2022 NCAA Tournament: Colorado State State vs. Michigan Preview, How To Watch & More
Colorado State vs. Michigan is the first game of the weekend.
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Can the Rams get the win?
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Colorado State gets a prime slot as being the very first game of the NCAA Tournament and will air on CBS. The Rams are the higher No. 6 seed compared to the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines, but the Big Ten team that was able to take a bus ride compared to chartered flight issues is a one-point favorite.
However, the Wolverines have a major injury issue as guard DeVante’ Jones is in concussion protocol after an issue during practice as he took an inadvertent elbow to the nose.
For the second year in a row, Michigan heads into NCAA tourney with a significant injury. Last year it was Isaiah Livers' broken foot. This year it's PG DeVante' Jones, who is in concussion protocol. Team hopes to have him back for Saturday if U-M can beat Colorado State tomorrow
— John Niyo (@JohnNiyo) March 16, 2022
This is a big blow to the Wolverines who were relying on the senior guard. For the season, Jones averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds, but of late he has turned on his game with three of his prior five games he scored 18, 21, and 25 points.
WHO: No. 6 Colorado State (25-5) vs. No. 11 Michigan (17-14)
WHEN: Thursday, March 17, 12:15 p.m. ET
WHERE: Gainbridge Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, IN
TV: CBS
STREAM: FuboTV – Get a free trial & March Madness Live
RADIO: The Varsity Network
ODDS: Michigan -1; O/U: 136.5
In our initial write-up of this game, we noted a few key players to watch:
The 7’1″, 260lbs sophomore center presents a challenge for the Rams. The one thing Colorado State truly lacks is size inside. They’ve done a good job compensating this year, but 18.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game to go along with a 56.3 FG% is a dangerous matchup. Especially when he’s not afraid to take a three-point shot either.
One of two senior guards for the Wolverines, Brooks is Michigan’s second-leading scorer at 12.3 points per game. He’s also their main deep threat, shooting 38.9% from three ranking second among regular contributors. He also chips in a little bit everywhere with 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
The size of Dickinson might be the biggest issue for Colorado State and it will be extremely difficult to guard as he also leads the Wolverines in points and rebounds.
The Rams don’t really have the size to really match up with him as they go with a small ball and David Roddy sometimes plays center. Colorado State does have 6-foot-9 Dischon Thomas, though he averages only 16 minutes per game, and then the 6-10 James Moors is part of the rotation too.
The best player on the floor, however, will be Roddy from Colorado State as he is a future pro and considered one of the best NBA prospects in the NCAA Tournament.
The Rams also have arguably the best guard in Isaiah Stevens and that one-two punch with him and Roddy could be too much for the Wolverines to handle.
Colorado State has been tested, as have the Wolverines, so there will be no intimidation factor when Colorado State lines up against Michigan.
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