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The state of Colorado has a date with Texas.
He The Rams dominated Virginia 67-42 in their First Four matchup on Tuesday. With the victory: the first for Colorado State NCAA Tournament win since 2013: The No. 10-seeded Rams set up a first-round matchup in March Madness on Thursday against the No. 7 Longhorns in the Midwest region of the NCAA Tournament bracket.
Colorado State finished the regular season with a 22-9 record. Despite losing in the Mountain West Conference Tournament semifinals to New Mexico, the Rams received an at-large bid and worked their way into the field of 64.
“I never would have imagined that. I knew our guys were ready to compete,” Colorado State head coach Niko Medved said of the blowout win over Virginia. “We had a chance to play here, it is what it is… We’ll watch the Texas movie on the plane and do it again.”
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Here’s what you need to know about Texas’ March Madness first-round opponent:
Colorado State defeats Virginia in the first four
Colorado State went on a 9-0 run to close the first half with a 27-14 lead over Virginia. The Cavaliers shot a dismal 17.2% from the field, 2 of 9 from three and did not score a single point in the final 10:30 of the half. The Rams, on the other hand, shot 50% from the field and made 3 of 7 three-pointers to take a 13-point halftime lead.
The Rams extended their lead to 25 points in the second half and cruised to a 67-42 victory over the Cavaliers, who won the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Rams forward Joel Scott had 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Nique Clifford added 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Cavaliers guard Reece Beekman was the only Virginia player to reach double figures with his 15 points.
The Cavaliers finished the game shooting 25% from the field and 3 of 17 from three, while the Rams shot 55.3% from the field and 5 of 14 from three.
Who will Colorado State face next in March Madness?
The Rams will face seventh-ranked Texas in the Midwest on Thursday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The winner will advance to the second round to face the winner of No. 2 Tennessee and No. 15 Saint Peter’s.
When did Colorado State last participate in the NCAA Tournament?
The Rams have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 11 times, most recently in 2022, when Colorado State suffered an upset first-round loss to No. 11 Michigan as a No. 6 seed. Colorado State reached the Elite Eight in 1969 and has an overall March Madness record of 5-12.