WSU Versus Colorado St. Predictions and Pregame Discussions

[ShockdaWorld]

I'm not sure why, but I see CSU more like LSU than MSU.

[Onegreatracer]

Shockers 57
Rams 51

We may have trouble scoring in the mountains

[Play Angry]

Altitude games are always incredibly difficult. Remember when we barely escaped a decent-not-great Air Force team at Colorado Springs a few years back - those last few minutes were the most winded I've seen a HCGM team look (possible exception for last year's Iowa game when we had half a roster available). Our conference features no road games where we face a similar element and even teams with excellent conditioning struggle and cramp frequently that high up.

I will be thrilled with any win and am expecting a slugfest. In Wichita, we win this one by double digits. In Fort Collins, I think we escape 73-69.

[shocks02]

CSU up 61-51 at Colorado with 2 and change to play. We're going to have our hands full Saturday.

[ShockingButTrue]

Tough game for the Shocks based on what I saw last night...

Better hit the boards.

[Bluzrover]

Colo St plays some good, tough defense. Add the altitude issue and this becomes a very close game that will come down to the wire. We have the horses to keep putting "fresh" legs on the court throughout the game and I like our chances if we can get our offense back on track.

We can't rely on our 3 point shooting to win this game. I think the Rams defense will effect our perimeter shooting so we really need to get our inside game going early and keep feeding Morris, Nurger and Willis. They're not a real big team so I think our Bigs will be critical to escaping with a win. Could be a big night for Willis.

[Stickboy46]

A couple of rankings here. By all accounts we SHOULD win this game, but .. its a road game and road games are hard.

	WSU	CSU
KenPom	23	125
KenPom AdjO	58	149
KenPom AdjD	5	107
KenPom AdjT	195	246
KenPom NCSOS	201	307
Sagarin	13	86
Massey	27	77
Massey O	66	123
Massey D	5	114
Massey Power Rating	18	104

CSU Plays 9 players 13 min or more but has played ZERO players other than those 9. They have 7 players averaging 5 points or more including 3 in double figures. They are a pretty bad 3 point shooting team at 29% but only take 32% of their shots from 3. Most of their shots are inside the arc.

If we can apply good Defense, I like our chances. They don't shoot well overall, and have a pretty bad Assist to TO ratio as a team (78/94).

[ShockerFever]

What were the Colorado/Colorado State side-by-side number comparisons? That alone, especially based on December 1st data, doesn't predict or mean anything.

[WstateU]

[Stickboy46]

What were the Colorado/Colorado State side-by-side number comparisons? That alone, especially based on December 1st data, doesn't predict or mean anything.

I know you just love to argue .. but here you go ... a lot closer of a gap. I agree its just numbers.

	CU	CSU
KenPom	59	125
KenPom AdjO	81	149
KenPom AdjD	49	107
KenPom AdjT	114	206
KenPom SOS	299	307
Sagarin	62	86
Massey	73	77
Massey O	84	123
Massey D	80	114
Massey Power	67	104

[Cdizzle]

CSU beat CU, on the road, by more than they beat previous WSU punching bag Maryland-Eastern Shore at home. I can't be sure what that means, so I'll just go with the B12 sucking at defense.

This is exactly the game WSU needs right now. Decent but not great opponent. On the road. @WstateU: nailed it with the business trip post. I think part of what was weird with the game on Tuesday was that the coaches and players wanted to come out and prove they could punch through a brick wall, but they couldn't really do that against a D6 team. There is a lot of room between the bottom 25 and the top 25 in college basketball, which is all WSU has been tested with so far. Based on results, I would wager WSU is much, much closer to the top 25 than the bottom 25. Saturday is a good chance to demonstrate that.

[Eric]

I bought my tickets directly from CSU ticket office. I just got an email from CSU. "Don't forget to wear white!!!!" This will be great! My black and yellow is going to stand out like a sore pecker!

[Stickboy46]

CSU beat CU, on the road, by more than they beat previous WSU punching bag Maryland-Eastern Shore at home. I can't be sure what that means, so I'll just go with the B12 sucking at defense.

This is exactly the game WSU needs right now. Decent but not great opponent. On the road. @WstateU nailed it with the business trip post. I think part of what was weird with the game on Tuesday was that the coaches and players wanted to come out and prove they could punch through a brick wall, but they couldn't really do that against a D6 team. There is a lot of room between the bottom 25 and the top 25 in college basketball, which is all WSU has been tested with so far. Based on results, I would wager WSU is much, much closer to the top 25 than the bottom 25. Saturday is a good chance to demonstrate that.

I think you meant P12 ... since there is no B12 team mentioned in your post.

Though I agree, and am happy to see in the "Quotables" from Tuesday night that most of the team mentioned the upcoming tough game on Saturday. I don't think they are overlooking this game.

[COS Shocker]

Couple of points on Saturday's game at Ft. Collins. First don't underestimate CSU, they are like us in many ways very tough minded and scrapy. Last night they were 13 pt underdogs on the road and they fought and scraped their way to an ugly 14 pt win. We are also there super bowl apparently as I just got an email from CSU Athletics that it is a WHITE out. I will be wearing GOLD and BLACK along with my 2 sons, son-in-law and grandson.

Altitude will be a factor but not as much as the game at Air Force during our F4 year. Clune arena sits at just over 7,000 ft. CSU is at 5,000 and the impact of elevation on oxygen levels is exponetial. The impact at CSU will be approximately 1/2 of what it was here at Air Force, (I can see the chapel and Clune arena out my window as I type this:).

Looking forward to a great game and time with the boys. WSU wins a close one, that is a 1-2 possession game. If we score 70 we definitely win, 65 may be enough.

[Cdizzle]

I think you meant P12 ... since there is no B12 team mentioned in your post.

I meant what I typed.