The field for the 2024 NCAA Tournament is set, and the First Four returns to its traditional home of the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton. The four winners over two nights will move onto the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 10 seed Virginia Cavaliers will face the No. 10 seed Colorado State Rams on Tuesday. Here’s an early look at what we can expect from the matchup.
Once odds from DraftKings Sportsbook are made available for this game, we’ll add that information below. We’ll also add the game time and TV channel once it’s settled.
Game date: Tuesday, March 19
Game time: 9:10 p.m. ET
TV channel: TruTV
Location: University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Colorado State -1.5
Over/Under: 118.5
Moneyline: Colorado State -125, Virginia +105
No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers
NET: 54
KenPom Overall: 68
KenPom O: 193
KenPom D: 7
Record: 23-10
Strength of Schedule: 77
Conference: ACC
Conference Record: 13-7
Quad 1 Record: 2-7
Virginia is back in the NCAA Tournament and was able to sneak in after being on the bubble for the past month. The Cavaliers were cruising right along near the top of the ACC standings before dropping into bubble territory by losing four of their last six contests. They were able to help their cause with an overtime victory over Boston College in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals and came up just short in an OT loss to NC State in the semis.
UVA was anchored by senior guard Reece Beekman, who earned his second ACC Defensive Player of the Year honor this season. He had a statline of 14.3 points, 6.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game. 6’8” guard Ryan Dunn was also a menace on defense with 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.
No. 10 Colorado State Rams
NET: 36
KenPom Overall: 38
KenPom O: 42
KenPom D: 38
Record: 24-10
Strength of Schedule: 65
Conference: Mountain West
Conference Record: 10-8
Quad 1 Record: 6-7
After taking a step back last season, Colorado State is back in the NCAA tourney for the second time in three years and managed to do so out of a tough Mountain West Conference. The Rams stormed out to a 12-1 start to the season, a stretch that included a signature victory over Creighton on Thanksgiving. However, they had to battle through the highs and lows of a difficult conference slate and ultimately finished seventh in the MWC standings.
Senior guard Isaiah Stevens was the spark plug for CSU this season, averaging 16.8 points and 7.0 assists per game. Joel Scott and Nique Clifford also offered major contributions by both putting up 12.5 points a night.