6 MORE FOR YOUR PLEASURE

Let the rumor mill spin! More names that have been linked, mentioned, noted, suggested or wished for in the CSU basketball job hunt:

Ernie Kent – Former Head Coach @ Oregon

Kent, 57 has ties to Colorado State having been an assistant at the school back in the late 1980's. Kent took over at Oregon in '97 where he led the Ducks to the NCAA tournament five times, including the Elite Eight in '02 & '07 in his 12-years there.  Kent is nationally known recruiter which has aided him in compiling a career record of 325-254 (.561)

The questions surrounding Kent would have to be related to his time away from the sport and rumors of personal issues that surrounded him prior to his ouster in Oregon. At 57 years old and with his track record, I would have to wonder if he would stick around for the long haul or try to leverage success in Ft. Collins for one last bite at the proverbial big-time apple.

Scott Sutton – Head Coach @ Oral Roberts

Sutton, 41 is the son of legendary college basketball coach Eddie Sutton, but has succeeded on more than just name recognition. Sutton has compiled a record of 250-162 (.607) since taking over the program in '99. He has five 20-win seasons under his belt as well as three trips to the NCAA Tournament and is now the winningest coach in Oral Roberts history. Sutton recently removed his name from the Tulsa University job search and his name has now been connected to the Colorado State & Kansas State having failed to land the head coaching position at Nebraska.

Rob Jeter – Head Coach @ University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Jeter, 42 took over the UWM program in '05 and has since compiled a career record of 121-103 (.540). His team is coming off his second career 20-win season and a trip to the CBI. One thing that sticks out to me is that Jeter's teams routinely seem to start really slow, but finish really strong. In both the '09 & '10 seasons his teams were south of 10 wins heading into the home stretch, but suddenly caught fire and ran off 9 consecutive conference wins to give him 20 wins in '09 and 19 wins in '10. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something tells me that Jeter would struggle mightily in Ft. Collins.

Larry Eustachy – Head Coach @ Southern Mississippi

First off, Eustachy's name may sound familiar to you for exploits off the court more so than his accomplishments on it. Eustachy, former head coach at Iowa State was photographed in '03 kissing several co-eds and holding a beer at a party near the University of Missouri's campus just hours after the Tigers defeated Eustachy's Cyclones. The Register also reported that Eustachy had been seen at a fraternity party at Kansas State hours after his team lost to the Wildcats. AD Bruce Van De Velde suspended Eustachy with pay and recommended that he be fired for violating a morals clause in his contract. Eustachy held a press conference in which he apologized for his behavior and admitted he'd recently begun rehab treatment for alcoholism. That said, Eustachy can coach.  He's compiled a career record of 402-258 (.609) with stops at So. Mississippi, Iowa State, Utah State & Idaho. He's had success in the Big 12 (2-time Coach of the Year) and lead Iowa State to the Elite Eight in '00. All that being the same, his history of off-court drama just makes me think Graham will steer clear of any hint of controversy in Ft. Collins.

Tony Benford – Associate Head Coach @ Marquette

Benford is in his fourth year at Marquette and has established himself as one of the best recruiters in the nation, having aided in compiling a Top 25 class in two of the last three years. Prior to joining Marquette, he spent two years in Nebraska, six years at Arizona State and six years in New Mexico.  Basketball Times Magazine ranked him amongst the Top 35 assistants in college basketball and FoxSports.com named him one of the top three assistants in the Big East. However, with no head coaching experience to lean on, he seems like a long-shot to make Cap'n Jack's shortlist, even with his accomplishments from the 2nd chair.

Steve McClain – Assistant Coach @ Indiana University

McClain may just be the guy that stays under the radar and lands the job in Ft. Collins if his interest is real. McClain has already spent three seasons on the bench in Boulder ('08-'10) and prior to that stint he was the head coach at Wyoming for nine years, leading the Cowboys to the post-season four times. His career record is 157-115 (.577), but did manage three 20-win seasons in Laramie, including an 11-3 conference mark in '02 where Wyoming advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. If nothing else, McClain would be interesting to watch on the sidelines as he is one of the more animated and excitable college coaches. Indiana's recent resurgence may give McClain a leg-up on securing an interview.

Is that it? Did we cover it all?

