Colorado
Utah State upsets No. 13 Colorado State to move to 14-1 on the season
LOGAN — The number 13 was lucky for the Utah State Aggies and extremely unlucky for the Colorado State Rams Saturday night.
Utah State secured its 13th straight victory by knocking off 13th-ranked Colorado State 77-72 in front of a boisterous crowd at a sold-out Spectrum.
“I’m happy for the university and for the fans and all of the kids who came back early from Christmas break. They deserve it,” said USU head coach Danny Sprinkle, who had to change into a USU hoodie for the postgame press conference after finding himself in the middle of an enthusiastic court storming by Utah State students.
“Aggie Nation always shows up, and so they deserve things like this, so I’m happy that our players could do that for them.”
The victory over the Rams (13-2) was the first for the Aggies (14-1) over a nationally ranked team since Sam Merrill and company memorably upended No. 5 San Diego State in the championship game of the 2020 Mountain West tournament, and it was the first home victory over a ranked opponent since USU’s upset of No. 12 Nevada in March of 2019.
Utah State, which trailed for the majority of the first 30 minutes, started a 10-0 run with just over nine minutes left that took them from two points behind to a 65-57 advantage in a span of just over five minutes.
Although many Utah State students have yet to return to Cache Valley ahead of the start of the new semester on Monday, the Spectrum was still packed with 10,270 souls.
“Spectrum magic is real; it’s real,” USU guard Josh Uduje declared. “Great (Osobor) and I were told about it before we even played a game here, and tonight we really did see it. The crowd was amazing … and I think they really helped kickstart our run, honestly.”
Osobor led the way for the Aggies with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while freshman guard Mason Falslev finished with 18 points and six rebounds.
Uduje came off the bench to add nine points, and center Isaac Johnson contributed eight points (six of which came on two 3-pointers) and eight rebounds, with much of that production coming during USU’s game-altering run in the second half.
“Thank goodness he’s 6-11-and-a-half because he needed all of it to get over (the defender) on his second 3-pointer,” Sprinkle pointed out with a grin, “and I was even more proud of his rebounding. He had some big-boy rebounds down there in the second half.”
Utah State managed to take out the No. 13 team in the country despite shooting a mere 28.1% as a team in the first half. But thanks to the Aggies’ still being determined defensively, they managed to close a 10-point deficit down to just four points by halftime.
Senior point guard Isaiah Stevens closed out the first half with a pull-up jumper at the buzzer to make it 32-28, but the CSU star was relatively quiet offensively until the game’s final moments.
Still, the Mountain West preseason Player of the Year ended up with a team-high 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and eight assists.
Senior guard Nique Clifford and senior forward Patrick Cartier added 18 and 15 points, respectively, but CSU’s big trio also missed some key attempts during USU’s 10-0 stretch, and Clifford and Cartier both ended up fouling out.
“We had an opportunity to maybe have a bigger lead in the first half. We were guarding really, really well, and then in the second half it was just the opposite,” CSU head coach Niko Medved said.
“Our defense really kind of fell apart. Too many mistakes. We lost our discipline and we had some guys that, maybe because they were in foul trouble, were maybe playing a little bit tentative defensively, and you can’t do that because that was not good enough.”
Colorado State ended up shooting 44.4% for the game and went 8 of 24 from 3-point range, but the Rams were a dismal 4 of 11 from the free-throw line.
The Aggies, conversely, finished 20 of 23 from the charity stripe, with Osobor going a perfect 8 for 8.
“Obviously, we got outscored by 16 from the free-throw line,” Medved noted. “A lot of that is we have to make them and we have to play with more physicality, and that’s what happened.
“Disappointing because I thought we had an opportunity tonight. They executed better than we did down the stretch.”
The Aggies, who ended up shooting 63% in the second half, pulled away by as many as nine points with just under two minutes remaining.
The hosts then survived a frenetic comeback attempt by the Rams to stretch their winning streak to 13 games, the sixth-best run in school history.
Picked to finish ninth in the Mountain West preseason poll after turning over nearly the entire roster, the 2023-24 Aggies have tied the 2012-13 team for the third-best start in school history.
