2023–24 Colorado State Rams men's basketball team

2023–24 Colorado State Rams men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record25–11 (10–8 MW)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMoby Arena
Seasons
2023–24 Mountain West Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 22 Utah State 14 – 4   .778 28 – 7   .800
Nevada 13 – 5   .722 26 – 8   .765
Boise State 13 – 5   .722 22 – 11   .667
UNLV 12 – 6   .667 21 – 13   .618
No. 17 San Diego State 11 – 7   .611 26 – 11   .703
New Mexico † 10 – 8   .556 26 – 10   .722
Colorado State 10 – 8   .556 25 – 11   .694
Wyoming 8 – 10   .444 15 – 17   .469
Fresno State 4 – 14   .222 12 – 21   .364
San Jose State 2 – 16   .111 9 – 23   .281
Air Force 2 – 16   .111 9 – 22   .290
† 2024 Mountain West tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023–24 Colorado State Rams men's basketball team represented Colorado State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams were led by 6th-year head coach Niko Medved and played their home games for the 58th season at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado. They participated as members of the Mountain West Conference for the 25th season.

Previous season

The Rams finished the 2022–23 season 15–18, 6–12 in Mountain West play to finish in a tied for 8th place. They defeated Fresno State in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament before losing to San Diego State in the quarterfinals.

Offseason

Departures

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Trace Young 0 G 6'3" 180 Junior Austin, TX Walk-on; transferred to LSU
John Tonje 1 G 6'5" 210 Senior Omaha, NE Graduate transferred to Missouri
Baylor Hebb 5 G 6'2" 180 Junior Colleyville, TX Transferred to UTEP
James Moors 10 F/C 6'10" 260 RS Junior Auckland, New Zealand TBD
Nick Bassett 22 F 6'5" 205 Senior Colorado Springs, CO Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Isaiah Rivera 23 G 6'5" 210 Junior Geneseo, IL Transferred to UIC
Jacob Jennissen 35 C 7'1" 240 Junior Sauk Centre, MN Transferred to Minnesota State–Moorhead

Incoming transfers

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Joel Scott 1 F 6'7" 225 GS Senior Monument, CO Black Hills State
Nique Clifford 10 G 6'6" 191 Senior Colorado Springs, CO Colorado
Javonte Johnson 13 G 6'6" 190 RS Senior Colorado Springs, CO New Mexico