TOP 10 COACHES TO REPLACE TIM MILES

So, Tim Miles has left the building. As bitter as I am, I can't really blame the guy. Yes, Nebraska has long been a wasteland of collegiate basketball, but they have shown a renewed interest in funding the program as evidenced by both their new facilities and their budget and at 45 years old, Miles knows that making Nebraska relevant in the Big 10 Conference puts him in line for a substantial payday at a major school. ESPN's Andy Katz reported on the TV network's website that lawyers representing Miles and Nebraska were hammering out details of a five-year contract with a rollover for a sixth that would pay the coach $1.4 million a year for the first year, with an automatic increase of $75,000 each year thereafter. It makes the $750k he was scheduled to make next season at CSU seem like a mere pittance.

Perhaps the most important factor in Miles' decision was the larger budget in which to pay his assistants. I believe it was Joel Klatt on 104.3 The Fan earlier this week that said the key to keeping a successful head coach was the ability to not only meet his financial demands, but those of his assistants. No head coach likes constant turnover on his staff because the money is greener on the other side.

That said, Cap'n Jack is officially on record as saying "We are going to be a destination, place that great coaches are going to want to stay and be part of."

So, who does Graham look to hire? What names will be churned out by the very expensive search firm he plans to use? The Coloradoan has associated at least four names with the job opening, current CSU assistant coaches Craig Smith and Niko Medved, Weber State head coach Randy Rahe and St. John's assistant coach, Mike Dunlap.

Ramifications has also taken the time to conjure up another six names, including one major (and highly unlikely) dark horse candidate that would give Graham a nice working list of 10 names in which to start.

Let's break them down, in alphabetical order:

1) Chris Mooney, HC @ University of Richmond 

Mooney, 39, has a career record of 146-115 (.559) and led the Spiders to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2011. While this was a down year for his program (16-16); he has produced three 20 win seasons including seasons with 26 & 29 wins respectfully. Mooney has ties to Colorado, having spent the '04-'05 season coaching Air Force to an 18-12 season (9-5 in MWC play). Mooney did sign a 10-year extension following the '11 season, but would the right offer get him to jump ship?

2) Craig Smith, Interim HC @ Colorado State

Smith is in his 5th season with CSU and has primarily been responsible for recruiting, scouting & player development but also has head coaching experience. In three seasons with Mayville State he compiled a record of 72-29 (.712) and oversaw a 16-game turnaround in his first season. Smith has Tim Miles' endorsement as Miles is on record as calling Smith an excellent recruiter and a good tactician. On a side note, we did play golf with Craig and he couldn't remember either of our names. He is a killer golfer though.

3) Mike Dunlap, Asst. @ St. John's University

Here's some thoughts I have on the coaching search....personally I LOVE Dunlap, but for some reason he just never seems to get over the hump and land a D-1 job...I've heard his personality is tough and he won't tolerate BS from the admin.

He was all set to succeed Lute Olson @ Arizona a few years back, having been named interim HC, but when the AD told him that he was going thru to the formality of interviewing other candidates Dunlap allegedly told him that he wasn't going to interview for a job he'd been doing for half a season, and he quit. Similar story at Oregon....so who knows.

Dunlap is something of a coaching enigma. Typically characterized as one of the best X & O guys in the sport you have to wonder why he has yet to land a plumb coaching position since his departure from Metro State, where he led the Roadrunners to a 248-50 (.832) record and two Division II titles. It appears that Dunlap is a very straight-forward, stand-up guy and expects the same from his employer. He has coached professionally in Australia and in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, while also picking up experience in both the Pac-12 and Big East conferences. Dunlap has Colorado ties and at 53 years old would likely make Ft. Collins his last coaching stop, but could easily be here for 10 – 15 years.

4) Niko Medved, Asst. @ Colorado State

Medved is in his 5th season with CSU, having served as recruiting coordinator and director of player development. His area of focus has typically been on scouting and working with the guards. Medved doesn't have the coaching pedigree that others on this list have, having only one season of head coaching experience at Furman University in 2006.

5) Quin Snyder, Asst. Coach w/ Los Angeles Lakers

Yes, this is the consummate long-shot, the (semi) disgraced former rising star in the coaching ranks having led Missouri to the Elite 8 in just his 3rd season (and at the age of 35); but fast-forward a decade and you'll find Snyder may have let his early success go to his head where many said he spent more time stroking his ego and less time coaching which lead to his resignation just four years later. Since then Snyder has spent time coaching the San Antonio Toros, working in the front office for the Philadelphia 76'ers and now he's on the bench with the Lakers. Would Snyder come back to the collegiate ranks? Has his career trajectory humbled him? Does anyone want him? Can he actually coach, or was it all a perfect storm a decade ago?

