COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

CSU is at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, just not in the role they had hoped. The basketball team missed out on a bid after losing in the Mountain West tournament semifinals. But the university is still playing a significant role in the first- and second-round games being played at the Pepsi Center and reaping the benefits of some national exposure. Gary Ozzello, Colorado State University’s vice president for external affairs and community outreach, is helping run the pre-practice and post-game news conferences with players and coaches. He spent much of the day Friday showing NCAA president Mark Emmert and others around as the tournament’s executive liaison. Nick Popplewell and Patrick Krza, from the CSU athletic department’s marketing office, are coordinating activities of the participating schools’ pep bands, cheerleaders and dance squads between games and during breaks in each game.