The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 183 is Colorado State basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Colorado State basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 1
- Sweet 16s: 2
- NCAA wins: 6
- Bids: 13
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 11.6
- Bids per season: 0.11
- AP Polls: 23
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 1
- NBA players drafted & played: 9
- Conference Players of the Year: 3
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 6
- Conference tournament titles: 2
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Colorado State basketball
We move on to a Mountain West program as Colorado State is in at No. 183.
The Rams have arguably been a top 100 program, if not top 75, over the last decade and a half. In fact, in the last 17 seasons, the Rams have had 14 seasons with records of .500 or better and 10 seasons with at least 20 wins. They reached some amazing heights under Niko Medved, who took the Rams to three NCAA Tournaments in seven seasons, had them ranked in the AP Poll multiple times, and a round of 32 appearance in 2025 as a 12-seed.
The Rams have also had some great players as of late. Gian Clavell won Mountain West Player of the Year in 2017, with David Roddy earning it in 2022. Other standouts have included Isaiah Stevens, Nique Clifford, and John Tonje.
While the peak of the program is the current age, it’s not the only time Colorado State has been relevant. The Rams made NCAA Tournaments in 1954, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1989, 1990, 2003, 2012, and 2013.
After some really humble beginnings, head coach Bill Strannigan led the Rams, then known as Colorado A&M, to the Sweet 16 in 1954.
Strannigan left to coach at Iowa State, but new head coach Jim Williams made Colorado State his forever home, coaching for 26 seasons and going 352-293 with the program. Williams had a great run in the 1960s, with four trips to the big dance. The 1968-69 group clicked the best in the postseason, getting by Dayton and Colorado for the school’s only Elite 8 appearance.
Colorado State would later find success under coach Tiny Grant, as he led them to back-to-back tourneys in ’89 and ’90. Between then and the current age, coaches would come in and out, often moving on to better or different jobs.
Interestingly enough, the program’s best NBA talent was Jason Smith, who served as a longtime backup in the Association from 2007-19.
The weirdest story is of Bill Green, who was a Consensus AA in 1963, but never played in the NBA or ABA. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, and Dallas Cowboys as a three-sport standout. However, he had a fear of flying and instead, played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League in the Scranton, PA area. He would later become an educator and died in 1994 at age 53.
Green was of course one of many legends for a Colorado State basketball program that seems to have a lot more in store. Currently, Ali Farokhmanesh is in charge, and after a debut season going 21-13, the Rams are in great hands.