Colorado State will open Mountain West Conference play for the final time Saturday as the Rams take a five-game winning streak into their first league contest at Utah State.
The defending conference tournament champion Rams enter league play with a 9-2 record. They haven’t lost since dropping back-to-back contests, by two points each time, to Denver at home Nov. 21 and Virginia Tech at the Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 26.
First-year head coach Ali Farokhmanesh and a lineup full of new faces appear ready to take on the Mountain West. CSU is one of the best shooting teams in the country and have continued the unselfish play that became a trademark under previous head coach Niko Medved.
As of Friday morning, the Rams are ranked No. 1 in the country in both overall field goal percentage (54.3%) and 3-point percentage (44.7%). They are second in the country in free throw percentage (80.8%).
They are also ranked 25th in assists per game (18.7) and 21st in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8), all while playing with a roster of mostly newcomers.
“They’ve bought into the unselfishness. I think that is my biggest takeaway (from nonconference),” Farokhmanesh said. “They share the ball. For them to pass up open shots and keep the offense moving and make the next play, there’s been a ton of growth in that area, and you can see that they’re really starting to trust each other and the connections.”
CSU has been led offensively by a returner and several of the newcomers. Sophomore Kyle Jorgensen, one of a handful of players who didn’t graduate or transfer following last season, is the team’s leading scorer at 15.2 points per game. His 5.7 rebounds per game rank second on the team.
Colorado State’s Josh Pascarelli, right, guards against Creighton’s Josh Dix during the second half of an NCAA college basketball exhibition game Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)Josh Pascarelli, a junior transfer from Marist, is averaging 14.6 points per game and is shooting an impressive 54.7% from beyond the arc. During a recent three-game stretch, he made 18 of 20 3-pointers.
Carey Booth, a junior transfer from Illinois, is averaging 12.3 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game, while Brandon Rechsteiner, a junior transfer from Virginia Tech, is averaging 11.7 points per contest.
“Every night, it can be someone different,” Rechsteiner said. “A lot of nights, it’s multiple guys. Just how deep we are and how everyone can come in and contribute, you don’t see that a lot. I just think our connectivity and our depth is really high.”
CSU opened the season with four straight wins before losing to the Pioneers on Nov. 21. The Rams were favored by double digits in that contest. They lost their second game of the season five days later to the Hokies in The Bahamas.
Since then, the Rams have been on a roll, winning five straight highlighted by a home victory over CU. The Rams won their last game against Northern New Mexico on Sunday, 104-54.
“We’ve been through some adversity,” Farokhmanesh said. “We’ve had some highs. We’ve had some lows. That’s what you want from your nonconference. I think we’ve kind of hit all the things that you need to hit in the nonconference to feel prepared for the conference season.”
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Although he was an assistant at CSU under Medved for his predecessor’s entire tenure in Fort Collins, this will be Farokhmanesh’s first and only run through the Mountain West as the team’s head coach.
He said he is looking forward to the challenge this season and the ones awaiting the program after it moves to the Pac-12.
“Going through the Mountain West, it’s one of the best leagues to go through from a basketball standpoint,” Farokhmanesh said. “I’m going to kind of miss going to New Mexico. I’m sure I’ll feel different about it after we play there. Nevada’s always been a great crowd, so you lose out on some of those great environments they’re used to playing in.
“And then, Grand Canyon, that’s a great basketball program as well. So, you’re going to miss out on some of those but when you replace them with Gonzaga, it’s a little different, too.”
CSU was picked to finish seventh in the Mountain West this season, just as they were last year when they won the league tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
After the Rams’ trip to Utah on Saturday, they will play their conference home opener Dec. 30 against Nevada at Moby Arena.
Colorado State’s Brandon Rechsteiner (2) plays against Creighton during the second half of an NCAA college basketball exhibition game Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)Hence then, the article about csu rams on a roll heading into mountain west conference play was published today ( ) and is available on GreeleyTribune ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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