Virginia Cavaliers vs Colorado State Rams Prediction, Picks, Odds, News, Injury Report for 3/19/24

Colorado State is favored to win at 1.62 odds with a 61.7% win probability, while Virginia is priced at 2.35 odds. Our NCAAB expert Ej Garr gives his Virginia vs Colorado State prediction and picks at 1.91 odds in the article below.

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament field is almost set but before we get there the play-on games will take place. Virginia and Colorado State will now have to play a First-Four affair to gain official entry into the 64-team tourney. Defense will likely be a word heard throughout this Midwest region play-in game.

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VIRGINIA VS COLORADO STATE Prediction and Picks

• Selection: 1st-Half Under 56
• Best Odds: 1.91
• Bookmaker: Bet365
• Stakes: 4/10

Odds are available as of March 19th, 2024.

The Cavaliers and Rams didn’t expect to land as First-Four participants in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Any appearance in the Big Dance, however, is better than being left out in the cold having to be playing in the NIT likely.

Neither program will have time to complain about it because Tuesday night gets here quickly. A trip to Dayton ultimately only gives both programs one day of practice to prepare for a one-and-done situation.

The Cavaliers compiled a 23 – 10 record and made it as far as the ACC Tournament semifinals where they ran into the buzzsaw that was North Carolina State. The Wolfpack eventually won the ACC Tourney, but ironically it was the Cavs defense that let them down against N.C. State.

We don’t see Virginia giving up 73 points very often this season, as they hold opponents to an average of under 60 PPG. Ranking 3rd overall, the Cavs’ defense kicks it into gear from the opening jump. They hold opponents to 25.9 PPG in the first half, ranking them 2nd in the nation.

The Colorado State defense ranks 41st in the country holding opponents to an average of 30.9 points in first halves. The reason this line is so evenly matched is because of the Virginia offense being such a question mark every night.

Virginia Head Coach Tony Bennett has an incredible record when holding teams to under 50 points. Not only is the 113- 2 record impressive, but the fact that he’s done it 115 times in his career with the Cavs is even crazier!

I don’t know if that will happen tonight, but I am going with the first half under 56 because I see a 27 – 24 opening frame, and that keeps us under the number. My Virginia vs Colorado State prediction is for there to be fewer than 56 points in the first half.

Game Info

• Time: 02:10 UK Time,
• Date: Wednesday, March 20
• Location: UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio
• Where to Watch: TruTv

Virginia Cavaliers News, Injury Report, Schedule

Virginia advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament but they are listed as +2.5 underdogs in this First0Four matchup with the Rams.

The defensive side of the ball is nothing to question, but the Virginia offense tends to struggle to find consistency.  Scoring just 63.6 PPG, the Cavaliers rank 355th in the Nation among the worst in all of college basketball.

One thing the Cavs do well is shoot from behind the arc, as they rank 41st in the country making 36.3% of their shots from distance.

The next biggest concern for Virginia is depth on the bench because they have none to speak of at all. Tony Bennett put 7 players on the count in the loss to North Carolina State. Foul trouble could lead to big trouble against an aggressive Rams offense.

Reece Beekman and Isaac McKneely were the only Cavs players who averaged double-digits in the regular season. The pair both averaged 10 PPG in the two ACC Tournament games.

Colorado State Rams News, Injury Report, Schedule

The Rams also advanced to the semifinals of their conference tournament. They lost to eventual champions New Mexico State. One thing that will help the Rams is that they compete in a battle-tested Mountain West Conference with a lot of sound programs competing hard.

The Rams know that the challenge will come on offense against Virginia. Luckily, Colorado State gets great guard play from Isaiah Stevens and Nique Clifford. Stevens averages 6.3 assists per game while Clifford averages 5.3 dimes per game but there is much more to that.

The Rams rank 3rd in the country with their assist-to-turnover ratio, and they are ranked 4th overall handing out 18.4 assists as a team per game.

Joel Scott is the Rams; leading scorer with just over 16 PPG in the post-season, although he only averaged 12 PPG in the regular season. Izzy Stevens was the Rams’ regular season leading scorer with just under 17 PPG. His ability to find his teammates and not turn the ball over is why the Rams rank so high in the stats I mentioned above.

Virginia vs Colorado State H2H

There are no head-to-head stats for Virginia vs Colorado State. This is the first-ever meeting between these programs.

Virginia has a 7 – 3 record against Mountain West foes, although they have not met a team from the conference since 1995.

This will be the Rams’ 12th appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, while Virginia will be competing in their 27th Big Dance.

The Cavaliers have advanced to 10 Sweet-16 showings, and have won one title that came in 2019 under Tony Bennett.

The Rams have been knocked out of the opening round of the tournament in four of the last five appearances. They have not made it through the opening weekend since 1969.

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