Logan O'Brien / Loveland Reporter-Herald)
FORT COLLINS — The bracket is breaking in favor of the Rams.
With losses by the three highest-seeded teams in its quadrant — No. 1 Cal, No. 2 Houston and No. 3 BYU — fourth-seeded Colorado State has a pretty nice path to reach Madison Square Garden for semifinals and finals of the NIT.
Because of those upsets, the Rams (24-11) will not only host eighth-seeded Cal State Bakersfield (23-9) Monday night in the second round (9:15 p.m., ESPN2), but if they win, they'll stay at home for the quarterfinals against the winner of UT-Arlington and Akron on Tuesday or Wednesday with a trip to the Big Apple on the line.