Rams Earn No. 1 Seed In NIT, Take On Buffalo Friday Night
CSU will play at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN2 in the second-ever meeting between the two schools
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State men’s basketball will continue its season after receiving and accepting a bid to play in the National Invitation Tournament Sunday night. The Rams were one of 16 teams to receive an at-large bid to this year’s event in the Dallas metro area. CSU is the No. 1 seed in the upper left bracket, will take on Buffalo in the opening round on Friday, March 19 at 5 p.m. MT at UNT Coliseum in Denton, Texas on ESPN2. The winner will advance to take on the winner of Davidson and NC State.
Mountain West Coach of the Year media selection Niko Medved continued his history of improving programs in each of his seasons, as he led the Rams to a 18-6 overall mark during the COVID-shortened season, including a 14-4 record in the Mountain West. The 14 wins are the most conference wins ever in program history, while the 14-4 record is tops for CSU in their 22-year membership in the Mountain West. Medved’s squad was the only Mountain West team not to get swept in a two-game conference series this season, as CSU was the only team to earn wins at San Diego State and Utah State this year while going 5-3 against the four teams picked above it in the preseason poll. Among those wins was the nation’s largest rally from behind for a win, as CSU came from 26 points down to win at then-No. 23 San Diego State.
CSU will face the Bulls for the second time in history. The previous meeting was in the 2008 Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawai’I, with Buffalo getting a 67-53 win.
This will be the 21st time the Rams will have been selected for postseason play and the 10th time they will compete in the NIT. The most recent postseason experience was in the 2017 NIT when CSU defeated Charleston in the opening round before losing to CSU Bakersfield. The most successful run in the event was in 1988, when CSU finished third with wins over New Orleans, Houston, Arkansas State and Boston College. In its history, the Rams have a 7-9 record in the tournament.
Games will be played at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas and at UNT Coliseum on the campus of North Texas in Denton, Texas. First-round games will be played Wednesday, March 17, through Saturday, March 20. Quarterfinals also will take place Thursday, March 25. The semifinals and championship will take place Saturday and Sunday, March 27 and 28. 2021 also will feature a third-place game Sunday, March 28, which hasn’t been played at the NIT since 2003. All 16 games of the 2021 NIT will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2.
– CSURams.com –
540.476.1259 (C) | john.a.martin@colostate.edu
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