Texas basketball preview, prediction: Longhorns open NCAA Tournament against Colorado State
It didn’t take Texas basketball long to find out its first-round foe in Thursday’s NCAA Tournament.
Colorado State made short work of Virginia in Tuesday’s First Four game, crushing the Cavaliers 67-42 . With the win, the Mountain West program earned the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region and will face No 7 Texas (20-12) Thursday in a game schedule for 5:50 p.m. (TNT, 1300) in Charlotte, N.C.
Here's what you need to know about the matchup:
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Colorado State: Better than a No. 10 seed?
Colorado State (24-10), which climbed as high as No. 13 in The Associated Press poll at one point this season, expressed a sense of disrespect at being forced into a First Four game considering the Rams’ record in a rugged Mountain West that sent six teams to the NCAA Tournament. In their second tournament berth in the past three seasons, the Rams haven’t shied away from tough competition. They beat No. 8 Creighton 69-48 early in the season and also have wins over Boston College, Saint Mary’s and Washington.
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Isaiah Stevens: Native Texan no stranger to one Longhorn
Graduate student Isaiah Stevens leads a veteran squad that includes four graduates in its starting lineup. One of the most experienced and productive point guards in the nation, Stevens averages 16.5 points and seven assists. He’s also no stranger to at least one Longhorn; in 2018, Stevens helped Allen High School outside of Dallas beat a Westlake team that included Texas forward Brock Cunningham 70-55 in a state semifinal. Stevens and Allen went on to win the Class 6A state title that season. Colorado State also leans heavily on versatile wing Nique Clifford, a 6-foot-6 transfer from Colorado who ranked sixth in the Mountain West in both rebounding (7.5) and steals (1.5). He could match up defensively with every Texas player from guard Max Abmas to forward Dylan Disu.
First Four: Winners prove dangerous foes
First Four winners have proven especially dangerous in the 13 years since the NCAA added the eight extra teams to the tournament. Both VCU (2011) and UCLA (2021) reached the Final Four after winning a First Four game, and a First Four squad has won at least one game in every year except for 2019. To make things worse for Texas fans, this year’s First Four teams included four No. 10 seeds for the first time. First Four at-large teams have always been seeded 11th or lower, but the plethora of surprising automatic qualifiers this season stole some bids and strengthened the First Four teams.
Texas vs. Colorado State prediction
Texas. In a game that feels like a toss-up, the Longhorns better hope they’ll show off more firepower than Virginia, whose moribund offense shot just 25.5% from the field against a Rams’ team known more for its efficient offense than stifling defense.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas basketball preview, prediction: Horns to face Colorado State
