They are clicking at the right time. They had stretches early in the season where they looked like they were a mess, typified by a lifeless loss against a lousy Washington team. They seemed an unlikely tournament team until mid-February when they began their ten game winning streak, punctuated by dominating all three opponents on the way to a Mountain West tournament title.
Niko Medved’s teams win ugly. It’s not the sort of aesthetically pleasing basketball that can win the heart of the nation, but they have a roster full of grinders who can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country. It ain’t figure skating…bare knuckle brawling victories count just as much.
As former Star Trek star William Shatner once opined “Defense wins championships” This isn’t a team that will take the air out of the building every night, but they control the pace, don’t shy away from contact, and can frustrate top flight offenses. They have the sort of roster that can keep them in the game if they have an off shooting night.
Sitting on the bench next to Coach Medved is a fellow by the name of Ali Farokhmanesh. If there is ever a poster child for the “One Shining Moment” vibe of the tournament, it’s Coach Farokhmanesh. Any highlight reel of greatest moments in March Madness is incomplete if it doesn’t have the three-pointer he made for Northern Iowa against a seemingly unstoppable Kansas Jayhawks team in one of the most memorable upsets in tournament history. If anyone knows how to summon the magic of March, it’s him.
Nique Clifford can get buckets. He’s been a force of nature in his last four games, averaging nearly 28 points per game. His emergence as a star scorer has been a major component in Colorado State’s late season uprising.
Keith Spillett
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