As I have been adding new NCAA basketball venues to my list, I have realized that the majority of games are not that compelling. The first month of the season sees far too many multi-team events (MTEs) in neutral locations, which means that many schools not participating need to schedule opponents from lower divisions. In December, there are a few top matchups (I saw Villanova at Kansas a few years back), but the schedule rarely works out when I am looking to attend multiple games over a short period of time. That doesn't mean the games are necessarily bad (I watched UNC Asheville upset Georgetown and Cal State Fullerton knock off UCLA), but those are the exceptions. It really isn't until conference play gets started that the more exciting matchups arise, and I was fortunate to get one on my schedule as two top schools in the Mountain West started their conference slate while I was in Colorado.
The Colorado State Rams are located in the city of Fort Collins, which is just over an hour from Denver. Their game against New Mexico was scheduled for 8:30, which allowed me to miss most of the rush hour traffic on I-25 heading north. I arrived about an hour before tip and avoided the parking lot ($15 and no sales, so you have to buy in advance), finding plenty of space on City Park Avenue a block away. If you get there early enough, you can visit Mo Jeaux's Bar and Grill for some southern sustenance. The Rams play out of Moby Arena, which has perhaps the most interesting naming story among college venues. Back when it opened in 1966, an article in the campus paper noted that the new structure looked like a 'great white whale', due to its humpback shape. From that, it was nicknamed "Moby Gymnasium" for Moby Dick and although the administration did not like it, the name stuck. In the late 1980s, the name was officially changed to Moby Arena by athletic director Oval Jaynes, and it remains to this day. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to get a good picture of the entire building to illustrate the reason behind the name, settling for a shot in the dark (above), which just shows the logo.
The box office is outside the southwest entrance and the cheapest ticket was $20 on this night. My assigned seat was in Section H, which is not facing the court directly. I had looked online and found that a couple of sideline sections (Q and R) were left open as general admission for students. Capacity is just over 8,000, and attendance was 5,165, so there were plenty of seats in these two sections and I stayed there for most of the game.
Inside the main entrance is an extensive display of memorabilia and the Athletic Hall of Fame. There are interactive screens that let you search for any athlete, but I did not know anyone other than Joey Porter, who didn't start playing defense until his junior year. Good choice as he went on to an 11-year career in the NFL and won Super Bowl XL with Pittsburgh, the team for which his son plays now.
The school used to be known as Colorado Agricultural College and nicknamed the Aggies, thus their old jerseys have a large 'A' on them. There are a lot of historic trophies in these display cases, while some specific trophies for CSU are each highlighted in their own case, such as the "Fum" McGraw Award, named after a former football player who also served as the school's athletics director from 1976-86.
Below is a jersey that was worn by Bill Green, who is the only CSU men's basketball player to have his number retired. Green was an exceptional athlete who was drafted 8th overall by the Celtics in 1963 but his fear of flying prevented him from turning pro. Although his Wikipedia page indicates that he was drafted by the Red Sox and Cowboys in the same year, there was no MLB draft in 1963, and no record of him in any NFL draft. Still, it is hard to imagine turning down a chance to play with Bill Russell and those legendary Celtics teams, but some phobias simply cannot be overcome. Green went on to be a very successful teacher in the Bronx.
There are also some photographic exhibits, including one with several old venues, which I always enjoy seeing, imagining previous sports travelers visiting these places without the help of the internet.
All of these displays are on the south side of the building; the north side has a few additional things to see, including a volleyball sculpture and photos of some Rams who became Olympians.
I should note that there are two concourses here, one on the north side and one on the south side. Each concourse has its own concession, though I did not try anything, having brought a healthy snack in with me. The building is rather small for its capacity and these concourses can get very crowded as tip-off approaches. To get from one concourse to the other, you must walk inside the gym proper. At the far end (west) in the photo below is the Loft, a bar area with tables that is open to the public. The picture is taken from the east side, which is generally reserved for students and was quite full on this day, at least in the lower section.
Below is a picture of the student area, with chairbacks down below and bleachers above. The band was not in attendance as winter break was just ending, but there were cheerleaders and a dance team.
