Mountain West quarterfinal: What to know, how to watch Colorado State vs Nevada

LAS VEGAS — Conference championship week is really starting to heat up now.

The Mountain West men’s basketball tournament ramps up another notch Thursday as the top seeds drop in to the quarterfinals after a first-round bye.

For Colorado State, it means a matchup with Nevada with a trip to the semifinals on the line.

Here’s a look at everything to know about Thursday’s CSU men’s basketball game against Nevada:

What time does Nevada vs Colorado State basketball start?

  • Date: Thursday, March 13
  • Start time: 6 p.m. Pacific/7 p.m. Mountain

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Thursday’s CSU men’s basketball game against Nevada in the Mountain West quarterfinals will tip at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT.

What channel is the Nevada vs Colorado State basketball game on?

Nevada and CSU’s game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.

How to find CBS Sports Network (CBSSN):

How can you listen to the game on the radio?

  • The CSU broadcast is available on the Colorado State Sports Network on 99.1 FM or on the Varsity Network app.
  • CSU’s radio team will be Brian Roth (play-by-play) and Adam Nigon (analyst).

What are the records?

Nevada is 17-15 overall and coming off an 86-71 win over Fresno State in the first round of the Mountain West tournament. CSU is 22-9 overall and had a bye in the first round.

Mountain West tournament bracket

CSU is the No. 2 seed and had a bye to reach the quarterfinals. Nevada is the No. 7 seed and beat No. 10 Fresno State in the first round.

The winner of CSU and Nevada plays in the semifinals at 9 p.m. PT/10 p.m. MT on Friday, March 14.

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What are the betting odds for Nevada vs Colorado State basketball?

CSU opened as a 4.5-point favorite, according to Vegas Insider.

Who are the coaches?

Steve Alford is in his sixth season as Nevada coach, where he has a 113-74 record. Alford’s career Division I record is 622-343 and includes stints at UCLA, New Mexico, Iowa and Missouri State. CSU is led by Niko Medved, who is in his seventh season as head coach of the Rams. He’s 139-84 at CSU and 218-171 overall in his career.

Series history

Nevada leads the all-time series 19-15. CSU swept the regular season series, winning 66-64 in Reno and 79-71 in Fort Collins.

Stadium information

The game will be at Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV’s campus. Thomas & Mack Center has a capacity of 19,522.

What do the metrics say?

Colorado State is No. 51 in KenPom and Nevada is No. 79. KenPom projects a three-point win (71-68) for CSU.

Colorado State is No. 55 and Nevada is No. 78 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. It’s a Quad 2 game for CSU.

Who are the top players to watch?

Here are some players for each team who will be key to the game:

NEVADA

  • Kobe Sanders: The guard hovered near a triple-double in Wednesday’s first round, finishing with 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Sanders is averaging 15.7 points and 4.3 assists per game.
  • Nick Davidson: The big man had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the first round win. He’s averaging 15.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
  • Tyler Rolison: The point guard had 15 points in the first-round win and is averaging 7.1 points per game.

COLORADO STATE

  • Nique Clifford: The 6-foot-6 wing was named Mountain West first-team all-conference and to the all-defensive team in the Mountain West. Clifford’s last game was a 36-point show to lead the Rams to a win at Boise State. He is averaging 18.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
  • Jalen Lake: The 6-foot-4 guard is second on the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game and is shooting 35% from 3-point range.
  • Kyan Evans: The sophomore point guard is averaging 10.3 points and 3.1 assists per game. He’s scored in double figures eight games in a row.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This story has been updated with the latest betting line and team metrics.

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