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The Virginia Cavaliers and the Colorado State Rams fight it out in the second First Four match at the UD Arena this Tuesday. The Rams (-137) are the slight favorites to win, and in our March Madness NCAAB betting picks, we tell you if they can live up to their favorites tag and make it to the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
- What: 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament – First Four
- Who: Virginia Cavaliers vs. Colorado State Rams
- Where: UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio
- When: Tuesday, March 19th 2024
- Tip-Off: 8.10 p.m. ET
This matchup sees two No.10 seeds square up in the second of the two First Four matches taking place at the UD Arena on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers placed third in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the Rams were tied sixth in the Mountain West Conference. The match winner will face No.7 seeds, the Texas Longhorns, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday in a Midwest Region matchup.
This match follows on from the opening March Madness fixture between the Howard Bison and the Wagner Seahawks. The winner of that match faces one of the No.1 seeds, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Betting to win the Men’s 2024 NCAA Basketball Championship
The best March Madness betting sites still favor the UConn Huskies to win the title again in 2024. The Huskies are +400 to win back-to-back championships. UConn is followed in the betting by fellow No.1 seeds the Houston Cougars at +550, Purdue at +700, and North Carolina at +1100.
Outside the four No.1 seeds are the Arizona Wildcats at +1200, Auburn at +1400, Tennessee at +1600, and Iowa State at +2000. These four colleges are seeded two in their respective regions.
UConn has been the favorite for some weeks now. They have been as short at +375 to retain the title they won last year. But even though they have slightly drifted in the betting, they still retain the overall favorites tag.
March Madness Regions betting
The bracket 🙌 pic.twitter.com/X5pG3A8PlI
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2024
In the betting to win their respective regions, UConn is +110 to win the East Bracket, with Iowa State second at +400. In the Midwest bracket, it’s Purdue who leads the way at +170. The Boilermakers have Tennessee for company at +325 and Creighton at +400.
In the South bracket, Houston is the stand-out college at +140. The Cougars’ closest rivals are Marquette at +550 and Duke at +575. Finally, in the West bracket, Arizona is +250, and North Carolina is +325.
Virginia Cavaliers vs. Colorado State Rams: March Madness Match Betting
Onto the second match of the night, and the best college basketball betting sites favor a win for Colorado at -137 on the money line. The Virginia Cavaliers are +117 to win the second March Madness showdown of 2024.
Showing how close this match is in the betting, on the handicap spread, the Cavaliers are receiving just a 2-point advantage. To win with the spread, Virginia is -110. While to win and cover the two-point spread, the Rams are -110.
The total points amount is 120.5, with over and under both at -110. More betting options are available on our college basketball odds table. For our odds, we only use the top-rated NCAA basketball betting sites.
| Virginia vs. Colorado State |  |  |  |
| Virginia | +117 | +117 | +117 |
| Colorado | -137 | -137 | -137 |
| Virginia (+2) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Colorado State (-2) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 120.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 120.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Virginia Cavaliers vs. Colorado State Rams: Latest Form
The Virginia Cavaliers finished third in Atlantic Coast with a conference record of 13-7. Overall, in the 2023/24 season, the Cavaliers are 23-10, with a home record of 15-2 being the main reason they were so competitive in the regular season.
The Cavaliers will be coming into the First Four match on the back of a 73-65 overtime loss to North Carolina State on Friday. In their last five fixtures, they have won three and lost two.
The Colorado State Rams finished a disappointing tied-sixth (with New Mexico) in the Mountain West. Both colleges had 10-8 conference records, with the Rams at 24-10 overall, following their 74-61 loss to New Mexico last Friday.
In their most recent five matches, Colorado State has won four and lost one. The New Mexico defeat snapped a four-match winning streak.
Virginia Cavaliers vs. Colorado State Rams: Our Picks
This will be the first-ever match between the two colleges. Both look evenly matched on paper coming into the fixture, with the betting sites struggling to separate them on the money line.
Isaiah Stevens is one of the stand-out performers for the Rams this season. The Rams’ point guard is averaging 16.5 points and seven assists per game this season.
The matchup between Stevens and Virginia’s Reece Beekman is one to watch. Beekman, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 14.3 points per game this season.
It won’t just be down to the matchup between Beekman and Stevens that decides the match. We feel that although the Rams had a disappointing season in the Mountain West, they did finish the season strongly.
With the odds on the handicap line a touch better than the money line, we make a win for the Colorado State Rams, our NCAAB betting pick.
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