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  • Pac-12 MBB power rankings: Only Gonzaga and Utah State are safe for the NCAAs as San Diego State stumbles

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    Welcome to the latest installment of the Hotline’s Pac-12 men’s basketball power rankings, our weekly assessment of the reconstituted conference using results, analytics and a dash of common sense. The power rankings will be published each Monday through the end of the regular season. Here is last week’s edition, which examined how three  Big Ten teams are undermining Gonzaga’s resume.

    A brutal week for San Diego State was, consequently, the worst week of the season for the future Pac-12.

    The Aztecs dropped two games they should have won and slid onto the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, leaving the conference that doesn’t exist (yet) staring at just two bids for March Madness.

    Gonzaga is a lock. The only unknown for the Zags is whether they can claim a No. 2 seed.

    And Utah State, despite a loss at Nevada, appears safe for the time being.

    San Diego State was the only other member of the rebuilt nine-team Pac-12 with a reasonable chance to qualify for the at-large field.

    But after a face plant at home against Grand Canyon and a road loss to Colorado State — both count as Quadrant II defeats — the Aztecs could miss the NCAAs for the first time since 2019.

    Their NET ranking (44) is in the danger zone, largely because they have just one Quadrant I victory.

    Perhaps more concerning is their position (54) in wins-above-bubble ranking, which measures how each team has performed against its schedule compared to how an average bubble team would fare. (The WAB was added to the selection process last season.)

    All of which leaves the Pac-12 reliant upon upsets in the conference tournaments in order to send a third future member into the upcoming NCAAs:

    — It needs Washington State or Oregon State to win the West Coast Conference and claim the league’s automatic bid. That seems unlikely: They are 0-6 against the WCC’s powers, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, and only one of the six games was close.

    — Or it needs San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State or Boise State to win the Mountain West. Unreasonable? Hardly. The conference is wide open. But that means one of the schools not headed to the Pac-12 could be the last one standing.

    — Or it needs Texas State to win the Sun Belt title, an outcome that appears far more plausible today than it did a few weeks ago. The Bobcats have won seven of their past eight and defeated several of the frontrunners during their late-season run.

    That would be quite the twist: A school invited to join the Pac-12 entirely because of its football value providing a boost on the basketball side.

    To the power rankings …

    (Results and NET rankings through Sunday)

    1. Gonzaga (27-2)

    Results: won at San Francisco 80-59, beat Pacific 71-62
    NET ranking: No. 5
    Comment: The Zags could not have asked for better results elsewhere in their pursuit of the highest possible seed in the NCAA Tournament. Losses by UConn, Iowa State, Nebraska, Houston, Kansas (and others) all allowed Gonzaga to improve its position relative to the top group. (Previous: 2)

    2. Utah State (23-4)

    Results: beat Boise State 75-56, lost at Nevada 80-77
    NET ranking: No. 24
    Comment: Another loss in conference play could nudge the Aggies uncomfortably close to the bubble. In our view, their impressive NET ranking is a false indicator. Drill down on the metrics that matter, and their resume has some flaws. (Previous: 1)

    3. Boise State (16-11)

    Results: lost at Utah State 75-56, beat San Jose State 84-69
    NET ranking: No. 62
    Comment: The Broncos don’t have enough quality wins to counteract all their bad losses. The net impact on their NET ranking is decidedly negative. (Previous: 4)

    4. San Diego State (18-8)

    Results: lost to Grand Canyon 73-63 and at Colorado State 83-74
    NET ranking: No. 44
    Comment: The Aztecs are stout as ever defensively under coach Brian Dutcher but rank 108th nationally in offensive efficiency, according to the Pomeroy ratings, which measure points-per-possession adjusted for opponents. (Previous: 3)

    5. Colorado State (17-10)

    Results: won at UNLV 91-86, beat San Diego State 83-74
    NET ranking: No. 88
    Comment: The Rams have won five in a row and will finish February with Fresno State (home) and San Jose State (road), so they very well could carry a seven-game winning streak into March. And as we noted, the Mountain West tournament is wide open. (Previous: 8)

    6. Oregon State (15-14)

    Results: beat Pepperdine 83-73
    NET ranking: No. 183
    Comment: The Beavers will enter the West Coast Conference tournament as one of the most difficult teams to project. Unless they face Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s, any outcome is possible. They have looked surprisingly stout at times and predictably poor at others. (Previous: 5)

