Maryland vs. Colorado State March Madness Preview and Prediction
In the No. 4 vs. No. 12 matchup in the NCAA Tournament West Region, the Maryland Terrapins face the Colorado State Rams in second-round action.
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How to Watch Maryland vs. Colorado State
When: 7:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 23rd
Where: Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA
Watch: TBS
Odds for Maryland vs. Colorado State
(odds current at time of publish)
Spread: Maryland -7.5 (-115), Colorado State +7.5 (-105)
Total: Over 142.5 (-115), Under 142.5 (-105)
DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | Maryland vs. Colorado State Matchup Page
Maryland vs. Colorado State Preview & Prediction
The hottest team in the country managed to keep the momentum rolling with a win over a Memphis team that was universally viewed as being over-seeded. It wasn’t an easy victory for Niko Medved’s crew, but given how the rest of the Mountain West fared to start off the tourney, it was a big win for the program and also the conference.
For their troubles, they step up a seed line now and take on Maryland and the “Crab Five” starting lineup. Colorado State trailed by five at halftime, but took over the game in the second half. We’ll have to see if they get off to a slow start in this game as well, as the Terrapins took it to Grand Canyon from the opening tip-off, opening up a 14-point lead in the first half. The Antelopes mounted very little in terms of making a comeback, so it was a hugely important win for Kevin Willard because he was able to monitor the minutes of his top players.
Depth is the biggest concern in this tournament as the starting lineup for Maryland can absolutely play with any team in the nation, but foul trouble, injury, or fatigue could definitely prove to be an issue as the tourney rolls along. So, Colorado State goes from playing an over-seeded team to playing a team that might actually be a seed line low. Prior to the beatdown of GCU, Bart Torvik had Maryland as his 11th-best team and KenPom had them 12th.
With a good offensive effort against the Lopes, Maryland can truly be part of those NCAA Championship discussions as a top-10 team by adjusted defensive efficiency and right there as a top-25-ish team on the offensive side. This is one of the top turnover margin teams in the field, too, as the Terps have a TO% on defense over 20% and a TO% on offense around 14%.
That will be a big challenge for the Rams. Colorado State absolutely has the goods on offense, with an NBA player on the inside in Nique Clifford and some good guard play. The Rams are a top-50 team by 2P% and 3P% and have been held under a point per possession just three times in 2025. During this 11-game winning streak, the Rams have scored at least 1.1 points per possession in nine of them.
Defensively, though, Colorado State is not on Maryland’s level and we will see if that is the difference in Sunday’s matchup.
Estimated Score: Maryland 75, Colorado State 67.6
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