Texas basketball vs. Colorado State score, highlights: Horns overcome slow start to win

March Madness is here for Texas men's basketball, and their first 2024 NCAA tournament game came against No. 10 Colorado State.

Led by Colorado State graduate student Isaiah Stevens, the Rams won their First Four game over Virginia 67-42. Despite being one of the lower seeds, they were once ranked 13th on the AP Poll and their 25-10 overall record includes a win over current No. 3 Creighton.

Texas will lean on the offense of Max Abmas and Dylan Disu in hopes of making it to a second round matchup with No. 2 Tennessee, led by former Longhorns coach Rick Barnes.

These were our live updates from the first round.

Texas vs Colorado State live score updates in NCAA first round

H2: Texas' defense stifles Colorado State for 56-44 win

Texas defense sped up Colorado State more than it's comfortable. Rams had 18 turnovers, and the Horns outscored the Rams 15-0 with points off turnovers.

It's a wrap. Bring on .... Tennessee? — Kirk Bohls

Texas' athleticism was simply too much for Colorado, who were unable to play the game at their own pace. The Longhorns defense was stifling and Weaver's presence was felt all over the court. — Caleb Yum

H2: Chendall Weaver for president

Chendall Weaver for president. He's Texas' leading scorer tonight. — Kirk Bohls

Who would've predicted Weaver being Texas' main offensive engine tonight? Certainly not Colorado State, probably not even Texas, who leads 50-38 with 2:16 left. — Caleb Yum

H2: 3:47 left, 46-38 Texas. Can Disu finish?

Get the ball to your best player and let him go to work. Terry doing just that with Disu taking over at a critical juncture. He's taken four of Texas' last five shots with five points and now an and-one. — Kirk Bohls

H2: Hold onto your seats Texas fans

Uh oh. Not only is Disu still missing, Colorado State is still hitting. Texas leads 39-32 after leading by 16 after the end of the first half and are looking for their offense to show up from Disu, Abmas, or literally anyone. March Madness is truly in effect. — Caleb Yum

Who's going to shoot worse down the stretch? Colorado State has been hideous, hitting just 24% and not much better the second half. Texas is 1-12 from deep. — Kirk Bohls

H2: Brock Cunningham's bad boy rep strikes again

Uh oh. Does Brock's rep proceed him into the NCAA Tournament. He didn't swing his arm but made contract for a clear foul. — Kirk Bohls

I think so. That's a flagrant one for the Westlake graduate. Texas leads 39-29 with 8:57 left in the second. — Caleb Yum

Wow. I really think Brock Cunningham should have gone to court and officially changed his name legally before the Tournament. — Kirk Bohls

H2: Texas' lead shrinks to single digits

The Rams are not going to make this easy. Clifford cut the lead to 35-27 with a second 3-pointer in a row after a Jalen Lake hit one on the previous possession. Colorado State has made 6 of 12 shots in the second half with Stevens finding his groove offensively. Texas is 5 of 11 and if Disu continues to struggle, they'll need March Max to make an appearance to keep things comfortable. — Caleb Yum

Colorado State heating up. The Rams have three three-pointers this half while Texas stays cold from long range. The Horns have missed their only try this half but are 1-10 for the game.

Got to put Disu back in now, right? CSU has all the momentum. — Kirk Bohls

H2: Disu, Shedrick pick up 3rd fouls early

Disu draws his third foul with more than 17 minutes left. That's a big development as he continues to get into foul trouble early in games. Kaden Shedrick draws his third foul with a moving screen. With both he and Disu in foul trouble, Texas is going to have to rely heavily on Dillon Mitchell and Brock Cunningham. Will be interesting to see how long Terry sits the pair. The Rams could take advantage inside. They already have a 6-1 edge in rebounds early in the second half. — Kirk Bohls

Colorado State began the half with a four point play, as Stevens made a 3-pointer off of a missed free throw. The guard followed it up with another jumper and it looks like Texas might not be able to coast off of a lackluster Rams offense. With Shedrick and Disu sitting, Texas will need to make do with 15:35 left in the game. Will Abmas wake up after making shots at the end of the 1st? — Caleb Yum

End of the 1st half: Texas leads 27-11 as Abmas comes alive

Texas had one of its best halves of the year. The Longhorn D has completely stymied Colorado State. Texas held the Rams to just 19% shooting with five of 27 field goal attempts.