Only the 2008-09 team, which started 24-1, and the 2003-04 squad that opened the year 20-1, have gotten off to a better start than Sprinkle’s first team at Utah State.
When asked where Saturday’s victory ranks in his head coaching career, Sprinkle was quick to note that winning two Big Sky tournament titles while at Montana State are the “biggest.”
“But, you know, beating the No. 13 team in the country is pretty big,” added Sprinkle, who was able to do in front of both of his parents.
“That’s a heck of team that we just beat,” he added. “They’re No. 13 in the country for a reason and they gave us everything we could handle, so I’m just really proud of our guys and the effort that they gave.
“We talked a lot about Colorado State making runs — they’re too good of a team — but I thought we responded, and our guys were terrific.”
Colorado
Colorado weather: Up to 14 inches of snow forecast for mountains
Snow started Monday night in Colorado’s mountains and will continue throughout the week, likely making its way into the Denver area on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Colorado’s mountain roads, including Interstate 70 at the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel and Berthoud Pass, were already snow-covered Tuesday morning, according to the weather service.
“With more snow to come throughout the day, a Winter Weather Advisory was issued for the Front Range Mountains,” forecasters said.
That advisory will be in effect until 8 p.m. Tuesday for parts of Jackson, Larimer, Boulder, Grand, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Summit and Park counties, including Rocky Mountain National Park. Additional snow accumulations between 6 and 14 inches are possible on Tuesday, forecasters said in the alert.
As of Tuesday, the weather service’s snow forecasts included:
- 2 inches on I-70’s Vail Pass, with up to 3 inches possible
- 3 inches in Winter Park, with up to 4 inches possible
- 4 inches in Eldora and on U.S. 6’s Loveland Pass, with up to 5 inches possible
- 4 inches on U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass near Winter Park, with up to 7 inches possible
- 5 inches at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, with up to 7 inches possible
- 6 inches on U.S. 34’s Milner Pass in RMNP, with up to 8 inches possible
- 7 inches on Colorado 14’s Cameron Pass near Fort Collins, with up to 8 inches possible
- 9 inches on Mount Zirkel, the highest summit of Colorado’s Park Range of the Rocky Mountains, with up to 11 inches possible
“Travel could be very difficult,” weather service forecasters stated in the winter weather advisory. “The hazardous conditions will impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes.”
Snow is expected to pause in the mountains Wednesday and resume Thursday before wrapping up early Saturday morning, according to hourly forecasts from the weather service.
In the Denver area, snow is most likely between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, the hourly forecasts show. Rain is also forecast for the metro area during that time, so it’s unknown how much snow will stick.
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Colorado
Weiss keeps focus on job as Colorado AHL assistant, not historic promotion | NHL.com
In NHL.com’s Q&A feature called “Sitting Down with …” we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. This week, we feature Kim Weiss, assistant coach of the Colorado Eagles, the Colorado Avalanche’s American Hockey League affiliate. Weiss was named assistant for the Eagles on Jan. 16, joining Seattle Kraken assistant Jessica Campbell as the only women in the NHL or AHL to be a full-time assistant coach.
Kim Weiss doesn’t think about the history she’s made that often.
The 36-year-old is too busy with her duties that come with being the Colorado Eagles’ assistant coach, including breaking down 5-on-5 video — she was the team’s video coach prior to her promotion — presenting it to the team, pushing pucks and running practice drills.
“When the title change happened and the promotion happened, I left the office of the general manager (Kevin McDonald), and I got back to work,” Weiss told NHL.com. “In the moment you’re not really thinking about that kind of stuff, but obviously it’s an honor.
“I’m especially grateful just because of my background. I didn’t play on a national team, I didn’t grow up in Minnesota or any kind of a hockey hotbed. So to get at this level and to have this legacy, for lack of a better word, from the place I’m from, a kid from Maryland that played Division III (hockey at Trinity College), it makes me even more proud to show people that you can get somewhere no matter where you start from. Then you add in being a female and all of that, I’m really proud of my journey and I’m proud of all the people who helped me along the way to get here.”