    7. Washington State (12-17)

    Results: beat Pacific 87-70, lost to Saint Mary’s 83-67
    NET ranking: No. 130
    Comment: Hard to believe but a top-four seed in the WCC tournament is a distinct possibility for the Cougars, who close the regular season at Pepperdine and LMU. (Previous: 6)

    8. Texas State (18-12)

    Results: won at South Alabama 90-82, lost at Louisiana 67-54
    NET ranking: No. 240
    Comment: We’ll know far more about the Bobcats at the end of the week. They host first-place Appalachian State on Thursday in the regular-season finale. (Previous: 9)

    9. Fresno State (12-15)

    Results: lost at Wyoming 92-82 and to New Mexico 80-78
    NET ranking: No. 133
    Comment: The Bulldogs are last here because of their season-long resume. But if the new Pac-12 existed today, we might pick them to win a game in the conference tournament. (Previous: 7)

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    Jon Wilner

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  • Anthony Colandrea outduels Liam Szarka as Air Force loses another shootout at UNLV

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    LAS VEGAS — Liam Szarka keeps putting up ridiculous numbers. And the Air Force Falcons keep finding ways to squander them.

    Air Force lost yet another fireworks show Saturday afternoon, this time in Sin City, as UNLV’s Anthony Colandrea ran in a 19-yard touchdown with 36 seconds left that sent the unbeaten Runnin’ Rebels to a 51-48 victory inside Allegiant Stadium.

    The scoring run capped a brilliant day for the UNLV quarterback, who threw for 361 yards and one touchdown on 20-of-32 passing and also ran for 62 yards and a pair of TDs to lead the Runnin’ Rebels (6-0, 2-0 Mountain West) to a sixth straight win.

    It also obscured yet another gaudy performance from Szarka, the sophomore who’s been on a tear in his first season as the Falcons’ starting quarterback, even as Air Force has fallen to 1-5 this season. The Grandview High product fell just short of topping 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing for the fourth straight game, finishing with 175 yards and one TD on 10-of-17 passing to go along with 136 yards rushing and two TDs on 27 carries.

    His last touchdown run, from 9 yards out, had the Falcons on the verge of ending a four-game losing streak, up 48-44 with 1:13 left in the game. Instead, on the ensuing series, Colandrea scrambled to his left and then ran untouched before knocking an Air Force defender into the end zone with him for the go-ahead score.

    Szarka led the Falcons to the UNLV 23 on their final drive, but Jacob Medina missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt to end it. The loss drops Air Force to 1-5 overall and 0-4 in the Mountain West despite topping 30 points scored in all five of the Falcons’ losses.

    Owen Allen ran the ball 17 times for 192 yards with two touchdowns for Air Force. Cade Harris also had two touchdown runs for the Falcons.

    The teams combined for six lead changes and 42 points in the fourth quarter.

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    The Associated Press

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  • Keeler: CSU Rams coach Jay Norvell is becoming his own worst enemy in FoCo

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    FORT COLLINS — CSU ranks 99th nationally in passing (197.3 yards per game) and No. 1 in throwing stuff against the wall.

    Are the Rams a power run team? An Air Raid team? Pro style? Spread? Multiple? All of the above? None of the above?

    Jay Norvell, the head coach, needs to re-assign Jay Norvell, the offensive coordinator, before it’s too late. Close games are turning chaotic at Canvas Stadium — only not in a good way. The Rams are tied for 127th out of 136 FBS programs in penalties per game (8.7) and 121st in penalty yards (76.3).

    You wait too long to yank a cold hand (Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi) at quarterback against UTSA. You put in a hot hand (Jackson Brousseau), who slings you back into a tie game, 17-17, with 29 seconds left … only to take that tying point off the board and take said “hot hand” out of the contest.

    Then you ask your third-string QB, a runner by trade (Tahj Bullock) who hasn’t completed a throw all year, to come off the bench cold, sprint right and pass you to a victory?

    “That was one where I felt like that was our best chance to win, right there and right now,” Norvell explained Monday after watching film of CSU’s 17-16 home loss to the Roadrunners. “And so, I don’t regret it. I don’t. We needed to execute it better.”

    I don’t know, man.

    To be clear: CSU football is in a far, far better place than at this time four years ago. Daz Ball was a disaster from the jump.

    It was also, in hindsight, a hysterically low bar to clear. And instead of consolidating the fan base in Year 4, Norvell has become Fort Fun’s Rorschach test.

    True, his Rams are a two-point conversion away from being 2-1. A Bullock completion from rolling into a winnable home matchup against Washington State (2-2), coming off two Houdini escapes.

