Texas vs. Colorado State: NCAA Tournament Preview and Prediction
Here is everything you need to know about Texas and Colorado State in our Longhorns vs. Rams NCAA Tournament first-round preview.
NO. 7 TEXAS (20-12) VS. NO. 10 COLORADO STATE (25-10)
Time, TV: 5:50 p.m. CT Thursday, March 21, TNT, NCAA March Madness Live
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
All-time series: TBD
Winner: Advances to the Round of 32 on Saturday to take on the winner of No. 2 Tennessee and No. 15 St. Peter’s.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS
Texas: F Dylan Disu, F Dillon Mitchell, G Ithiel Horton, G Tyrese Hunter, G Max Abmas
Colorado State: F Joel Scott, F Patrick Cartier, G Nique Clifford, G Isaiah Stevens, G Josiah Strong
PLAYERS TO WATCH
TEXAS
G Max Abmas
Texas guard Max Abmas is Mr. March. Abmas led his former team, the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, to the NCAA Tournament in both 2021 and 2023. In 2021, Abmas became a March Madness legend, leading his team to the Sweet 16 with wins over No. 2 Ohio State and No. 7 Florida. Now, as a member of the Texas Longhorns, Abmas hopes to lead the Longhorns on a deep tournament run in his final season of college eligibility.
COLORADO STATE
G Isaiah Stevens
Colorado State guard Isaiah Stevens has the potential to be one of the deadliest guards in the NCAA Tournament this season. Stevens is a scoring threat and a true facilitator, as his 7.0 assists per game rank sixth in the nation. Stevens is also adding 16.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game on 48.3% shooting from the field. While his passing numbers are impressive, Stevens is also shooting a blazing-hot 44.7% from the three-point line this season.
KEY STORYLINES
TEXAS
While Texas has multiple different ways, I could go with the key storyline; for the Longhorns, it is more or less the same thing it’s been all season. Is Rodney Terry the right guy, and can he do it again? Terry earned the head coaching job in Austin last season after an Elite Eight run in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, and with a tough day in 2024, Terry will be tasked with finding a way to advance in a brutal region.
COLORADO STATE
Colorado State’s storyline is simple. Shock the world. While the team is a few-point favorite to Virginia and likely wouldn’t be too far off of Texas in betting odds, Colorado State has been horrendous in March Madness. The team has advanced to the tournament 11 times and has a 4-12 record to show for it. The team lost in the Round of 64 four times in their last five appearances, with the lone trip to the Round of 32 coming in 2013. Colorado State can make history with a few early wins.
PREDICTION:
Texas 69, Colorado State 61. Texas has struggled at times this season, and with Colorado State coming off of a solid run in the Mountain West Tournament and earning a bid to the tournament field, I expect this game to be somewhat close. Texas gets it done late but cuts it close.
