Colorado vs. Boise St. First Four Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Broncos will be looking to atone for their early exit from the Mountain West Tournament after bowing out in the quarter-finals with a lopsided 76-66 loss to New Mexico that marks their second loss in three games. The Buffaloes saw their bid for the Pac-12 Tournament title fall just short in last weekend’s 75-68 loss to Oregon. The defeat also snapped Colorado’s impressive eight-game straight up win streak.
The Buffaloes’ strong stretch run has helped lift them to 2.5-point favourites on the Wednesday First Four odds while the Broncos lag as +125 moneyline underdogs and the total is pegged at 140.5.
Colorado vs. Boise St. NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Wednesday night’s matchup at University of Daytin Arena marks just the second all-time meeting between these squads and their first since Boise State rolled to a 68-55 victory back in November 2022. Both these schools enjoy plenty of experience at march Madness. The Broncos return to the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year, but remain winless in nine all-time games at the Big Dance including First Four losses in 2013 and 2015. The Buffaloes return to March Madness for the first time since 2021. This marks their first appearance in the First Four. However, Colorado has reached the Second Round in three of seven tournament appearances since 1997.
Colorado Buffaloes
The Buffaloes seized third place in the Pac-12 standings while winning their final six conference games, and advanced to the Pac-12 Tournament Final on the strength of impressive victories over both Utah and Washington State. This team has also been a steady bet down the stretch, going 6-3 against the spread in their final nine games but are a meagre 4-7 ATS in their past 11 as betting chalk. KJ Simpson remained a dominant force in the team’s Pac-12 Final loss to the Ducks. The squad’s leading scorer this season with 19.6 points per game, Simpson busted out for 23 points and six boards and has averaged 21.8 points per game over his past nine outings.
Boise St. Broncos
The Broncos stumbled out of the gate and never recovered in their tournament-ending loss to the Lobos, mustering just 26 points before the break on the way to a 76-66 loss. The squad also needed overtime to eke out a 79-77 win over San Diego State in their season finale and were thoroughly outclassed in a preceding 76-66 loss to Nevada. Those recent struggles come in the wake of a steady five-game SU and ATS win streak that helped lift the team into a second-place tie with Nevada in the MWC standings. Boise State’s recent struggles have come despite the best efforts of leading scorer Tyson Degenhart, who has played some of his ball of the season while averaging 19.7 points over his past six outings and recording double-doubles in each of his past three.
COLO
BSU