‘This is what it’s all about;’ What Colorado State coach Niko Medved said after NCAA Tournament win over Memphis

The 12th-seeded Colorado State men’s basketball team picked up the Mountain West’s first victory of the 2025 NCAA Tournament Friday by knocking off fifth-seeded Memphis, 78-70, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

The Rams trailed 36-31 at halftime of the first-round game but outscored the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions 47-34 in the second half.

“Man, this is what it’s all about,” Colorado State head coach Niko Medved said. “The biggest stage, and these guys finding a way to get the job done.”

Kyan Evans went 6 of 9 from 3-point range en route to a game-high 23 points for the Rams (26-9), who have won 11 straight games. The sophomore point guard also had four assists and two steals while Nique Clifford filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists. 

Dain Dainja recorded a double-double for Memphis (29-6) with 22 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks. 

Here are the highlights from Medved’s postgame press conference. 

On second-half adjustments 

“I really challenged ourselves at halftime. I thought (Memphis) was a lot tougher than we were in those last seven minutes of the first half. And like this group always does, you challenge them, they look at each other, we all respond as a group. And boy did we respond in the second half. 

“I thought down the stretch in the last eight or 10 minutes, I thought we were the team that was getting the loose balls and the 50/50 plays. Just a phenomenal effort all the way around. And just when I don’t think this group can give us more, they find another gear.”

On Evans’ big game

“First of all, whatever Kyan was feeling tonight, I just want to feel that one time. Because I haven’t felt like that. Kyan is just one of those guys where he’s an unbelievable competitor. He’s a live-it hoops guy. He learned a lot last year playing behind (Isaiah Stevens), and just watching his development this year has been special. He comes in every day, he soaks it up, and he’s aggressive. He really believes in himself and what he can do.”

On Colorado State’s strong defense

“I thought in the first half, our first-shot defense wasn’t bad. It was just in those last 10 minutes, there was one possession where they got three offensive rebounds, they were beating us to loose balls, and we had to finish possessions better. I thought we started doing that better in the second half. 

“Dain Dainja is a load, he is really hard (to guard). I thought we did a little bit better job in the second half of taking his real estate, not allowing him to catch it where he wanted, and bringing a little bit of help earlier to him when he put it on the floor.”