20. Colorado State (10-0)
Bringing back basically everyone from last season’s great team, Colorado State was already seen as a favorite in the Mountain West before the season began, but a 10-0 start has them turning heads at the national level too. David Roddy, Isaiah Stevens, and the rest of this Rams roster has taken care of business through nonconference play, even if the schedule wasn’t exactly the toughest in the nation.
The Rams have scored a trio of nice wins among their unbeaten start, getting double-digit wins over Creighton and Saint Mary’s while knocking off Mississippi State in their most recent outing. Unfortunately, the rams have been on a COVID pause for over a week, which cancelled their game with Alabama, their most prominent nonconference game of the season. Nevertheless, Colorado State has won the teams on their schedule and looked fantastic for the most part.
There are certainly some power conference teams that have played weaker schedules than Colorado State. The Rams’ unblemished start should absolutely be taken seriously. The Rams have shot the ball really well for the most part, though they rate quite poorly against the boards on offense. They’ve done just enough on defense on a nightly basis, while this roster is deep and very familiar with each other. Colorado State is certainly the favorite in the Mountain West and will be one of those teams that could do some damage from a lower seed in the NCAA Tournament.