Virginia Cavaliers vs. Colorado State Rams: TV channel, where and when to watch

Heather Willard
·3 min read

DENVER (KDVR) — The Colorado State University Rams men’s basketball team is seeking a win over the University of Virginia Cavaliers as they compete in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night.

If the Rams beat out the Cavaliers, they’ll be playing the seventh-seed Texas Longhorns as March Madness begins in earnest. The Rams have stated their motivation for this tournament is unusual, to say the least. “Just be a cockroach,” said guard Isaiah Stevens. The idea is for the players to be able to adapt to any and all issues that arise during the whirlwind tournament.

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How to watch Virginia vs. Colorado State on TV

Colorado State is joining its Centennial State rival Colorado in the First Four matchups opening the tournament.

  • Virginia vs. CSU jump ball: 7:10 p.m., March 19

  • Channel: TruTV

Game forecast for Virginia vs. Colorado State

In an unusual twist, the First Four brings together both Colorado and Colorado State. Both finished 24-10.

Aside from San Diego State, which was fifth, Mountain West teams were put in tough spots. Boise State and Colorado State will compete in the First Four. New Mexico made the field by winning the conference tournament.

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Colorado State draws ACC regular Virginia (23-10) in the late game Tuesday for the right to move on as the 10th seed in the Midwest and play No. 7 seed Texas. Virginia has made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 12 seasons under coach Tony Bennett and won the national title in 2019.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to kind of test ourselves and see where we’re at as a program. At this point there are no cupcakes,” said Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State’s top scorer at 16.5 points per game.

“The way I look at this is, we’re a 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament and we just get to play one more game than everybody else,” Rams coach Niko Medved said. “That’s a pretty cool deal.”

Most of the BetMGM tickets have been on Virginia to beat Colorado State. The Cavaliers also were the most-bet underdog to win on the money line.

But the professionals aren’t buying it.

Even with the public going heavy on Virginia, Colorado State went from a 1 1/2-point favorite to 2 1/2 because the so-called sharps sided with the Rams and they’re the ones who move the lines.

“The opinion on (Virginia) was so low from so many people after selection Sunday, you wouldn’t expect all this money to be coming in,” Magee said. “It’s definitely noticeable and definitely something I didn’t expect, and this is coming from a Virginia Cavalier fan.”

Tickets for Virginia vs. CSU

If you’re in Dayton, Ohio, tickets to view the First Four compete will be available on StubHub, but selling fast.

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Tickets for the next round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament are available through the CSU Rams ticketing office. If the Rams beat the Cavaliers, they’ll be playing in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Spectrum Center. Tickets for that game are currently only available to season ticket members, Ram Club donors, students or alumni and cost $120.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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