On the one hand, you can see it as done.
A top 15 team is expected to win a home conference game.
On the other hand, it was a declaration of intent.
Actually, both can be true.
No matter how you look at it, Tuesday was an important win for the Colorado State men's basketball team.
The No. 13/14 Rams used a dominant second half to edge New Mexico 76-68, in a battle of teams that entered the Mountain West opener with 12-1 records and looked like real threats to the League victory was considered.
“We know it’s a new season. We have a lot of guys that might be coming in for the first time this season,” CSU star guard Isaiah Stevens said. “You understand that the Mountain West is extremely deep this year. Being able to protect Moby, which we always say, I think is especially important for us going into conference play.”
Here are three thoughts on the game, which had an announced attendance of 5,165.
Win the color
New Mexico (12-2, received the top 25 votes) seemed likely to win the color battle in this one. The Lobos were able to score inside at times, but the Rams were absolute tyrants on offense.
New Mexico couldn't stop the Rams (13-1) from making a strong impression under the leadership of Patrick Cartier.
Cartier's supple feet led to poor matchups for New Mexico. Cartier scored 21 points on 8-12 shooting. Joel Scott added 10 points.
“It makes us a lot more versatile and dynamic when he’s aggressive,” Stevens said of Cartier. “We want to use him a lot in our offense. He makes a lot of decisions for us and most of the time he makes the right ones.”
CSU won the scoring battle 32-26 and beat New Mexico 38-29.
“I think we demonstrated our attitude throughout the game,” said CSU coach Niko Medved. “We didn’t allow any big runs. We stuck with it. We have a group that understands that. We weren't perfect, you never will be, but I think our guys did a lot of really good things here tonight.
Defensively, Rashaan Mbemba and Tavi Jackson provided some important defensive minutes in the second half as the Rams extended their lead.
CSU built a 17-point lead in the second half and was firmly in control of the final 20 minutes.
Free throws also proved crucial. New Mexico was just 4-11, including 1-8 in the first half, when CSU built a 3-point lead at halftime despite playing flawlessly. CSU shot 18:21 from the line.
New Mexico's stars were limited, CSU's were not
Star guard Jaelen House can be a spark plug for the Lobos to get the game going. He helped CSU start league play last year.
Not in this one. He picked up two quick fouls and had to go to the bench in the first half. Then he came on again and immediately scored a third goal. He sat the rest of the half and nearly eight minutes before the start of the second half. Then a few minutes later he picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench in a rage.
When he returned about 5 minutes in, the Rams were up 17 points and the game was as good as over. House had a 3-pointer to cut the game to seven points with just over a minute left, but CSU never threatened to lose in the second half.
Donovan Dent, another great defender, picked up two quick fouls and never found his rhythm. And Jamal Mashburn Jr. was ineffective all night, shooting 5-15 with 13 points.
The fact that the CSU fended off the guard trio decided the game. New Mexico thrives on big runs, where turnovers lead to a flurry of quick points. Biggest run of the game for the Lobos in this game? 5:0. CSU had two 10-0 runs and one 9-0.
In the meantime, CSU's best players did their thing. Stevens has directed a masterpiece.
His first basket pushed him to over 2,000 career points, making him the only CSU men's or women's player other than Becky Hammon to reach that mark. He added eight assists to his 18 points and was instrumental in the Rams' biggest runs of the game.
Nique Clifford was strong defensively, posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Important starting marker
The Mountain West will be a real gauntlet.
Entering league play this week, the Rams face six Quad 1 and six Quad 2 games, according to the NCAA NET rankings. In an 18-game league schedule, every night will be a battle.
That's why every victory is great and must be cherished.
CSU has a tough starting schedule with New Mexico, Utah State (12-1) and Boise State (9-4). That was a big first (and a Quad 2 win).
Away wins will be a crucial factor in winning the league and rejoining the NCAA Tournament, so next week is the next test for the Rams.
Keep following sports reporter Kevin Lytle Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.