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kyan Evans
PG 		Kansas City, MO Staley High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Aug 16, 2022 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Rashaan Mbemba
SG 		Austria Sportklub Niederösterreich St. Pölten 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Sep 26, 2022 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: –   Rivals: –
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Colorado State Commit List for 2023". Rivals.com.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com.
  • "ESPN – Colorado State Rams Basketball Recruiting 2023". ESPN.com.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jaden Steppe
#40 PF 		Tualatin, OR Tualatin High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 25, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Jonathan Mekonnen
SF 		Saint Paul, MN Eastview Senior High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jul 27, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Darnez Slater
PG 		Corona, CA Eleanor Roosevelt High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jul 11, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Kyle Jorgensen
C 		Minneapolis, MN Washburn High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) N/A Jun 26, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: –   Rivals: –
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2023–24 Colorado State Rams men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Kyan Evans 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Staley HS Kansas City, MO
F 1 Joel Scott 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) GS Black Hills State Monument, CO
G 2 Taviontae Jackson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Las Vegas HS Las Vegas, NV
G 3 Josiah Strong 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) GS Illinois State Brooklyn Park, MN
G 4 Isaiah Stevens 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) GS Allen HS Allen, TX
G 10 Nique Clifford 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 191 lb (87 kg) Sr Colorado Colorado Springs, CO
F 11 Jack Payne 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Fr Owyhee HS Boise, ID
F 12 Patrick Cartier 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) GS Hillsdale College Brookfield, WI
G 13 Javanté Johnson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr New Mexico Colorado Springs, CO
G 14 Luke Murphy (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Fr Southern California Academy Calabasas, CA
G 15 Jalen Lake 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Waxahachie HS Waxachachie, TX
F 20 Joe Palmer 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Augsburg Faribault, MN
G 21 Rashaan Mbemba 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Borgi St. Polten Vienna, Austria
G 22 Cam Lowe (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Fr Lewis Palmer HS Monument, CO
F 32 Kyle Evans 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Santa Margarita Catholic HS Aliso Viejo, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
8:00 p.m., MW Network 		Louisiana Tech W 81–73  1–0
  18 – Scott   5 – Palmer   10 – Stevens  Moby Arena (4,331)
Fort Collins, CO
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		Wright State W 105–77  2–0
  18 – Stevens   9 – Tied   14 – Stevens  Moby Arena (4,802)
Fort Collins, CO
November 14, 2023*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northern Colorado W 83–64  3–0
  24 – Stevens   14 – Clifford   4 – Stevens  Bank of Colorado Arena (2,181)
Greeley, CO
November 17, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		Kansas City W 84–61  4–0
  14 – Cartier   6 – Scott   4 – Tied  Moby Arena (3,830)
Fort Collins, CO
November 22, 2023*
11:30 a.m., CBSSN 		vs. Boston College
Hall of Fame Classic Semifinals 		W 86–74  5–0
  18 – Stevens   7 – Scott   8 – Stevens  T-Mobile Center (–)
Kansas City, MO
November 23, 2023*
2:00 p.m., CBSSN 		vs. No. 8 Creighton
Hall of Fame Classic Championship 		W 69–48  6–0
  20 – Stevens   9 – Scott   8 – Stevens  T-Mobile Center (–)
Kansas City, MO
November 29, 2023*
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		No. 20 Colorado W 88–83  7–0
  20 – Stevens   6 – Clifford   11 – Stevens  Moby Arena (8,083)
Fort Collins, CO
December 2, 2023*
5:00 p.m., CBSSN 		No. 20 vs. Washington
Legends of Basketball Invitational 		W 86–81  8–0
  17 – Scott   8 – Scott   5 – Tied  MGM Grand Garden Arena (N/A)
Paradise, NV
December 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		No. 13 Denver W 90–80  9–0
  19 – Cartier   7 – Scott   9 – Stevens  Moby Arena (7,135)
Fort Collins, CO
December 9, 2023*
4:30 p.m., CBSSN 		No. 13 Saint Mary's L 61–64  9–1
  20 – Stevens   11 – Clifford   3 – Tied  Moby Arena (8,083)
Fort Collins, CO
December 17, 2023*
4:00 p.m., MW Network 		No. 17 CSU Pueblo W 86–54  10–1
