It’s a matchup of No. 10 seeds in the second First Four game of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Tuesday from Dayton as Colorado State of the Mountain West faces Virginia of the ACC — they were two of the final teams in the Dance. Tuesday’s winner faces Midwest Region No. 7 Texas on Thursday.

Colorado State Rams vs. Virginia Cavaliers Game Information

#Stalwart x @AlpineGardens pic.twitter.com/8FDHoTENYZ

— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) March 19, 2024

• When: Tuesday, March 19th, 2024 at 9:10 pm ET
• Where: UD Arena, Dayton, OH
• TV: TruTV
• Radio: 99.1 FM (Colorado State) // ESPN 700 AM (Virginia)
• Live Stream: TruTV
• NCAAB Betting Odds: Colorado State (-2.5) // Virginia (+2.5)

Why Bet on the Colorado State Rams?

Colorado State (24-10) finished tied for sixth in the Mountain West regular-season standings and then knocked off by eventual conference tournament champion New Mexico in the semifinals. I’m actually a bit surprised the Rams got an at-large bid. Guard Isaiah Stevens helps lead one of America’s best passing teams to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.

Stevens finished third in the nation with 237 assists, while also posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of better than three. He was named first-team All-Mountain West and has been recognized all five years of his career, being named Freshman of the Year as well as an honorable mention selection in 2019, following up with second-team honors in 2021 and 2022. Stevens is the only person in Mountain West history to earn All-Conference honors five times. Teammate Nique Clifford was a third-team selection this year. He leads the team in rebounding and is second in scoring.

Niko Medved’s squad has made 58.2% of its 2s and played a top-40 defense all season. With Stevens on the court, Medved knows he’ll always have one of the top players on the floor, no matter whom the Rams face in the NCAA tournament.

“Excited to go play. You can’t really control what everybody’s reaction is, but we’re super excited to just be a part of the tournament,” Stevens said. “There are a lot of teams that would trade places with us in a heartbeat. Our season is continuing to March forward, and we’re excited about that.

“I’ve seen a handful of games. A super-talented team; very deliberate in what they do and super well coached with Coach Bennett over there,” Stevens continues of facing Virginia. “It’s definitely going to be a tough game to play. It’s going to be very important we prepare the right way and go out there ready to put our best foot forward.”

The Rams are 4-12 in their NCAA Tournament history. Their last trip came two years ago when they lost in the first round to Michigan. The last tourney win came against Missouri in 2013. CSU won tournament games in 1999, 1989 and 1969.

Why Bet on the Virginia Cavaliers?

Virginia (23-10) finished third in the ACC regular-season standings and probably would not be in the Dance if it had lost to Boston College in its conference tournament opener last Thursday, but UVA won in overtime before then losing to eventual champion NC State in overtime in the semifinals.

UVA ranks second nationally in turnovers per game (8.2), third in scoring defense (59.5 ppg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.86), seventh in fouls per game (13.5), 12th in turnover margin (3.8), 14th in field goal percentage defense (40.2), 18th in blocks per game (5.1) and 25th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (30.4).

The Wahoos rarely turn the ball over and play at the slowest tempo in the nation. Essentially, they are a nightmare to play against for a fast-paced offense. Point guard Reece Beekman leads the nation in assist rate. But Virginia does not have a win on its résumé to suggest it will last long.

The Cavaliers are 35-24 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. UVA is making its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance under Tony Bennett and 26th overall. UVA is 0-1 as a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, dropping a first round contest to No. 7 seed Florida, 71-45, in Omaha, Neb. Bennett owns a 13-8 record in nine appearances at UVA (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023), highlighted by the 6-0 mark en route to the 2019 NCAA title.

It’s the first meeting between these schools. UVA is 7-3 all-time vs. the Mountain West and meets its first MWC foe since defeating UNLV 75-65 on Feb. 12, 1995 at University Hall. UVA is 1-1 vs. the Mountain West in the NCAA Tournament, defeating New Mexico (57-54) in 1994 and losing to Wyoming (64-60 in 1987).

Colorado State vs. Virginia Betting Trends

• Colorado State is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games.
• Rams are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games.
• The total went under in 9 of Colorado State’s last 12 games.
• Virginia is 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games.
• Cavaliers are 12-5 SU in their last 17 games.
• The total went over in 4 of Virginia’s last 5 games.

Colorado State vs. Virginia Expert Prediction

Virginia takes the win to face the Longhorns on Thursday night.

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2024 March Madness Tournament previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest college basketball odds on our online Crypto sportsbook.

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