It’s been quite a ride for Weiss with the Eagles, who are second in the AHL Pacific Division. Last week, Weiss talked to NHL.com about her new duties, working with the Avalanche and more women in hockey.
So what was it like the day McDonald called you into the office to give you the news of your promotion?
“Honestly, it’s an affirmation of the work you put in. That’s what the GM said to me. Last season I had a different head coach (Aaron Schneekloth) and we had a different assistant (Dan Hinote) that both moved onto the NHL, and they both spoke highly of me to our GM in the summer and to our new head coach (Mark Letestu). Getting to know Mark this year and working for him, everything that he had heard of me got confirmed through the first few months of the year.
“I don’t exactly know how the process went about to change the title, but I think he went to Kevin, and I know Kevin said this to me, this line of, ‘You’re doing all the work that the assistant does, so why aren’t we calling you one?’ I’m already on the ice with the team and I run skill skates and scratch skates and present (video). I’m doing everything the assistant coach does; I just had a different title. So I really appreciate them just giving me the opportunity to kind of advance my career and keep doing what I love to do, which is coach hockey.”
Letestu also had you run one of the practices earlier in the season. How did that come about?
“Every assistant got (that chance). The big thing coming in was, he had been an assistant coach before and he wanted to make sure we all had a voice and a say, and we weren’t just coming onto the ice for practice like, ‘Oh, here we go. Push some pucks. Put my track suit on for 20 minutes, push some pucks and jump off.’ He wanted to make sure we had the platform in front of the players.
“It started with our longest-tenured assistant coach, Tim Branham. It was nothing new or scary for any of us, but just a different dynamic. Not every staff allows their assistants to take full responsibility of a full practice. Then Derek (Army) took it and then the next week I took one.”
Colorado
How the Colorado Rockies Are Actually Building Its Opening Day Roster
The Colorado Rockies are seeking the right balance and experimenting under their first full-year manager, Warren Schaeffer.
It’s a different Rockies roster compared to last season. There are new faces on the active roster for the start of the 2026 season. Having a team with youth and a mix of veterans can be a successful formula for the Rockies.
Knowing how the elevation affects things in Colorado, the Rockies will see which pitcher can thrive playing in Coors Field. Anything can happen this season.
The Rockies Must Have A Roster That Can Stay Durable
A Rotation of Veterans
Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta added several arms over 34, including Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana, and Tomoyuki Sugano.
The fifth starter will be a competitive battle. The Rockies have options in who will win that fifth and final spot. Here is the prediction of the Rockies’ starting rotation:
- Kyle Freeland
- Michael Lorenzen
- Ryan Feltner
- Jose Quintana
- Chase Dollander
Ryan Feltner has battled injuries. The 29-year-old suffered back spasms and shoulder injuries, preventing him from performing in 2025. He’s determined to have a breakout season.
He had a lot of momentum in his final 15 starts of the 2024 season. Feltner posted a 2.75 ERA and finished with a career-high 162 1/3 innings. Feltner has been building his weight-room capacity and getting himself ready for the new season. Hopefully, he can stay healthy and produce.
Flexibility on the Infield
The Rockies’ acquisition of Willi Castro was a smart move. We know the Rockies’ future at shortstop is Ezequel Tovar. However, the Rockies organization is being cautious. They want to make sure they have an extra body on hand in case something goes south. Castro is a former All-Star and a versatile defender.
Eduoard Julien is known for playing second base, but he can also play first base if the Rockies need him there. It all depends on many situations and circumstances. Julien is one of the players on the Rockies roster who must prove his worth.
In terms of first base, TJ Rumfield is a front-office option to serve that position. He has the size, length, and youth to play the position. Rumfield is having an impressive start to the spring so far.
Current Roster and Opening Day Prediction Lineup
Ezequiel Tovar, SS
Tyler Freeman, 2B
Mickey Moniak, DH
Hunter Goodman, C
Kyle Karros, 3B
Jordan Beck, RF
Brenton Doyle, CF
Jake McCarthy, LF
TJ Rumfield, 1B
The lineup can change overnight, and especially in the next few weeks. If, for some reason, Freeman can’t okay second base to start the season, then Castro is the leading man to take the spot.
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