NCAAB: #10 Colorado State vs #7 Texas Odds, and Picks (Mar 21)

• Colorado State dominated Virginia in their First Four game, winning it 67-42.
• Texas claimed a 7-seed in this year’s tournament, after posting a 20-12 record.
• This will be the first meeting between these two teams in their program histories.

The NCAA Tournament is officially underway! Let’s take a look at this matchup between the Colorado State Rams and the Texas Longhorns. Many expected Colorado State to receive a higher seed than they did, making this a pretty evenly matched game.

How to Watch

• TNT

Preview

Colorado State was considered by most to be deserving of a single-digit seed, but wound up as one of the last four teams to make the NCAA Tournament. The Selection Committee showed little respect to the Mountain West, which the Rams have already begun to dispel with their 25-point thumping of Virginia. They’ll face a considerably better offense against Texas, but should still be able to control the pace. Senior G Isaiah Stevens has been one of the best passers in the country, averaging nearly 7 apg.

Texas is hoping to build on last season’s Elite 8 appearance. They weren’t able to repeat as Big-12 champions in Rodney Terry’s first full season as head coach, but they still claimed their 4th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Longhorns are battle-tested after playing 18 games in the brutal Big-12 conference, but will still face a considerable challenge against Colorado State’s Big-12-like defense. Expect 5th-year Senior G Max Abmas to make the most of his final NCAA Tournament before graduating.

Prediction

This is a popular upset pick after Colorado State held Virginia to just 42 points on Tuesday. The Cavaliers weren’t really a tournament team though, just another poor decision by the committee. That makes it tougher to analyze the Rams based on their First Four victory. On the other hand, non-conference wins over Colorado and Creighton can be used to illustrate their ability. Ultimately, I see the Rams taking this one right down to the wire, but coming up just short against the Longhorns.

NCAAB Picks:

• Texas 74, Colorado State 71 (TEX -2.5)