Keeler: CSU Rams are better than they showed against Air Force. And if Rams are to make NCAA Tournament, it’s on them to prove it.

FORT COLLINS — Memo to the suits successful Indianapolis:

They’re amended than this.

Honestly, they are, these CSU Rams. We swear.

Of course, you bluebloods connected the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, you’ll telephone them excuses.

Doesn’t marque ‘em immoderate little real.

No, No. 20 Rams 67, lowly Air Force 59 doesn’t determination the needle. But you’ve besides got to see the backdrop.

Niko Medved’s Rams (11-0, 1-0 Mountain West) were coming disconnected a 24-day layoff.

The Falcons, meanwhile, were coming disconnected a location upset of Utah State connected Dec. 29.

The hosts astatine Moby Arena, nary shock, looked arsenic rusty arsenic a ’78 Buick Regal. CSU misfired connected 4 of its archetypal 5 shots. They opened 2022, their archetypal January spent ranked among the Associated Press Top 20 since 1954, to a 7-0 shortage successful their ain building.

And, nary we’ll assistance you, the Rams can’t person galore much evenings similar this 1 against league fare. Not if they privation their sanction called connected Selection Sunday. Not if they privation to fastener down a deserved NCAA Tournament berth successful 10 weeks.

The happening astir tourney teams, though? Even connected their atrocious nights, it’s the quality to alteration gears.

The Rams yet shifted up successful the last 7 minutes of the archetypal half, acknowledgment to an 11-0 tally keyed by speedy treys by Kendle Moore from the near country and by Adam Thistlewood disconnected the break. That enactment the hosts up 27-21 and got Air Force manager Joe Scott barking astatine immoderate zebra that would listen.

But the ghosts of Pete Carrill and his Princeton discourtesy don’t remainder quietly. Air Force’s onslaught consists of fundamentally 2 options: A back-door chopped oregon a 3-pointer. And erstwhile the second commencement falling, it tin marque for a agelong nighttime for the longer, much talented teams charged with putting them away.

The Falcons connected connected six of their archetypal 13 treys and 10 of their archetypal 21 from beyond the arc. They acceptable the tempo. They turned the evening into a slowed-down crippled of H-O-R-S-E.

The hosts obliged, whiffing connected 16 of their archetypal 28 field-goal attempts, and 9 of their archetypal 14 from beyond the arc.

From an aesthetic standpoint, though, it could’ve been worse. Given that the Zoomies went into the evening with a nationalist NET ranking — the NET is the NCAA’s preferred metric for March Madness valuation — of conscionable 250 retired of 358 Division 1 programs, a location nonaccomplishment for CSU would’ve been of the “Quad 4” variety. In layman’s terms, that’s bad. The worst.

Especially arsenic the Rams headed into league play with lone 1 “Quad 1” pelt — arsenic in, a bully triumph against a apt tourney squad —  on their wall, a 66-63 triumph implicit Mississippi State connected Dec. 11 successful Texas that’s go the season’s “signature” triumph to date.

COVID wiped retired a Dec. 21 semi-road tussle with the Crimson Tide, who ranked No. 20 successful the NCAA’s NET rankings and No. 16 by KenPom.com arsenic of aboriginal Tuesday evening. It besides scratched a tilt against Tulsa, besides successful Fort Worth, that had been slated for Dec. 18.

“Bama, nary shame there,” longtime CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm told maine Tuesday night. “(Losing) Tulsa could hurt.”

Because for Medved and the Rams, it’s not truthful overmuch astir the quantity of opponents implicit the adjacent 9 weeks arsenic it is quality.

While their Power 5 brethren get to pad their Big Dance resumes conscionable by beating up connected 1 another, CSU can’t spend akin slips successful the Mountain West.  The league opened the week ranked No. 8 among Division I circuits by USA Today statnik Jeff Sagarin.

Of the Rams’ remaining 16 league games aft Tuesday, lone six are slated against opponents presently ranked among the NET’s apical 60.

“It’s not a concern wherever each nonaccomplishment is simply a immense dent successful the resume,” Palm countered. “But they request to debar the Quad 4 losses wholly and tin instrumentality a Quad 3 loss. Or possibly two.”

One slug dodged. Barely. Like the aged opus goes, past and advance.