Colorado State uses stifling defense to beat Virginia in First Four
Colorado State has officially moved on to face Texas in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
After holding Virginia to just 14 points in the first half, the Rams used stifling defense and efficient offense to win their First Four game 67-42, moving on to become one of the 64 proud programs to have a chance at a national championship.
Colorado State looked reminiscent of their early season form, where they stormed out to a 13-1 record. The Rams eventually evened out, going 11-9 in their last 20 games, but returned to their formidable early season look against a Virginia team that was helpless on the offensive end.
With the loss, Virginia has not won a game in the NCAA Tournament since the 2019 national championship game.
The Rams shot at a 55.3% clip from the field, compared to a abysmal 25% mark for Virginia. The Cavaliers had no defensive or offensive answers for Colorado State, and were also out-rebounded 43-24, a horrendous effort on the glass.
"I never would've imagined winning by 25," Colorado State head coach Niko Medved said. "Our guys came out with just an unbelievable effort here tonight. They just kept grinding out possessions. I thought as the game wore on, we executed better, picked up our defense, just a great job by our team."
The win for Colorado State is the program's first in the NCAA Tournament since 2013, when they beat Missouri 84-72 to advance to the second round, where they were then beaten by No. 1 seed Louisville.
All the focus for Colorado State now turns to Thursday's matchup with the No. 7 seeded Texas Longhorns. Texas last played on March 13, falling 78-74 against Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament.
The Colorado State-Texas matchup is set to tip off at 5:50 p.m. ET on Thursday, and will be aired on TNT.
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