6) Randy Bennett, Head Coach @ St. Mary's

Bennett, 49 has already been linked to numerous high(er) profile jobs, including Oregon, Oregon State and Cal but has never pulled the trigger. It could be that he's done such a fine job transforming St. Mary's into a West Coast Conference powerhouse (career record of 235–117 (.668)) that he doesn't feel the need to make a move. Bennett has never publicly commented on these other job openings and has done a nice job of preaching consistency and family when speaking of St. Mary's, so he looks to be a long-shot to leave his friendly confines.

7) Randy Rahe, Head Coach @ Weber State

Right off the bat, Rahe has CSU ties having spent 7 years as an assistant under Stew Morrill ('91-'98), but he's become a success in his own right. Since taking over at Weber in '06, he's compiled a 120-67 (.558) record and four 20-win seasons. The 3-time Big Sky Coach of the Year is reportedly on a short list of candidates to become head coach at Colorado State, is coming off a 25 win season and has averaged 20 wins a year at Weber State making a post-season tournament 5 of his 6 seasons, including a trip to the NCAA's back in 2006-07. I'd imagine Cap'n Jack has already scheduled this interview.

8) Scott Nagy, Head Coach @ South Dakota State

Nagy has been coaching the Jackrabbits for 17 years now having led them to the NCAA Tournament this season for the 1st time after accomplishing the feat 8 times on the D-II level. He's compiled a career record of 316-197 (.616) and is still only 46 years old. Having spent so long in one place, one must ask if Nagy would even consider leaving, but the opportunity to prove himself on the next level (and with a better paycheck) would have to have some allure.

9) Wayne Tinkle, Head Coach @ University of Montana

Tinkle, 41 took over the HC position at Montana in '06, and has compiled an overall record of 100-69 (.592) and led Montana to the NCAA tournament two years ago. Montana is Tinkle's alma mater, so it' unlikely he would leave for Ft. Collins, but again, the MWC is a step-up from the Big Sky and he may feel compelled to test himself.

10) Richard Pitino, Asst @ Louisville

Yes, basketball savant Rick Pitino has a son and all indications are the apple did not fall far from the tree. Richard Pitino, 29 has developed into one of the top assistants and recruiters in the nation as well as developing a reputation as one of the best scouting minds in college basketball. While he has no head coaching experience, he would make for an interesting dynamic in Ft. Collins. The problem is that at age 29 he may either not be ready for the gig or he'll have some early success and move on quickly.

MARCH 26 BRACKET CHALLENGE LEADERBOARD

Even though my brackets have completely exploded to beyond recognition, I still have thoroughly enjoyed this year's tournament. Louisville has dodged their usual demise of choking in the later rounds only to capitalize on other team's doing that for them. Kansas and Ohio State taking out their respective opponents fairly easily, pretty much put the nail on the coffin for my bracket. The only team that leaves a pulse for my picks is Kentucky, but it doesn't matter. It looks like it's an eight man race for the $50 gift certificate, and zwilbern is leading the pack. Here is your top ten going into the final four.

1 zwilbern 20 20 20 24 - Kentucky 84 148

1 Caleb #1 22 18 28 16 - Kentucky 84 132

3 BLEED GREEN 23 20 24 16 - Kansas 83 131

4 JORGE's 23 22 20 16 - Kentucky 81 129

4 Sredshirt 21 16 20 24 - Kentucky 81 145

6 Chaos Theory 22 18 16 24 - Kentucky 80 144

7 The Fighting Weasels 19 16 20 24 - Kansas 79 143

8 GoRams 22 16 16 24 - Kentucky 78 142

8 CU SUCKS! 24 22 24 8 - Kansas 78 126

10 ramkitty 22 22 24 8 - Kentucky 76 124

Good luck top 10!

MILES LEAVING FOR BIG RED

Tim Miles visiting Carhenge in Nebraska (photo/John Bazemore/Kables)

We just got gutted. One of the worst days in CSU history. Tim Miles is leaving for Nebraska of all places. That's just far enough to still hear about the success he's having with Big Red.  I can't express how disappointed I am in Miles' departure on so many levels. Love from fans, students, athletes, community and a ditch on an up and coming basketball program is in a nutshell his legacy at Colorado State. It may sound harsh, and I may be speaking from pure emotion but I'm kind of pissed. I understand that money is the name of the game and everyone has the right to further their career and reach goals but what happened to loyalty? Brutal.

All the momentum from the success of a program wiped out in one bitch slap from Tom Osborne. The truth is CSU can't compete with 1.3 to 2 million dollars. Just another sad chapter added to a smaller, less successful, less known University.

Dear Coach Miles, or Timmy,

You could have been the one. The one who finally puts Colorado State on the map. Now you just left us like a fart in the wind. Two questions, do they have interwebs access in Nebraska? And, remember when Lubick turned down the head coaching job in Miami?

