2024 Mountain West Tournament First Round: #10 San Jose State vs. #7 Colorado State: Game Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction
The Rams and Spartans play to advance
Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire
Who moves on?
WHO: #10 San Jose State Spartans (9-22, 2-16 Mountain West) vs. #7 Colorado State Rams (22-9, 10-8 Mountain West)
WHEN: Wednesday, March 12th — 2:30 p.m. MST / 1:30 p.m. PST
WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center; Las Vegas, NV (19,522)
STREAM: TheMW.com
SERIES RECORD: This will be the 27th all time matchup between the two schools. Colorado State leads the series 24-2.
LAST MEETING: CSU won 66-47 in Fort Collins earlier this year.
ODDS: Colorado State -15.5
It’s a brand new season. Everyone is 0-0 and it’s win or go home. The Spartans are looking to pull an upset and the Rams are looking to secure their place in the NCAA Tournament. Both teams have gone opposite directions this season and anything can happen.
The second game of the first round of the Mountain West tournament has one team playing for pride and one team playing to play more. Anything can happen in Vegas, especially in the Mountain West tournament.
https://twitter.com/CSUMBasketball/status/1767631730478125498
Players to Watch
G Alvaro Cardenas – San Jose State
The junior guard from Spain runs the show for the Spartans. Similar to Isaiah Stevens for the Rams, Cardenas prefers to pass but can score when needed. He averages 13ppg, 3rbg, and 5.5apg. Cardenas shoots 45% from the floor, 38% from three, and 81% from the line. Cardenas will be the main player to watch for San Jose State.
G Nique Clifford – Colorado State
The transfer from Colorado has shown up on both ends of the floor in a big way for the Rams this season. Clifford has been an important part of the offense and big part of the reason the defense has performed as well as it has. The 6’6″ guard is averaging 12.5ppg, 7.3rpg, and 2.7apg. He is shooting 53.6% from the floor, 40% from deep, and 78.6% from the line.
https://twitter.com/SanJoseStateMBB/status/1767692816032133205
Keys to the Game
San Jose State
Force the Rams out of rhythm. CSU is a rhythm squad and if you can get them out of it, you can mess with their offense. The Spartans need to not let the Rams have easy baskets, whether it’s getting back in transition or rotating to force another pass, keeping the ball moving is key for San Jose State.
On offense, find the holes. The Rams have a tendency to over rotate sometimes and this results in gaps on the floor that are easily exploitable. The Spartans have to keep moving the ball in order to open up the opportunities to score.
Colorado State
Force the action. The Rams play their best when they are dictating the game. On both ends of the floor, Colorado State needs to be the team in charge. On defense, they have to slow down. They have a tendecy to lack behind and over rotate to compensate which leaves wholes open on the floor.
On offense, the Rams just need to play their game. They can’t settle for a forced shot, they need to keep it moving in rhythm and play their game. Keeping that rhythm is key for the Colorado State offense to function.
Predictions
San Jose State is just not in a great place this season. They only have two conference wins, but you still can’t take them lightly. Colorado State needs this win to firmly secure their place in the NCAA Tournament. Look for the Rams to start fast and finish strong in this one.
Final Score: Colorado State 73, San Jose State 57
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