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    Sean Keeler

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  • CSU linebacker Jacob Ellis ‘playing for a higher cause’ in final year with Rams

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    FORT COLLINS — Randi Ellis can remember the sounds radiating from the family’s garage early each morning.

    Music bumping at full blast. Dumbbells clashing. And the thump, thump, thumping of her brother’s hands pounding a heavy bag.

    “He knew that one way or another, he was going to follow in our father’s footsteps,” Randi said of her younger brother, Jacob.

    This fall in Fort Collins, Jacob Ellis is playing his final year of college football with boxing in his blood and his late father in his heart.

    The new CSU linebacker’s grandfather, Jimmy Ellis, was a world heavyweight champion. And Jacob’s father, former Ohio State tight end Jeff Ellis, has been Jacob’s primary motivation since Jeff died of pancreatic cancer during his son’s junior year of high school.

    Those two family backstories are Ellis’ fuel as the Iowa State transfer chases the same success he found in 2021, when he emerged as one of the best junior college players in the nation at Iowa Western.

    “My hope for this year is to have that (NJCAA) national defensive player of the year Jacob come back out,” Ellis said. “But most importantly, I want to help this team win, and to continue to play for my last name. Play for the name on the front of the jersey, but also on the back of the jersey.

    “I play with a lot of passion and with my emotions on my sleeve. Rams fans are going to see me continuously remember my ‘why.’ ”

    Ellis trained like his grandfather ahead of his season, building himself up with boxing gloves and hill sprints.

    In his hometown of Sacramento over the summer, Ellis sparred with other local players in the garage gym of his trainer, Bob Sebring. Then, Ellis ran up and down Sebring’s property to the point of complete exhaustion.

    “When we’re sparring, we’re working on footwork, our hand speed in and out, because it all translates over to when an offensive lineman comes to block you and how fast can you get your hands on him and how fast can you get his hands off of you,” Ellis said. “After we get done boxing, we run the hill five, six times.

    “A couple times, I almost fell down (and passed out) because of how much I pushed my legs and my body to the limits.”

    After eight starts over three seasons at Iowa State, Ellis is set up for a big role with CSU. One of the team captains, he quickly emerged as a leader for a rebuilt Rams defense.

    Colorado State Rams linebacker Jacob Ellis (44) runs drills during practice on campus in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Aug. 19, 2025. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)

    “Jacob’s come in and been a force,” fellow linebacker and captain Owen Long said. “Not only with his play, but his knowledge for the game and his leadership has been something that has rubbed off on me and everyone. Throughout fall camp, there were times when he’d call out a play before it even comes. He helps the defense play three times faster.”

    As he’s done throughout college, Ellis will continue to write “RIP DAD” on the tape on his wrist, in addition to the date his father died. Jeff Ellis coached his son throughout Jacob’s childhood. The linebacker says he wouldn’t be playing Division I football without his father’s influence.

    “I always feel his presence with me,” Ellis said. “That helps me so much when I’m out there. When I’m tired, when I have a bad play, I just look down at my tape.”

    Ellis didn’t get to know his grandfather as well. Jimmy Ellis battled Alzheimer’s disease at the end of his life and passed away when Jacob was in middle school. But the reminders of Jimmy’s fame in the ring were everywhere around Jacob’s childhood home.

    Jimmy, one of the lightest heavyweight champions ever, was a sparring partner with Muhammad Ali. He held the World Boxing Association belt from 1968-70 and fought some of the biggest names in the sport, including Ali, Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier and Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. He was 40-12-1 as a pro before retiring in 1975.

    In this July 27, 1971, file photo, Referee Jay Edson, left, keeps an eye on the fight between Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Ellis, right, in the 12th round of their heavyweight fight in Houston. (AP Photo/File)
    In this July 27, 1971, file photo, Referee Jay Edson, left, keeps an eye on the fight between Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Ellis, right, in the 12th round of their heavyweight fight in Houston. (AP Photo/File)

    “I’ve gone to the Muhammad Ali Museum in Louisville and seen my grandfather in there, so the Ellis legacy is something I take a lot of pride in and it’s something I want to continue,” Jacob Ellis said. “It’s my job to continue that legacy in the sport of football.”

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    Kyle Newman

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  • Week 11 picks: Breaking down the Holy War, Cal’s long trip, Washington’s huge challenge and a key game for Oregon State

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    The trends suggest Utah is the play Saturday night as a home underdog in the first Holy War in three years.