You are stand up guy, classy, and a wonderful coach. I wish you all the success in the world except when you play the Rams, if it ever happens. I respect your decision.

On last thing. Be sure to get your picture in front of Carhenge before you head into Lincoln.

I think I just puked on my keyboard.

Dear Mr. Jack Graham,

Please. Get us out of this godforsaken curse of a conference they call the Mountain West, soon to be called the Super Friends Conference of America. Sick of this crap.

Thank you kindly.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

Spring has sprung and a new era of CSU football has begun. Coach Jim McElwain kicked off spring practice yesterday and what a difference a year, or a few months, makes. Coach Mac has eliminated a lot of the lackadaisical attitude that came with Coach Fairchild’s practices. Sure, Fairchild was a fiery coach but his practices included a lot of players standing around. This year, Coach Mac has these guys separated into groups, getting reps and moving onto the next drill, ASAP.

Another glaring difference between the old regime and the new is the attitude of the head coach. Fairchild was constantly dogging his team, seemingly a tactic to motivate his players. Well, that didn’t work as evidenced by back to back 3-9 seasons. Coach Mac praised his team after the first practice for getting in and out of the huddle, and he laughed when asked if they ran the play correctly.

It’s the first day of spring practice under a new staff. Let’s cut them a little slack.

Speaking of “cuts,” did you hear the one about O-lineman Ty Sambrailo? He was slashed during a fight on St. Patrick’s Day and 14 staples were used to close the wound. Also involved were Mike Orakpo and Nordly Capi, two guys we can’t afford to get shanked. I have no doubt that there are haters that mess with football players on a daily basis, but these guys have to make better decisions than partying on St. Patty’s, which is basically amateur hour, especially in a college town like Fort Collins. C’mon man.

In other news, to all of my fellow CSU alumni living in the Denver area, remember that CSU will practice at Infinity Field in Glendale on Friday April 13. It’s free, the weather should be great and it’s a great move by CSU to connect with its Denver fan base. Ramifications will be there, tweeting our observations. Come get you picture taken with Frank “Titanium Nightmare” Hernandez, who will be making an appearance and hopefully, bombing some field goals.

MARCH 19 BRACKET CHALLENGE LEADERBOARD

Wow, what an exciting first weekend to the NCAA tournament. I know I'm not the only one that has a busted bracket, thank you Duke and Missouri. Although it was kind of cool to see two 15 seeds take down some power houses.

North Carolina is looking pretty strong and thank god Syracuse won their first two rounds or else I would be completely out of the race. One thing I didn't anticipate is having four teams from Ohio still in the tournament.


Here is what the leaderboard looks like so far in the first ever Ramifications Tournament Bracket Challenge.

