FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A year ago the Colorado State men's basketball team quietly watched the NCAA Tournament selection show from a "COVID bubble" at a hotel in Las Vegas.
The Rams had spent most of two days sitting and waiting, only to be left out of the field.
In a bitter disappointment, they were left out, one of the first four teams to be on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament cut line.
This year? There's no stress of waiting and the sting was replaced by celebration.
The team watched the Selection Show on Sunday with each other and a small group of fans, all knowing the Rams logo would pop up on CBS. Their challenging schedule built a resume that had CSU as a lock for the NCAA Tournament before the regular season was even over.
Now the Rams are in the Big Dance.
CSU (25-5) was picked as a No. 6 seed in the South region and will play No. 11 Michigan in a first-round game in Indianapolis.
It's the first time since 2013 that CSU is in the NCAA Tournament after near-misses in 2015, 2017 and 2021.
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