Followers of the San Diego State men’s basketball team were probably worried about the Aztecs dropping off the rankings radar after being unceremoniously dumped at Colorado State the other day. Well, relax.

It didn’t turn out too badly for SDSU. While the Aztecs dropped five spots in the latest Associated Press poll, they still own a very respectable 17th spot.

SDSU fell four notches in the ESPN/USA Today poll for the same position here. Kentucky remained atop both polls, with Syracuse the runner-up. The Aztecs’ Mountain West rival Nevada-Las Vegas jumped to 11th, just behind No.10 Murray State, the southwestern Kentucky school that is the only undefeated Division I outfit in the nation.

One step below SDSU in the AP poll is St. Mary’s, which is one of the top “mid-major” teams in the country and arguably the best team in California right now. The Moraga-based Gaels just might make some big noise in the NCAA Tournament.

There are some curious aspects about UNLV being ranked above State in the AP poll. Not only did the Aztecs beat the Rebels in their head-to-head meeting on January 14, but UNLV has dropped two of its three games against teams in the Top 25, while San Diego State has taken two of three.

Then again, UNLV has a victory against then-No.1 North Carolina in its pocket and a Ratings Percentage Index (RPI, which measures strength of schedule) that’s eighth in the country. Recent games against UNLV and New Mexico have brought the Aztecs’ RPI up to 21st in the land.

SDSU has home games against MW bottom-feeders Boise State (0-5 in conference play) on February 1 and Texas Christian (2-3) three days later. Viejas Arena will be a welcomed sight to coach Steve Fisher and the gang, especially after two trips to the cold and snow.

The 77-60 upset loss at Colorado State came on the heels of a harrowing trip to Wyoming, but at least the Aztecs won that game. The team took a charter destined for Laramie, a move honorably designed to keep missed class time by the players to a minimum. Plans called for the Aztecs to land in St. George, a southern Utah city on the Arizona border, then head to Wyoming, but heavy snow forced the team plane to circle for an hour and land in Cedar Springs, UT, north of Salt Lake City.

They eventually made it to Laramie. This jaunt from San Diego took a total of 20 hours, and the team arrived in town six hours before game time. And instead of normal pre-game shootaround, a light practice was held in a hotel ballroom. To say the least this wasn't the sort of trip featured in those airline magazines.

It would have certainly been understandable if there was still a “hangover” effect when the Aztecs returned to the Rockies to face Colorado State four days later. Instead of handling a team they really should beat 19 times out of 20, even on the road, the Aztecs played one of their worst games in recent memory and were throttled. It was the Rams’ first win over a ranked team on their home court in nine years.

San Diego State is hardly an offensive juggernaut. But the Aztecs really outdid themselves here, shooting just 20 of 64 from the field, including an unsightly three of 21 from three-point land. Meanwhile, the Rams made six of 13 threes, and further helped themselves by taking 23 free throws --- and making them all. No one in the Aztecs camp wanted to hear that the Wyoming adventure affected them in Fort Collins.

“I’m not going to place the blame on us traveling,’’ said forward Tim Shelton. “We understand how our conference is and the climates. That’s not the reason at all.’’

Asked if travel was a factor in the decisive loss, Fisher said, “No, absolutely not. I’m giving all the credit to (Colorado State) coach Tim Miles and his staff and what the players did. They came in with a must win and they got the win. I don’t think they’re a better basketball team, but they were (in this game). They were terrific.’’

Even after the rugged week, the Aztecs are 18-3 overall and 4-1 in the MW, the same conference record as Nevada-Las Vegas. So they remain in good shape, and at least snow isn’t going to be on the menu for the time being.