		Round
Rank	Bracket	1	2	3	4	Semis	Finals	Points	Possible Pts
1	CU SUCKS!	24	22	-	-	-	Kansas	46	142
2	*JORGE's	23	22	-	-	-	Kentucky	45	129
3	ramkitty	22	22	-	-	-	Kentucky	44	156
4	Suck on this CU	21	22	-	-	-	Kentucky	43	167
4	BLEED GREEN	23	20	-	-	-	Kansas	43	171
4	Bleeds Green and Gold	21	22	-	-	-	North Carolina	43	163
7	Susan's Winner	22	20	-	-	-	Michigan St.	42	158
7	D-Train	24	18	-	-	-	Kentucky	42	138
7	Mike Herder	22	20	-	-	-	Syracuse	42	158
10	My balls are bigger than Cam's	21	20	-	-	-	Wisconsin	41	149
10	brians Long Shots	21	20	-	-	-	Kentucky	41	145
12	*Crushin it CSU	20	20	-	-	-	Syracuse	40	120
12	zwilbern	20	20	-	-	-	Kentucky	40	160
12	If you ain't 1st you're last	22	18	-	-	-	Kentucky	40	152
12	Chaos Theory	22	18	-	-	-	Kentucky	40	160
12	Caleb #1	22	18	-	-	-	Kentucky	40	156
17	Bust'm Up	19	20	-	-	-	Syracuse	39	127
17	I Wish I were a CSU RAM!	19	20	-	-	-	Indiana	39	151
17	Got to Try...	21	18	-	-	-	North Carolina	39	163
17	SBD	21	18	-	-	-	Kansas	39	139
21	GoRams	22	16	-	-	-	Kentucky	38	146
21	SoCalRam	20	18	-	-	-	Michigan St.	38	106
21	I like Eik!	22	16	-	-	-	Kentucky	38	134
21	CU still sucks	22	16	-	-	-	Michigan St.	38	146
21	pilotram	24	14	-	-	-	Kentucky	38	146
21	Babaganoush	20	18	-	-	-	Michigan St.	38	134
21	Trying to win this	20	18	-	-	-	Michigan St.	38	106
21	ramfan24	22	16	-	-	-	North Carolina	38	126
29	Minnesota Ram Fan	21	16	-	-	-	Michigan St.	37	145
29	FCTODD	21	16	-	-	-	Missouri	37	97
29	Maximus Decimus Meridius	19	18	-	-	-	Missouri	37	101
29	Cobbs Rams	23	14	-	-	-	North Carolina	37	113
29	Sredshirt	21	16	-	-	-	Kentucky	37	157
29	REDZONE	19	18	-	-	-	North Carolina	37	109
29	Rack-A-Ram	19	18	-	-	-	Missouri	37	85
36	Mike's Bracket	18	18	-	-	-	Kansas	36	120
36	for threeeeeeeeeee	20	16	-	-	-	North Carolina	36	140
36	Picking with my Heart	18	18	-	-	-	Kentucky	36	136
36	Conqueror	22	14	-	-	-	Missouri	36	100
36	TJC	20	16	-	-	-	Missouri	36	100
41	The Fighting Weasels	19	16	-	-	-	Kansas	35	151
41	TWE 2	21	14	-	-	-	North Carolina	35	131
41	Jackov	21	14	-	-	-	Missouri	35	75
41	Where's the love?	19	16	-	-	-	Kentucky	35	131
45	Dancing Baby!	18	16	-	-	-	Kentucky	34	130
45	*G's Super Fluff CSU Bracket	20	14	-	-	-	San Diego St.	34	98
45	rammies34	20	14	-	-	-	Kentucky	34	146
48	Anthony G.	19	14	-	-	-	North Carolina	33	153
48	Guessing	17	16	-	-	-	Duke	33	85
50	zmtbman	20	12	-	-	-	Kentucky	32	96
50	*Bracketology Professor 401	20	12	-	-	-	Florida St.	32	84
52	Sweet Charlies	18	12	-	-	-	North Carolina	30	126
52	APP yeah you know me	20	10	-	-	-	North Carolina	30	130
52	FoCo FoSHo	16	14	-	-	-	Duke	30	78
52	ENGAG3D	18	12	-	-	-	Florida St.	30	54
56	New Mexico Ram	15	10	-	-	-	Missouri	25	65
57	Green and Bold!	-	-	-	-	-	No Pick		0
57	Tim Miles You're My Hero!	-	-	-	-	-	No Pick		0
57	FTMFW!	-	-	-	-	-	No Pick		0
57	zozza8	-	-	-	-	-	No Pick		0
57	ATLRAM	-	-	-	-	-	No Pick		0

ONE AND DONE! RAMS ARE DOWNED BY THE RACERS

Well, we all knew it was going to be a test for this Colorado State club, but who knew we were going to hand the ball over to Murray State anytime they asked for it in the second half. This looked like a Rams team that has never smelled the NCAA Tournament before, surprised? Not in the slightest.

Even though the Rams played fairly well the first half, and had the lead going into the break, you can see the nerves on our boys. We were not executing a steady paced game plan. There was no rhythm.

• We were rushing the shot on offense; bricking too many threes and over shooting the ball in layup opportunities. 
• We were committing mental mistakes all over the court. Ticky tack fouls at inopportune times and too much movement around the perimeter. 
• We were cold at the free throw line, and we turned the ball over way to many times. We were horrendous. At one point it looked like there was one team on the court running through some passing drills. What can you say? 
• Where was Wes? Another thing that hurt us was the absence of the likes of Wes Eikmeier, who usually has hot hands when playing as an underdog. He was a ghost today.

One bright side is that Pierce Hornung showed up. Busting out a double double, Pierce played like his green shoes were going out of style tomorrow. I really don't know what that means but I think the kicks messed with the mojo of the team. I'm a firm believer in if it's not broken, don't try to fix it. Besides, that was the least of our problems.

All in all, they just didn't have it today. Murray State turned on their jets the second half and never looked back. It was pretty much the Rams versus the world anyway and this successful season is a nice set up for next year. Congrats to coach Miles and the rest of this Rams basketball team on a great season. This is just the beginning.

CSU v MURRAY STATE GAME CHAT

Finally, the wait is over! Let's go Rams. Give me a reason to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year.

