FORT COLLINS – The thing about openers is the scale.

Basketball coaches hope to see certain things after spending months on the practice court. There's also what's to be expected: A bit of rust, a touch of sloppy play as returners blend with newcomers, all of whom are playing with the elevated heart rate which comes with the dawn of a new season and the self-generated expectations.

Just find a way to tip the scales in your favor. Not always pretty, but showing some grit and gumption, Colorado Stat's men's basketball team opened with an 84-74 victory at Moby Arena on Monday night, knocking off a Montana State team projected to win a league title.

"I think it was good. They're a really good team, Montana State, and they gave us a little bit of adversity early, so I think it was just good for us to see that," CSU guard Jase Butler said. "We saw a little bit of that in preseason, but for us to see it, respond and figure out a way to win the game, I mean, that's what it's all about. So it was good."

Colorado State turnovers came early, and so did some Montana State 3s. Both items really kept the Rams from creating any distance, and when they did, the gap was always closed in short order.

A few more turnovers to start the second half and the gap was not only gone, the Bobcats held the lead, even if only oh so briefly.

Then the Rams settled in, calmed down and got a handle on things, namely the ball. They adjusted the way they were guarded and controlled the interior. Balance was restored.

"We had to go to switching 5, which we really only did two reps of in practice and then walked through it today. So, it was a completely different game plan defensively that we had to adjust to," CSU coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. "Huge credit to our guys for figuring out a way to win that game. And it got a little ugly there at times.

"I thought the biggest thing was how we finished the game. We had nine assists and one turnover in the last 10 minutes of that game. So, I thought it looked more like us when you go five assists, 10 turnovers in the first half, and then flip that basically completely around. That's the way we got to play."

The guys he expects to steer his team in such a direction did so in the game. Butler's game improved throughout his past season, hitting a high point down the stretch. His goal was to not only do it again but do it better. Oh, and do a little more.

When the team needed calm, Butler provided it, along with everything else he did.

"For him to get the double-double, the first in his career … And we challenged our guards to rebound. They're going to have to rebound the ball for us," Farokhmanesh said after Butler scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. "For him to have the double-double plus six assists, and more to me was his calming presence of the group. I think Rashaan (Mbemba), Kyle (Jorgensen), and Jase are kind of the emotional leaders of the group because they've also been here the longest, and I thought Jase did a great job of calming everyone down because they got a little intense there.

"We had a couple of those turnovers back-to-back-to-back the second half, and you could see some of our guys tensing up, and I felt like we needed to calm them down, and that's the sign of a good team that's coming together is when they calm each other down. It's not coming from me. And I thought Jase did a phenomenal job. He played great, but to me, that was the biggest thing."

Butler enters the season knowing he has to be a leader, as well as a playmaker. How he's going to do it all stems as much from maturity as offseason work.

Being able to do everything doesn't mean every game, just whatever is needed every time.

"I feel like, just kind of taking what the game gives me. I feel like today, maybe a couple more rebounds bounced my way, so I got a little lucky, but I'm always trying to crash the glass and make plays for others," Butler said. "Just try to balance when to score, when to pass, when to do things for the team."

A team which is expanding. Returners Cary Booth and Josh Pascarelli each had 16 points to lead the team. Booth is still as athletic as ever, and Pascarelli is showing he's more than just a shooter, blending his outside shot with backdoor cuts to get his points.

Transfer Justin Minard added 10 points to the cause, taking advantage of driving space down the lane. Freshmen Jaden Ghoreishi and Pops Dunson also had their moments in their debuts, though Ghoreishi stole the show at times.

His first basket was a dunk. His second a 3. Later in the game, he had a put-back slam which shook the Moby crowd. By the end, he had nine points and 11 rebounds.

"I'm not going to lie. After that dunk, I was super nervous," he said. "My legs felt like they were going to give out, but I feel like that dunk just got me going, and obviously not being able to play my senior year, just being able to be out here is a blessing, so I'm just going to give everything I got every time."

Which is Farokhmanesh said will be more in time, as they gain comfort at the college level.

Having experience is nice. Supplementing it is what helps teams grow, and Butler believes both freshmen will do just that.

"I mean, you guys see that he's a freak athlete, like, one-of-one," Butler said of Ghoreishi. "I've never seen anybody other than maybe Carey, and we had both of them on the court at the same time, and he had 11 rebounds his first college game as a freshman. Like, that's a big time.

"He brings so much energy to that, as well as Pops and everyone else that played, but it's huge."

To get a win and do so with the effort requiring some thought and initiative on both ends of the floor. Not always easy or clean, but better at the close than the beginning and having the scale weigh in your favor.