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Sometimes you want to make a quick pit stop, empty the bladder, grab a bag of salty snacks and limber up the limbs before hitting the open road again. For the fast-minded who enjoy simple $2 scratchers hoping to uncover the jackpot-winning image, here are quick thoughts and the lean on Utah State vs. Colorado State.
Utah State (26-6) vs. Colorado State (23-9)
Date: Friday, March 14
Time: 9 p.m. PDT
TV: CBS Sports
Pour another beverage, kick back and burn the midnight oil.
At the stroke of tomorrow Eastern Daylight Time, Utah State vs. Colorado State in the Mountain West Tournament semifinals is set to party on down in Sin City.
Overtimes, upsets, buzzer beaters — the past 48 hours in college basketball has been blackout drunk. Any self-proclaimed “sports fan” who isn’t indulging in the wall-to-wall madness isn’t registering a pulse. If you’re one of those lifeless souls, deploy better judgement.
March is the greatest gambling time of the year. It’s unmatched.
Friday’s late-night tussle at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas should deliver another heart-stopper.
The pick — Colorado State ML (-110, BetMGM)
Colorado State has splinters in its keister. Straddling the at-large field, it’s two wins away from erasing all doubt.
On offense, Niko Medved’s Rams are bull-rushing opponents. Dare challenge them and a pair of hardened horns will throttle the abdomen.
Over the last month according to BartTorvik, CSU is No. 1 in the country in effective field goal percentage offense, shooting 58.1% on 2-pointers and a downright outlandish 46.4% on 3s. And it’s not like the Rams are taking five treys per game. Over 42% of their shots come from distance.
Utah State is up to the task of hanging with the nation’s most elite scoring machine.
[ Bracket Big Board: Brad Evans' latest NCAA Tournament projections ]
Over the same stretch, the Aggies are No. 21 in effective field goal percentage offense, netting a sensational 53.7% inside the arc and 40.8% outside it. Sixth man Dexter Akanno and swingman Mason Falsev are shooting a combined 42.5% on 3s this season. Ian Martinez, who’s scored in double figures in every game, also splashes the cylinder from deep at 38.1% for a team-leading 75 3-pointers.
Defense and rebounding will ultimately determine who reaches the Mountain West final. Colorado State ranks a respectable No. 49 in eFG D since Valentine’s Day. Utah State, meanwhile, checks in at No. 164 in the category.
As for the glass game, the Aggies are an exceptional second-chance team, but CSU is No. 9 nationally in defensive rebounding percentage in its last eight contests.
In the regular season, the intraconference adversaries split their regular-season matchups. On a neutral floor, senior guard Nique Clifford, who’s averaged 25.5 points in his last four games, carries Colorado State to a shot at an NCAA Tournament automatic bid.
Get sweaty on the late-night tip.
Season record: 26-23, +2.42 units