Some keys to a win: out rebound Murray State at both ends of the court; create turnovers; drive the lane; and score more points than they do (goes without saying). I think Rams play better as underdogs and I think Wes needs to have a game in order to prevail.



Watch it live for free Thursday only on CBS Sports.com.

RAMS ARE DANCE'N MACHINES

Alright, alright alright! How 'bout them Rams!? What an exciting day. Rams are going to the big dance; Manning might be coming to Denver; and I just was served a blizzard with the biggest Oreo chunks that I've ever seen, and crushed it. I've been waiting for this since 2003.

In the few times the Rams have appeared in the NCAA tournament, they seem to pull tough opponents to tango with. In my eyes, it doesn't really matter. In 2003, I remember watching the Rams play Duke down to the wire, only to fall short in the end. This year is different. This team is scrappy, resilient and fairly confident. The only thing lacking is size, but so does Murray State. If there is any time to show the nation what Colorado State is made of, it's now.

The Rams do have disadvantage for sure. Thursday's game is in Louisville, which means it's pretty much home court advantage for Murray State. In the NCAA tournament, home court really doesn't matter either. Also, looking at Murray State's schedule, I really don't see any impressive wins. Yeah they're 30-1 but look at it... I see Southern Miss, a team we lost to unfortunately, in a double overtime luck fest. Whatever.

Look. I may sound like a homer but the Rams got a shot. Plus, we haven't made it to the second round in twenty-two years so history should be on our side. Does that make sense? Let's go get 'em Rams!

Ok people! Your brackets are empty, fill'em out. You might win a $50 gift certificate to use at the online Rams Book Store.

It's easy. Have the best bracket, win the gift certificate. And it's free. Here's how you join the Ramifications bracket group:

1. Go to tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com

2. Click "Join A Group"

3. Click "Join Group" (sign into yahoo if you are not already, using Yahoo, Facebook or Google.)

4. Enter Group Number 46562 and Password ramifications

5. You're in! Come up with a cool bracket name for yourself and make sure you have an email address that is shown. Why? If you win, how will we get a hold of you.
Like I said before, have the best bracket, win the gift certificate.  And the Gift Certificate can be used online so you don't have to be local, just a Rams Fan!

You must complete a bracket in our group on yahoo.com to be eligible to win. GOOD LUCK RAM FANS!


Thanks to the Rams Book Store. Be sure to go check out their site for awesome Ram gear. Click here

RAMS SEMI MW TOURNEY

Oh man, watching the Colorado State BBallers play this year has been phenomenal.  Any Ram fan would of thought we’d be lucky to get over 500 with the daunting schedule we’ve had this year.  But Coach of the Year Tim Miles gets his guys ready to play each and every game.  CSU is one of the top free throw shooting (6th) and field goal percentage (23rd) shooting teams in the country.  So not only are we endowed with talent but also hard work.   Pierce Hornung came off a disappointing game at Air Force (although the rest of the team shined) and pulled a double-double versus TCU, getting 16 points and 14 rebounds.  The guy is a beast.  The slick shooting Eikmeier leads the Rams and is second in the conference in scoring per game.  Dorian Green scored his 1000th point in the TCU game and is 6th in the conference in scoring. 

CSU in my eyes has locked up their NCAA tourney bid.  Losing to SDSU won’t hurt them whereas winning will definitely help them.  They’ve reached the pivotal 20 win mark, erased the blemish of no road victories with a dominating win at Air Force.  The have wins over three top 25 teams, an RPI of 21, and their strength of schedule ranks 6th in the country.  Freaking 6th!  Hello weak ass football schedule, the ballers are making you boys look like cupcakes. 

I’ve got my dancing pants on.  I expect CSU to go in as a 12 seed, much higher if they move past SDSU in the MWC tourney.  We all know the 12-5 matchup is historic for the upsets and into the sweet 16.  I know I’m dreaming, but hey, this whole season is a dream.  It’s okay to get on the CSU band wagon now,  cough cough Denver Post, because there will only be one Colorado team in the dance and it’s CSU.  I’m going nuts from ‘Selection Sunday’ onward.  Hopefully the Rams get put close to this region so we can show some support for the team.  Let’s go dancing.

RAMIFICATIONS BRACKET CHALLENGE - WIN $50

Ok people! Your brackets are empty, fill'em out. You might win a $50 gift certificate to use at the online Rams Book Store.