    Even though the Utes have dropped four in a row and changed playcallers and quarterbacks.

    Even though Brigham Young is undefeated and churning toward a date in the Big 12 title game.

    Even though the Cougars have eight wins and the Utes have four.

    And when the trends speak, the Hotline typically listens. Here’s what they say:

    — Utah has dominated the series, winning 14 of the past 20 matchups and seven of the past nine at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

    — The underdog covered the spread in 15 of those 20 games.

    — When one team has at least three more wins than the other at the time of kickoff, the team with the better record is 3-0 straight up but 1-2 against the spread.

    Those same fundamentals exist this week with the Utes as a four-point home underdog.

    But in a season that makes no sense, with the Cougars and Utes in a role reversal for the ages, our instinct is to avoid the sensible and dismiss the trends.

    To ignore the lure of the home underdog in a series that favors the home underdog.

    Our instinct is to take BYU, give the points and watch the current trajectories continue.

    The Utes find ways to lose.

    The Cougars find ways to win.

    We don’t know how it will unfold but fully expect the unexpected. And in a series dominated by the underdog, the unexpected result would be a decisive victory by the favorite.

    To the picks …

    Last week: 4-3
    Season: 50-35-1
    Five-star special: 5-5

    All picks against the spread
    Lines taken from vegasinsider.com

    (All times Pacific)

    Cal (-7) at Wake Forest
    Kickoff: Friday at 5 p.m. on the ACC Network
    Comment: The Bears as a touchdown favorite on the road? That presents an opportunity we cannot ignore — an opportunity to take the home underdog. Pick: Wake Forest

    San Jose State (+4) at Oregon State
    Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. on The CW
    Comment: The Beavers have struggled defensively against the run (186 yards per game), but SJSU has no running game to speak of. First-year coach Ken Niumatalolo, who previously coached Navy’s triple option, is all about the aerial game. That should benefit the Beavers. Pick: Oregon State

    South Carolina (-3.5) at Vanderbilt
    Kickoff: 1:15 p.m. on the SEC Network
    Comment: Few teams across the land have been better against the spread than the Commodores, who have covered in all five SEC games. The Gamecocks will be riding high after their upset of Texas A&M and underestimating their opponent. Pick: Vanderbilt

    UCF (+3) at Arizona State
    Kickoff: 4 p.m. on ESPN2
    Comment: This feels like a pump-the-brakes game for the Sun Devils, who clinched a bowl berth last week and will be feeling good about their trajectory — a bit too good, in our view. Another unexpected result in the wild Big 12. Pick: UCF

    Washington (+13.5) at Penn State
    Kickoff: 5 p.m. on Peacock
    Comment: There’s no better time to visit Happy Valley than the week after Penn State suffers a gut-punch loss to Ohio State. We aren’t sure the Huskies can make enough plays offensively to win, but they should be in position to cover if the Nittany Lions start with an OSU hangover. Pick: Washington

    Brigham Young (-4) at Utah
    Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. on ESPN
    Comment: Both teams had two weeks to prepare, so there’s no competitive advantage either way. One of several crucial differences between the Cougars and Utes is success in situational football: The former scores touchdowns on two of every three trips inside the Red Zone; the latter scores on fewer than half their Red Zone opportunities. Field goals won’t cut it. Pick: Brigham Young

    Utah State (+20.5) at Washington State
    Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. on The CW
    Comment: The Aggies have one victory over an FBS opponent (Wyoming) while the Cougars have one loss to an FBS opponent (Boise State). This should not be close. And it won’t be, at least in the fourth quarter. Pick: Washington State

    Straight-up winners: Wake Forest, Oregon State, Vanderbilt, UCF, Penn State, Brigham Young and Washington State

    Five-star special: Brigham Young. The Cougars are 7-1 against the spread this season; the Utes are 2-6. Let’s not over-complicate the situation.

    *** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

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    Jon Wilner

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  • CSU Rams announce decision to join Pac-12 Conference

    CSU Rams announce decision to join Pac-12 Conference

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    CSU is joining a revamped and re-stocked Pac-12 Conference.

    According to a report published late Wednesday night by Yahoo Sports, the long-standing collegiate league, which was ravaged by membership defections — including that of the CU Buffs — over the past 18 months, is moving forward with plans to expand.

    The first wave of that expansion includes four of the top athletic brands from the Mountain West: CSU, Boise State, San Diego State and Fresno State, will all four becoming members on July 1, 2026.

