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 Ohio. The four winners over two nights will move onto the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 10 seed Colorado Buffaloes will face the No. 10 seed Boise State Broncos on Wednesday. The winner will advance to take on No. 7 seed Florida in Indianapolis. Here’s an early look at what we can expect from the matchup.
How to Watch: Colorado vs. Boise State
Game date: Wednesday, March 20
Game time: 9:10 p.m. ET
TV channel: Tru TV
Location: University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Colorado -2, Boise State +2
Over/Under: 138.5
Moneyline: Colorado -135, Boise State +114
No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes
NET: 25
KenPom Overall: 27
KenPom O: 25
KenPom D: 43
Record: 24-10
Strength of Schedule: 76
Conference: Pac-12
Conference Record: 13-7
Quad 1 Record: 4-5
Colorado makes the cut for the Big Dance for the first time since 2021 and gets in after being on the bubble in the weeks leading up to Selection Sunday. The Buffaloes had a middling start to Pac-12 play before ending on a heater with six straight victories to close the regular season and doing just enough to sneak into the field of 68.
The stars of the show were KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva, both of whom ended up being Pac-12 Player of the Year finalists by averaging 15+ points and 5+ rebounds per game. 6’11” center Eddie Lampkin was the enforcer in the paint by pulling down 7.1 rebounds a night..
No. 10 Boise State
NET: 27
KenPom Overall: 39
KenPom O: 58
KenPom D: 57
Record: 22-10
Strength of Schedule: 58
Conference: Mountain West
Conference Record: 13-5
Quad 1 Record: 6-5
Boise State is back in the Big Dance for the third consecutive year. The Broncos have never made it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They went 5-1 in conference play to start, and while they dropped a few road games as the season went on, the Broncos were able to finish up with a solid three seed in the Mountain West tournament.
The Broncos have a strong three-point defense, letting up just 30.8% from the perimeter (22nd in the nation). They rank 28th in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom. Forward Tyson Degenhart leads the team with 16.8 points per game.