It's easy. Have the best bracket, win the gift certificate. And it's free. Here's how you join the Ramifications bracket group:

1. Go to tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com

2. Click "Join A Group"

3. Click "Join Group" (sign into yahoo if you are not already, using Yahoo, Facebook or Google.)

4. Enter Group Number 46562 and Password ramifications

5. You're in! Come up with a cool bracket name for yourself and make sure you have an email address that is shown. Why? If you win, how will we get a hold of you.
Like I said before, have the best bracket, win the gift certificate.  And the Gift Certificate can be used online so you don't have to be local, just a Rams Fan!

You must complete a bracket in our group on yahoo.com to be eligible to win. GOOD LUCK RAM FANS!


Thanks to the Rams Book Store. Be sure to go check out their site for awesome Ram gear. Click here

RAM ROUNDUP 3.5.12

Lots of things going on in Ram Country. The biggest news of course, is our men’s basketball team.

BASKETBALL

Coach Tim Miles has these guys playing stingy defense and making clutch plays with big wins over UNLV, San Diego State and most importantly, Air Force on the road to cap off the regular season. The MWC tournament starts on Thursday against TCU. Luckily for us, the TCU bball team is not nearly as good as their football team. Let’s hope our Rams have a good showing in the conference tournament and make the NCAA tourney. Go Rams!

CALLING ALL LINEMEN

In other news, Coach Mac has enlisted the help of the student body to increase the depth of our lineman. So if you are huge and have a bad attitude, I recommend contacting Coach Mac and getting it done. Realistically, you are going to get your ass kicked every day and not get a scholarship. Crazier things have happened, and at the very least, you can tell girls you’re on the team. Maybe you'll get lucky. Recently 9news did a story about this showcasing potential talent. The only thing I saw was a bean pole weighing a buck ninety and ex-high school players that want no part of the CSU football team. Maybe they heard the strength coach is whipping the team and they are terrified to gain 30 pounds of muscle. 9NEWS STORY LINK

With Coach Mac calling for help from the student body, Ramifications favorite player, Frank “Titanium Nightmare” Hernandez, is considering a position change.

If you remember, Hernandez had some academic issues entering last season and was unable to play for the Rams. If Hernandez can get his academics sorted out at Community College of Denver and CSU Global, then he should all set for spring practice and a possible move to the line. He was a possible challenger to Ben DeLine and Chad Vandermolen for kicking duties. Since Hernandez’s ankle is fused, Hernandez claims he can boom 50 yard field goals while wearing his orthopedic cleat. But with the competition at the kicker position and a need on the line, Hernandez could fill a huge hole for the Rams.

STADIUM OPPOSITION

Perhaps the biggest Ram news, has been the topic of the proposed on-campus stadium. For the record, Ramifications fully endorses Jack Graham Stadium in the middle of campus with a retractable dome. So awesome. On the flip side, we have a lot of students and citizens, who see the stadium as another unnecessary expense and believe Hughes Stadium should be saved; possibly the worst college football stadium this side of the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. It reminds me of that lit up cell board in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, where that dude played that Casio keyboard to communicate with aliens. That stadium is awful.

Let us know your thoughts. Watching bball this weekend? Going out for the team? Love new stadiums?

RAM IN SEC COUNTRY | GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Recently I took it upon myself to do a little investigation work on how some of the big boys built their on-campus stadium and the fan experience surrounding it. So I visited Athens, Georgia, home of the University of Georgia and Sanford stadium. The heart of SEC country. I wanted to show you some photos I took and give you a little feedback on what I experienced. In a way, it was kind of like visiting a foreign country. With my green and gold, I must have stuck out like a soar thumb amongst all the red and black but I didn't care. Trust me, there was A LOT of red and black, ...and donks. Donks? You'll see. Keep reading.

First, let me give you a little history on Sanford Stadium. It broke ground back in 1928 and was built to grow with the city of Athens. Since then, they have expanded 8 times, growing to the size of it now. Holding over 92,000 (92,746 to be exact), it is the 15th largest stadium in the world and the 8th largest in the nation. It's a beast. It's construction cost was $360,000 ($4.87 million in today's money) and when it was first opened, it only held 30,000 fans (Hughes Stadium holds 34,400 even after it's crappy bleacher seat expansion). Where is this monstrosity located you ask? Right on campus, across from the student center.

When you walk into the William Tate student center, you instantly become amazed at the size of this place. You wonder why some recruits choose to go else where after seeing some of the detail they built into this structure.

The main hall looks like a pretty chill place to hang out. They did everything right. Leather chairs, high top tables to post up and crush some food, free wifi and charging stations for your various electronics, big ass windows to look out onto campus, and of course, an HD projector, screen and surround sound just in case you couldn't grab a ticket to the Georgia/Florida football game. In the picture below, I tried pointing out where these devises are in the building with the red arrows and circle. The screen actually drops down so that EVERYONE in the hall can have a good view.

