Rams ( 31- 1) get 11th seed, will meet South Florida on Saturday
fort collins » Finally, the Rams got to sit back, relax and enjoy everything they’ve accomplished all season.
Because up until now, they’ve been too busy keeping their heads downand focused on the next task. Not this time. This time the No. 22- ranked Colorado State women’s basketball team soaked it all in during its NCAA Tournament selection show watch party Monday night.
After winning the Mountain West Tournament last week in Las Vegas, the Rams ( 31- 1) already knew they were in the Big Dance for the first time since 2002. The only drama was finding out their seed, their opponent and their location.
The answers: CSU( 33- 1) received an 11th seed in the Bridgeport Region and will play No. 6 South Florida ( 23- 9) in the opening round at 7 p. m. Saturday at Los Angeles’ Pauley Pavilion. The game will be televised on ESPN2 with the winner advancing to face either No. 3 and pod host UCLA ( 24- 8) or No. 14 Hawaii ( 21- 10) on Monday.
“Told them to enjoy it,” fourth- year coach Ryun Williams said. “Youwant them to step back. ‘ Do you guys realize what you’ve done? I mean, really, let’s look at what we’ve done.’ It’s quite remarkable.
“We really haven’t gotten a chance to do that yet. There’s just always been that next game, the ultimate goal of winning the Mountain West Tournament. Thatwas just always hanging over them, even when we had that streak going in the regular season. And so, it was nice to enjoy a day in Vegas, and today is really special as well.”
Despite being just one of five teams in the country with fewer than two losses, the Rams weren’t guaranteed to make the NCAA Tournament until securing the league’s automatic bid with a dramatic 15point comeback in a 55- 54 win over Fresno State in the MW Tournament championship game on Friday.
ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme projected the Rams as an 11th seed, and Williams told his players he thought they’d be between a 10 and 12, so their draw was hardly a surprise. However, that didn’t take away from the excitement of seeing ‘ Colorado State’ flash on the TV screens during the bracket unveiling on ESPN, igniting the entire place into a roaring applause.
“It was really, really cool. It was nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” said junior guard Ellen Nystrom, the conference player of the year. “It was awesome.”
Adding to the experience was that the restaurant was practically standing- roomonly and filled with everyone involved in the program and all its biggest supporters.
“All year, as Coach said in his speech, we’re so thankful and grateful for the people we have around us,” senior forward Emilie Hesseldal said. “It couldn’t be any better, and I’m so happy that people showed up today and show they don’t only support us in the gym on the sideline, but also off court with stuff like this.”
The 22nd- ranked Rams will be looking for its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2001 against a South Florida team ranked one spot above them at No. 21.