Bruce Dias 
March Madness is the highlight of the college basketball season, as the nation’s top teams participate in the NCAA college basketball tournament. As we prepare for this year’s event, it’s a good time to consider how far the Colorado Rams might go.
What’s Their Record Like?
The Rams have appeared in 11 NCAA Tournaments over the years, recording just four wins. We need to go back to 1969 to find the only time Colorado reached the Elite Eight. They were knocked out by Drake after beating Dayton and the Colorado Buffaloes. That victory over the Buffaloes in the Sweet 16 stage remains one of the team’s most memorable games.
Since then, they’ve only reached the round of 32 in 1989 and 2013, so any progress in the competition would be good news. Last season, the Rams lost to San Diego State in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament, meaning they didn’t participate in March Madness.
How Is This Season Going?
The 2023-24 NCAA basketball regular season ended with the Rams in seventh place. However, they enjoyed spectacular wins at the Mountain West Tournament. A 72−62 win against San Diego State in the first round was followed by an 85–78 win against Nevada in the quarterfinals and then a dramatic 61–74 loss to New Mexico in the semi-finals.
This meant a 24-10 overall record for the season and pitched Colorado into a First Four game against the Virginia Cavaliers, with both teams number 10 seeds. The game took place on March 19 at the UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, with the Rams winning 67-42 to earn a game against number 7 seed the Texas Longhorns in the next round.
Can the Rams Win the Tournament?
It would be a huge surprise if the Colorado Rams were to win March Madness. While they’ve had a strong season, they’re now up against the best college teams in the country and would need far to surpass their best-ever performance in the NCAA Tournament. However, anything is possible once the games begin. The games are on a single-elimination basis, meaning that a run of few wins pitches any team deep into the tournament and with a chance of winning it.
In 11 out of the last 12 seasons, a team from the first four stages has reached the Round of 32, so it’s certainly not impossible for Colorado to do something similar or even go further. Shooting like a pro is one of the keys to success at any level of basketball and the Rams have some players who can definitely do that.
The Rams’ key players this season include point guard Isaiah Stevens, who passed the 2,000-point mark in his career early in 2024. Joel Scott has an average of 12.9 points per game at the time of writing, while 6’6” guard Nique Clifford has caught the eye of many and is now predicted to be a second-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
Who Are the Favorites?
The UConn Huskies, the Houston Cougars, the Purdue Boilermakers, and the Arizona Wildcats are among the favorites to win the trophy this year. Naturally, the odds change rapidly as the games come thick and fast during March and the start of April.
If you want to bet on the Rams or any other team, this look at how to bet March Madness in Colorado shows you how it’s done. As well as predicting who you think will be the outright tournament winner, you can also place prop bets on player performances or choose who you think will win individual games. With sports betting legal in Colorado, you should look for a licensed sportsbook with a great promotion to get you started.
The Huskies have won five NCAA Tournaments, with the last one coming in 2023. However, while UConn has enjoyed a good season and is the top seed in the East Region, they must look out for Iowa State, Illinois, and Auburn on their route to the latter stages this year.
The Cougars have reached the Final Four on six occasions, a record among the teams that have yet to win a championship. This season, they’re looking to reach the final for the second time in four years and enjoyed a fantastic start to life in the Big 12 with a 28-3 record.
Purdue’s Boilermakers team has reached the Final Four twice and competed in the championship game in 1969, but it has never won the NCAA championship. This season, they were named the number one seed again, but let’s not forget that in 2023, they became only the second team listed as a number one seed to lose to a 16 seed.
We’re all set for a fabulous set of games during March Madness. Colorado Rams fans can hope to see an unexpected triumph, but even if they go out early, there’s still going to be a lot of action for us to enjoy.