Above the student area is a noise meter with a ram's head. This is on at all times and not just when the crowd is exhorted to "Make Some Noise".
There are several banners in the rafters, with those in green signifying men's teams while yellow is for the ladies. The men's team has made the tournament 11 times, going to the Elite Eight in 1969. They were an at-large 6th seed in 2022, only to be upset by Michigan in the first round. Given what I saw today, they should be back in 2024.
In addition to Bill Green's retired jersey, Becky Hammon's #25 is hanging above the court. Hammon, who was an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, led the Las Vegas Aces to a WNBA title in 2022 in a game that I attended.
The center-hung scoreboard is typical with four videoboards, small advertising triangles between them and a circular advertising board beneath. At either end are scoreboards with player stats, while team stats alternate between field goals (as below), three-pointers, and free throws.
The upper section goes up to row 41 in some places, but it is quite steep and the view isn't that bad. All sideline seats have chairbacks.
The south side is the one that faces the logo, i.e. this is where the cameras are set up. You really can't make it out in any of these photos, but there are ram's horns painted on both sides of the logo. You can also see the horns on the walls next to the seats. I really appreciate these little additions that make a place unique.
Overall, Moby Arena is a cool old venue that has aged quite well, like most things from 1966. If you are in Denver and have time to visit Fort Collins, try to do so when the Rams are at home and maybe you will see a whale of a game.
The Game
Both teams were 12-1 (with both having lost to St. Mary's) but Colorado State was ranked 13th, while New Mexico was 36th. With the late start time (tip didn't happen until 15 minutes after the scheduled start), this was a standalone game (i.e. the only college basketball game on, although this was only true in the second half) and was considered to be the best fixture on the evening's slate. I had seen these two play in Albuquerque last season in a contest that New Mexico won handily 88-69.
The Lobos got off to a 5-0 lead and pushed that to 12-5 before Colorado started cooking. When Isaiah Stevens (taking free throws below) drained a jumper to get the Rams back within three, it was his 2,000th point, making him the first player in Colorado State history to achieve that milestone.
A few minutes later, Patrick Cartier (#12 below) tied the game at 17 with a shot from beyond the arc and it was close the rest of the way, mostly because New Mexico was brutal from the charity stripe, making just 1 of 8 shots, while CSU went 8/9. The refs doled out 17 fouls in the first frame, with many of the non-shooting variety, but the half still took only 45 minutes to complete, with the Rams up 33-30.
Both teams had scored ten points in the early stages of the second half, but then the Lobos went cold, missing six straight and adding a turnover as CSU built a 53-40 lead. With just over five minutes to go, a Cartier layup gave the Rams a 17-point bulge and it looked like game over.
But Jamal Mashburn Jr. completed a four-point play and Jaelen House added a pair from downtown and suddenly it was a 7-point game with 1:08 to go. The Lobos had only committed six fouls until this point, so the next three fouls they committed would be a 1-plus-1 situation, which is ideal for the trailing team. But Nique Clifford and Stevens were perfect with those six free throws and Colorado State held on for the 76-68 win.
The teams were evenly matched across most statistical categories, with the exception of free throws. CSU finished 18-21, while New Mexico was 4-11. JT Toppin (#15 above) led the Lobos with a double-double of 17 points and 11 boards, while Cartier finished with 21 points to lead all scorers. Stevens, who was Mountain West Conference preseason player of the year, had 18 points and 8 assists and is worth watching if you ever see the Rams on TV.
This was a fun game and although the refereeing was heavy-handed in the first half, they let them play in the second, whistling only three fouls in the first ten minutes. Near the end of the game, they had to review the clock, taking about five minutes to add two seconds back on, much to the frustration of everybody who just wanted to get home. Still, I am glad I ended the year with a good overtime game at Denver and started the year with this one.
Update: New Mexico beat Colorado State in the MWC tournament and ended up going to The Dance.
Notes
This was the fifth and final D-1 gym for me to visit in Colorado. This marks nine states that I have completed, though there are 11 at which I've yet to see a game.
Next Up
One of those states is Oregon, and I will be there in mid-January to see the Portland Pilots as part of a trip to finally get the Leafs in Seattle. Check back for recaps then.
Best,
Sean
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