  18 – Stevens   9 – Clifford   6 – Stevens  Moby Arena (5,739)
Fort Collins, CO
December 22, 2023*
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 16 at Loyola Marymount W 76–67  11–1
  23 – Clifford   4 – Tied   7 – Stevens  Gersten Pavilion (1,365)
Los Angeles, CA
December 29, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		No. 15 Adams State W 106–61  12–1
  13 – Tied   6 – Mbemba   7 – Stevens  Moby Arena (6,852)
Fort Collins, CO
Mountain West regular season
January 2, 2024
8:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 13 New Mexico W 76–68  13–1
(1–0) 		 21 – Cartier   10 – Clifford   8 – Stevens  Moby Arena (5,165)
Fort Collins, CO
January 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		No. 13 at Utah State L 72–77  13–2
(1–1) 		 21 – Stevens   5 – Palmer   8 – Stevens  Smith Spectrum (10,270)
Logan, UT
January 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		No. 17 at Boise State L 58–65  13–3
(1–2) 		 15 – Stevens   8 – Clifford   3 – Stevens  ExtraMile Arena (12,058)
Boise, ID
January 16, 2024
8:30 p.m., MW Network 		Air Force W 78–69 OT 14–3
(2–2) 		 17 – Clifford   7 – Scott   9 – Stevens  Moby Arena (6,345)
Fort Collins, CO
January 19, 2024
8:30 p.m., FS1 		UNLV W 78–75  15–3
(3–2) 		 21 – Clifford   7 – Clifford   7 – Stevens  Moby Arena (8,083)
Fort Collins, CO
January 24, 2024
8:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 24 at Nevada L 64–77  15–4
(3–3) 		 13 – Lake   9 – Clifford   10 – Stevens  Lawlor Events Center (9,029)
Reno, NV
January 27, 2024
2:00 p.m., MW Network 		No. 24 Wyoming
Border War 		L 76–79 OT 15–5
(3–4) 		 19 – Cartier   12 – Clifford   9 – Stevens  Arena-Auditorium (7,113)
Laramie, WY
January 30, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		San Diego State W 79–71  16–5
(4–4) 		 20 – Tied   10 – Clifford   6 – Stevens  Moby Arena (8,093)
Fort Collins, CO
February 3, 2024
8:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at Fresno State W 73–61  17–5
(5–4) 		 14 – Tied   8 – Clifford   6 – Scott  Save Mart Center (4,331)
Fresno, CA
February 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		Boise State W 75–62  18–5
(6–4) 		 16 – Stevens   6 – Tied   11 – Stevens  Moby Arena (7,221)
Fort Collins, CO
February 9, 2024
7:30 p.m., FS1 		San Jose State W 66–47  19–5
(7–4) 		 13 – Mbemba   11 – Clifford   11 – Stevens  Moby Arena (7,783)
Fort Collins, CO
February 13, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at San Diego State L 55–71  19–6
(7–5) 		 14 – Strong   6 – Scott   5 – Stevens  Viejas Arena (12,414)
San Diego, CA
February 17, 2024
5:30 p.m., CBSSN 		Utah State W 75–55  20–6
(8–5) 		 18 – Stevens   10 – Clifford   8 – Stevens  Moby Arena (8,083)
Fort Collins, CO
February 21, 2024
8:00 p.m., CBSSN 		No. 22 at New Mexico L 66–68  20–7
(8–6) 		 20 – Stevens   13 – Scott   9 – Stevens  The Pit (14,618)
Albuquerque, NM
February 24, 2024
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		No. 22 at UNLV L 60–66  20–8
(8–7) 		 18 – Stevens   7 – Tied   6 – Stevens  Thomas & Mack Center (8,591)
Paradise, NV
February 27, 2024
8:30 p.m., FS1 		Nevada L 74–77  20–9
(8–8) 		 23 – Stevens   8 – Cartier   6 – Stevens  Moby Arena (7,070)
Fort Collins, CO
March 2, 2024
2:00 p.m., MW Network 		Wyoming
Border War 		W 70–62  21–9
(9–8) 		 15 – Manyawu   10 – Manyawu   3 – Tied  Moby Arena (8,083)
Fort Collins, CO
March 9, 2024
2:00 p.m., MW Network 		at Air Force W 82–73  22–9
(10–8) 		 29 – Stevens   9 – Clifford   4 – Clifford  Clune Arena (4,647)
Colorado Springs, CO
Mountain West tournament
March 13, 2024
2:30 p.m., MW Network 		(7) vs. (10) San Jose State
First Round 		W 72−62  23–9
  17 – Scott   9 – Clifford   10 – Stevens  Thomas & Mack Center 
Paradise, NV
March 14, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		(7) vs. (2) No. 23 Nevada
Quarterfinals 		W 85–78  24–9
  16 – Lake   10 – Clifford   7 – Stevens  Thomas & Mack Center 
Paradise, NV
March 15, 2024
10:00 p.m., CBSSN 		(7) vs. (6) New Mexico
Semifinals 		L 61–74  24–10
  20 – Scott   9 – Clifford   7 – Clifford  Thomas & Mack Center (13,213)
Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2024
7:10 p.m., TruTV 		(10 MW) vs. (10 MW) Virginia
First Four 		W 67–42  25–10
  23 – Scott   11 – Scott   6 – Clifford  UD Arena (12,247)
Dayton, OH
March 21, 2024
4:50 p.m., TNT 		(10 MW) vs. (7 MW) Texas
First Round 		L 44–56  25–11
  10 – Tied   10 – Clifford   4 – Stevens  Spectrum Center 
Charlotte, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest region.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Source[1]

Rankings

See also: 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
Poll1234567891011121314151617181920Final
AP——RV20131716151317RV24RVRVRV22RVRVRVRVRV
Coaches———21121817141418RV23RVRV2524————RV

See also

References

  1. ^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". csurams.com. Retrieved October 19, 2023.