    “We are taking control of our future at CSU by forming an alliance of six peer institutions who will serve as the foundation for a new era of the Pac-12,” CSU President Amy Parsons said in a news release announcing the move.

    “This move elevates CSU in a way which benefits all our students, bolsters our core mission, and strengthens our reputation for academic and research excellence. CSU is honored to be among the universities asked to help carry on the history and tradition of the Pac-12 as a highly competitive conference with some of the nation’s leading research institutions.”

    The Rams, whose football program hosts rival CU in the Rocky Mountain Showdown for the first time at Canvas Stadium on Saturday, are a founding member of the Mountain West Conference, a league which began operations in January 1999.

    By accepting an invitation from the Pac-12, CSU will gain association with what the athletic department has sought for decades — membership within a “power” conference.

    “This moment has been a long time coming,” CSU authentic director John Weber said. “I know our students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and fans are hungry for this move and are going to love what comes next as CSU charts a transformational new course as a member of the Pac-12.”

    The Pac-12, which was founded in 1915, has historically been the most prestigious collegiate league west of the Central time zone. However, that prestige, and indeed its membership, were crippled by the defections of CU, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State to the Big 12; USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten; and Stanford and Cal to the ACC.

    Washington State and Oregon State were left with the conference’s holdings, trademarks and media rights. Per Yahoo Sports, the remaining Pac-12 programs believe they can rebuild the brand with the likes of the Rams, Aztecs, Broncos and Bulldogs as peers.

    They’re also not done looking at new members, as the NCAA requires a minimum of eight schools to qualify as an FBS conference.

    CSU football plays at Oregon State on Oct. 5 as part of a scheduling alliance between the MW and the remains of the Pac-12, a partnership that Yahoo Sports reports will not continue for a second fall.

    Mountain West members are contracted to pay a $17 million exit fee to leave the league.

    The primary motivations for CSU are the same reasons CU left the Pac-12 this past summer — money, prestige, potential access to the College Football Playoff, and stability.

    While the mass defections from the Pac-12 would denounce the latter, Yahoo Sports reports that the remaining Pac-12 members feel a new-look league would reach a media rights agreement worth more than the current or expected payouts presented to MW members.

    The Mountain West has a $270 million television contract with CBS and Fox that runs through 2026.

    Published reports have estimated that non-Boise members of the MW, including CSU, receive roughly $3.5 million annually from that deal, with the Broncos receiving an additional $1.8 million per year.

    CSU noted in its financial report to the NCAA for the 2022-23 fiscal year, the most recent public report available, that its media rights revenues from all sources, including conference distributions, was $3.3 million.

    The Yahoo Sports report infers that the Rams could also have access to Pac-12 assets such as “monies from the Rose Bowl contract, College Football Playoff, NCAA basketball tournament units and Pac-12 Enterprises, previously the Pac-12 Network.”

    CSU indicated in its announcement Thursday morning that the four new schools “will have immediate voting privileges” within the conference.

    “We have nothing but the utmost respect and appreciation for the Mountain West and its members,” Parsons said. “There will be conversations going forward about the Mountain West exit fees and Pac-12 support for our transition. We are confident the path forward will not impact our current university budget and will set CSU up for incredible opportunities to come.”

    However, the two-team Pac-12 recently lost its status as a Power 5/”autonomous” conference within the CFP — and it’s not clear whether supplementing the expanded league with Group of 5 programs would restore those privileges.

    CSU athletics reported revenues of $64.3 million to the NCAA for the ’22-23 fiscal year this past January. The Rams’ revenues of $61.2 million, per a USA Today database, ranked fourth among known MW athletics budgets in ’21-22, behind Air Force, San Diego State and UNLV. Wazzu and Oregon State had revenues of $85 million and $83.5 million in ’21-22, respectively.

    Originally Published:

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    Sean Keeler

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  • CSU Rams outlast 23rd-ranked Nevada, advance to Mountain West semifinals

    CSU Rams outlast 23rd-ranked Nevada, advance to Mountain West semifinals

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    Time to stop worrying about Colorado State’s NCAA Tournament hopes.

    Time to start thinking about where the CSU Rams might land if they win the Mountain West Conference tournament.

    The CSU men moved within two victories of doing just that with an 85-78 win over 23rd-ranked Nevada in Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

    Next up is a semifinal date with the winner of Thursday night’s late game between No. 3 seed Boise State and No. 6 New Mexico. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. MDT Friday.