I hope Cap'n Jack is taking notes because it gets pretty cold during those November games here in Fort Collins.

Enter, the Dawg Pen. State of the art viewing room/student hang out (?), this beat any lounge that I've seen on any campus. A bunch of flat screens, leather chairs again, and of course, Georgia pride smeared everywhere.

Salivating at the potential of what could be at Colorado State, I proceeded down the main corridor in to another great hall completely different from the first. This one made you feel like you were outside with street lamps and a stone pathway. Covered of course by an awesome wooden roof. Everywhere you looked it was bulldog this, dawg pound that, SEC rules, and sick em dawgs. Pretty sweet I must say. This place bleeds with tradition you not only can see, but you can feel it.

Shaking my head at disbelief, I went outside and there it was, Sanford Stadium. I hope these photos do it justice for you because I can't tell you how impressed I was. Everything was definitely thought of when building this honk'n thing. There were so many little details, it was hard not to take pictures of everything. It was better than any NFL stadium and it made any college stadium I've ever been to look like a garbage dump. For real.

This is looking into the stadium from Sanford Drive.

Between the hedges indeed. Here are just a few details I managed to get shots of.

Even down to the recycle dog house, everything is impressive. Some "exclamation points" we should seriously consider for out new stadium, such as a Ram head for gate decoration.

Art was another point of emphasis here on Georgia's campus. Everywhere you turned there was something to look at, even art painted on the asphalt of Sanford drive at the cross walk to get to the entrance to the stadium. Looked like some student tradition that has been going on there for decades.

As I walked back across from the student center, I entered the student bookstore. You first walk on an enormous 'G' shaped out of tile on the floor, nothing I haven't seen there, and then you look up at the vast sea of red and black. You're pretty much overwhelmed by the variety of apparel. They had any style you could think of. Not to mention that the store looked like you were shopping at a high end Nike dealer, where school pride is all up in the deco. Look at the pictures. You'll see what I mean.

The pictures don't do it justice because this place is huge and the photos featured are of the front of the store. It makes you want to be a dawg.

After grabbing a 't' I started to putz around Athens to take in some of the sights. I ran into a Georgia super fan. Georgia 'G' on the Mercedes, bulldog hat, color coordinated cloths and matching car color. Yep, this guy was a real poser, a complete Georgia Dawg.





But wait... what's this? Is this a donk in progress? Donk sightings are rare, especially in Colorado! Could I be the luckiest s.o.b. in Athens? MOVE IT SUPER FAN!

This kid was slick and he knew I was taken pictures of his ride because he slowed his row. I captured the defining feature of a donk; it's gigantic wheels. I also think he slowed down because I think he wanted Ramifications to sponsor his ride. Kind of like this Skittles Donk.

Well, that's pretty much all I got to say about my adventure at Georgia University. That and some dude yelling out his car window "Y'all going to the game?" I said, "Nope!" He replied "oh. Go Dawgs!" I replied "Go Rams!" I think I confused the shit out of him because he looked at me like I was retarded.

And that's how they do it in the SEC.

ARE WE ON THE BUBBLE?

Three things were achieved last night.

1. I burnt the roof of my mouth with some pizza I ate before the game.

2. Pierce Hornung had the best ball stuff I have ever seen.

3. Fans stormed the court at least four times this season at home. I think that's a record.

Can Colorado State get in the NCAA tournament yet?

After a very piss poor first half, the Rams were able to scrap their way back and beat the #17 UNLV Rebels, increasing their chances of making the big dance. My take on that 26 point effort in the first half was the Rams weren't aggressive enough and took too many three point shots with no one under the hoop to clean up the bricks. The Ram offense had no movement under the basket and their rebounding was horrendous. The funny thing is they were able to take the second half and make UNLV look even worse than the Rams did. Outscoring the Rebels 40 - 18 in the second half lifted the mighty Rams and letting the party begin on center court, once again.

As I have stated in previous posts, this is one of the toughest Rams teams I have ever seen. They never give up. Dorian Green was on fire the second half and Hornung shoved the ball so hard in some dude's face, that Rebel is gonna be tasting leather for the next few weeks.

Is this enough to get the Rams into the tourney? Well, of course they have to win Saturday, and I believe they'll have to win two games in the Mountain West tournament. They have some bad loses on their resume, one to TCU and the other to Boise State, that will hurt them but beating MW's big three at home is a big boost. 21-11 is my key to the dance but, crazier things have happened.

Great win boys!