For Andrej Jakimovski during his time at Washington State, the heated and hated rivalry was Washington. But lose the first round of that one, and there was always a rematch.
For Trevor Baskin during his four years at Colorado Mesa, the big rival was fellow Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference power Fort Lewis. Those showdowns made for fervent atmospheres in small gymnasiums, but they also were small gymnasiums.
The two graduate transfers for the Colorado men's basketball team will get their first and only taste of an entirely different rivalry experience on Saturday.
The Buffaloes host the Colorado State Rams in the 132nd edition of the state's premier basketball rivalry. And, as is typical in the series, there will be no shortage of subplots.
Both teams reached the NCAA Tournament last season and advanced together out of the First Four round in Dayton, Ohio. But both teams are attempting to remain competitive with new-look rosters built around key returnees. For CSU, the biggest key returnee is former CU player Nique Clifford, who is off to a torrid start to his fifth collegiate season and his second with the Rams. He returns to the Events Center for the first time since leaving the Buffs after three seasons.
Add to the equation a Buffs squad eager for payback after a second-half rally fell short in a defeat in a raucous atmosphere last year in Fort Collins, and it should make for a dramatic Saturday night at the CU Events Center.
"Super excited. These are the two biggest schools in Colorado and they both recruited me pretty heavily out of the portal," said Baskin, a Colorado native who starred at Pomona High in Arvada. "Just playing in front of a home crowd like that is something that I've dreamed of for a long time. So I can't wait for it."
For the Buffs, only Denver native Julian Hammond III has significant experience in the rivalry. Javon Ruffin played just seven minutes off the bench in a CU home win two years ago, and RJ Smith did the same in last year's loss at CSU in what proved to be his final game of the season before getting sidelined by a lower leg issue.
And, of course, there's Clifford, who has played for the winning side in each of the past two matchups, going 5-for-10 with 15 points and six rebounds to help lead the Rams' win last year. Two years ago, Clifford enjoyed a solid game for the Buffs in a home win against CSU, going 6-for-9 with 13 points and four rebounds.
"It means more. The last one. Last time we're going to have the chance to play against these guys," Hammond said. "And it's home, too. That makes it a little bit more special. Everybody from Denver has been texting me 'You got tickets? You got tickets?' It's not just a basketball game. Obviously we take every game serious. But this game has a little special importance to it because it's an in-state rivalry."
CSU knocked off a Big 12 foe last week, topping TCU in overtime, and the Rams are coming off a Wednesday night win against Loyola Marymount in which they knocked down a season-high 14 3-pointers. CSU also shot its way into the lead against the Buffs last year by going 7-for-14 from the arc in the first half, and CU head coach Tad Boyle said his club's perimeter defense will be critical if the Buffs hope to get back on the winning side of the rivalry.
"Nothing is easy, nothing is going to be given to us, and we're going to have to fight like hell on Saturday night," Boyle said. "The guys on our roster from Colorado -- Julian Hammond, Trevor Baskin -- they need to let the other guys know how important this game is. They beat us last year. We didn't lose the game last year. They beat us. That was disappointing.
"We're going to have to be ready to go. If our guys can't get up for this game, we're going to have a long year."
COACHES: Colorado State -- Niko Medved, 7th season (122-78, 201-165 overall). Colorado -- Tad Boyle, 15th season (304-185, 360-251 overall).
KEY PLAYERS: Colorado State -- G Nique Clifford, 6-6, Gr. (18.9 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, .573 FG%); G Jalen Lake, 6-4, Sr. (15.0 ppg, .400 3%); F Jayl Crocker-Johnson, 6-8, So. (9.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg); F Kyle Jorgensen, 6-9, Fr. (7.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg). Colorado -- F Andrej Jakimovski, 6-8, Gr. (13.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, .395 3%); G Julian Hammond III, 6-2, Sr. (12.3 ppg, 3.3 apg, .441 3%); C Elijah Malone, 6-10, Gr. (12.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, .613 FG%); F Trevor Baskin, 6-9, Gr. (9.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, .535 FG%); G Javon Ruffin, 6-5, R-Jr. (6.8 ppg, 2.3 apg); G RJ Smith, 6-3, R-So. (6.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, .545 3%).
NOTES: Former CU staff member Sean Kearney is slated to join Jerry Schemmel on the radio broadcast. Regular radio voices Mark Johnson and Scott Wilke again will handle the telecast on ESPN+. ... This will be the 132nd meeting between the state rivals, and CU leads the series 92-39. The Buffs have won the past two games in Boulder and have gone 7-5 against the Rams during Boyle's tenure. ... Hammond has enjoyed a pair of strong games against the Rams. He went 4-for-4 with nine points at CSU last year and went 2-for-3 with five points at home against the Rams two years ago. ... CU has won 21 of its last 22 home games. ... Jakimovski has gone 8-for-17 on 3-pointers in the past three games. ... In five home games, the Buffs have shot .407 from 3-point range. ... Following the rivalry battle the Buffs will have just two more nonconference games remaining. Next up is a home date next Friday (Dec. 13) against South Dakota State (7 p.m., ESPN+).