    Senior guard Isaiah Stevens was brilliant, scoring 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting while dishing seven assists, and Jalen Lake was nearly flawless off the bench with 16 points while hitting all three of his 3-point attempts. The seventh-seeded Rams (24-9) buried seven 3s en route to topping a Nevada (26-7) club that beat them twice during the regular season, the last of which came on a half-court buzzer-beater in Fort Collins.

    The second-seeded Wolf Pack didn’t have a shot at such late-game theatrics Thursday night. CSU raced out to a 10-point halftime lead, withstood a pair of second-half runs from Nevada and held on for their fourth straight win.

    Along the way, the Rams turned the ball over just nine times while forcing 15 Nevada giveaways.

    Jarod Lucas, the Nevada guard who hit that half-court heave in FoCo, led the Wolf Pack with 18 points but was largely contained for most of the night.

    Nique Clifford added 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for CSU, Joel Scott had 11 points and five rebounds, and Joe Palmer added 12 points as part of a 35-21 advantage in bench scoring for the Rams.

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    Matt Schubert

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  • CSU Rams lose to Nevada on buzzer-beater

    CSU Rams lose to Nevada on buzzer-beater

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    FORT COLLINS — Just when it looked like Colorado State had completed a second-half comeback to send its game against Nevada to overtime, the Wolf Pack made sure extra time would not be needed.

    Isaiah Stevens drained a jumper to tie the game at 74 with 2.8 seconds remaining, but the Wolf Pack banked in a half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer to claim a 77-74 victory Tuesday night at Moby Arena.

    It was CSU’s first Mountain West conference loss at home and just its second loss at home this season. It was also CSU’s third straight loss overall on the heels of an 0-2 road trip last week at New Mexico and UNLV.

    The Rams dropped to 20-9 overall and 8-8 in the Mountain West with two games remaining in the regular season.

    “Basketball can be unforgiving sometimes,” CSU head coach Niko Medved said. “Tonight was a gut-punch. There’s no other way around it.”

    Trailing 39-28 at halftime, the Rams scored the first four points to cut the Wolf Pack lead to 39-32 and then cut it to five at 42-37 on a layup by Patrick Cartier with 14:21 remaining in the game.

    But a 3-pointer followed by three free throws from a foul on a 3-point attempt pushed the Wolf Pack’s lead back to double digits at 48-37 with 13:20 left.

    CSU got back within five after a three-point play by Patrick Cartier made it 53-48 with 10:15 remaining. The Rams got that close a few more times, the last coming on a free-throw by Jalen Lake with 4:19 remaining that made it 63-58.

    With 3:23 remaining, the Rams got within two at 63-61 on a three-point play by Stevens, but the Wolf Pack answered, as they did all game, with four straight points to extend their lead to multiple possessions again.

    Finally, the Rams got within striking distance, pulling within three on a 3-pointer by Nique Clifford with 22 seconds left and then two on a jumper by Stevens with 11 seconds remaining and then tied it on another jumper by Stevens with just under three seconds left.

    Colorado State’s Nique Clifford puts up a shot against Nevada on Tuesday at Moby Arena in Fort Collins. (Nathan Wright/Loveland Reporter-Herald)

    Then Nevad’s Jarod Lucas, who missed a pair of free throws between Stevens’ two jumpers, raced down the sideline, heaved the ball from halfcourt and banked it in.

    “It was a heck of a game,” Stevens said. “We kept fighting. I give our team a lot of credit, but we just didn’t make that last play.”

    Stevens led the Rams with 23 points. Joel Scott added 15 and Clifford 10.

    CSU led for the first 1:51, but after Nevada took a 5-3 lead on a 3-pointer, the Rams never led again in the opening 20 minutes.

    The Wolf Pack extended its lead to five before the Rams were able to whittle it back down to one at 10-9 after a 3-pointer by Clifford with 13:40 left in the first half.

    Nevada took a seven-point lead at 29-16, but the Rams cut their deficit to four at 30-26 on a jumper by Lake, but CSU would get no close than that before halftime as the Wolf Pack closed the period on a 9-2 run to take an 11-point lead into halftime.

    Five first-half turnovers and a 39.3 shooting percentage from the field hurt the Rams in the first half. They were also only 5-for-12 (41.7%) from behind the 3-point line and got to the free-throw line once. Joe Palmer made one of two on that lone trip to the stripe.

    Stevens had 10 points to lead the Rams in the first half.

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    Nathan Wright

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