Just three years ago, the Colorado State University men's basketball team went winless in the Mountain West Conference and seemed to be the last place college basketball could thrive. Now the Rams are 15-6 (5-2 in conference) and flirting with the idea of March Madness. They'll learn a lot about how realistic that goal is tonight when they host the conference-leading San Diego State Aztecs, who've lost just one game all year and are ranked number six in the coaches' top-25 poll. Aztecs coach Steve Fisher isn't sleeping on the Rams, calling them "maybe the hottest team in the league right now" (via the Fort Collins Coloradoan). Fisher can relate to Rams coach Tim Miles, he tells the Denver Post. Both took over terrible basketball programs and have painstakingly rebuilt them.

Meanwhile, after surprising almost everyone by starting out undefeated in conference play, the University of Colorado men's basketball team recently lost four straight and sat at 3-4 in the Big 12. They turned that around last night, trouncing Iowa State 95-69 in Boulder, notes the Longmont Times-Call. CU is now 12-1 at home this season and back on track to recieve its own invite to the NCAA tournament next month.