 from the field in Wednesday's 69-65 loss to Gonzaga. The Bruins' next game is Thursday against UC Riverside. | 1 | 16-17 |