Rodney Terry has to thanking his lucky stars that his supporting case has stepped up big time. Who needs Dylan Disu and Max Abmas? Well, Texas will sooner than later. But the Horns survived a terrible first half by their two leading scorers, who made just one of eight three-point attempts between them and scored only six points. That should be great news for Texas because it's hard to imagine Disu and Abmas staying cold a whole game. Maybe, Max's trey at the end of the half gets him going. — Kirk Bohls

With :59 seconds left in the 1st, Abmas curled around to his spot on the floor for a midrange jumper, his first points of the game. Then, with 8.7 seconds left out of a timeout, the guard launched a 3-pointer all the way from the NCAA logo to extend the lead to 27-11. If he can get going along with Disu, the Longhorns can turn this into a rout coming out of the half. — Caleb Yum

H1: Tyrese Hunter takes over

Colorado State's Joe Palmer swished the first 3-pointer of the game at the 6:50 mark to end his team's scoring drought. However, it's not much of a consolation prize as it was the only shot they've made since the 15:17 mark. Texas' 22-11 lead has been led by Tyrese Hunter, who had the first highlight shot of the game - a high flying dunk in transition. The guard has seven points on 2-5 shooting with one assist and two steals. Fun fact: the Rams have more turnovers (9) than made shots (5).

H1: No Abmas? No problem

Colorado State hasn't scored since 15:17 as Texas has gone on a 14-0 run to claim a 16-8 lead with 8:01 left in the half. They've done it all without Abmas and Disu providing much offense, as the duo has made one basket combined. The Rams' star Isaiah Stevens is also 0-6 from the field thanks to Texas' defense continuing to lock in. Neither team has made a 3-pointer yet and Texas has forced six turnovers, scoring four points off of them.

H1: Bench unit provides spark as Texas' defense locks in

With 11:50 left in the 1st half, Texas has cut Colorado State's lead to 8-7. Chendall Weaver and Kadin Shedrick's substitutions have provided a spark of offense, as Weaver made only the second basket of the game for Texas while Shedrick made it to the free-throw line. Texas' stout defense has allowed the team to hold on despite their sluggish offensive performance. Abmas still has not made a shot.

H1: Slow start for Texas' offense

The Longhorns' offense has gotten off to a slow start to the game, making only one shot in the first five minutes of the game as the Rams have built an 8-2 lead. Disu has started 0/3 from 3-point land while Abmas hasn't scored yet. Ithiel Horton made a 3-pointer with 14:57 left in the 1st half...but officials saw that he had stepped out of bounds.

Texas will need their stars to get going quickly, or this could get ugly.

Start time: 5:50 p.m. CT.

What channel is Texas vs. Colorado State on today? How to watch, stream live

• TV channel: TNT

• Stream: NCAA March Madness Live app (Sling TV)

Texas will tip off vs. Colorado State on TNT. Streaming options include the NCAA March Madness Live app and Sling TV (or Fubo, which offers a free trial). Announcers for the game are Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson and Allie LaForce.

Texas vs. Colorado State start time, TV info, location

• Start time: 5:50 p.m. CST

• TV info: TNT

• Location: Arena Name, City, State.

Texas vs Colorado State preview

Texas: Max Abmas and Dylan Disu lead a No. 7 seeded Texas team that lacks scoring depth outside of their top two players. Their best win came with a Tyrese Hunter buzzer beater over Baylor.

Colorado State: Led by Stevens' 16.5 points and seven assists per game, the Rams won their First Four game over Virginia 67-42. They also rely on versatile wing Nique Clifford.

Texas vs Colorado State odds, betting line, spread

Texas is the favorite to defeat Colorado State in Friday's March Madness matchup according to the BetMGM college basketball odds.

• Spread:  Texas (-2.5)

• Moneyline: Texas (-145); Colorado State (+125)

• Over/under: 144.5

Texas vs Colorado State prediction, game picks

Texas 72, Colorado State 68:

Texas. In a game that feels like a toss-up, the Longhorns better hope they’ll show off more firepower than Virginia, whose moribund offense shot just 25.5% from the field against a Rams team known more for its efficient offense than stifling defense.

— Thomas Jones

Texas vs Colorado State injury updates

Texas: No injuries to report.

Colorado State: No injuries to report.

Texas vs Colorado State stats

Texas

• PPG: 76.5

• PPG allowed: 69.5

• FG% 47.4%

• 3PT%: 36.2%

• KenPom ranking: 29

Colorado State

• PPG: 76.1

• PPG allowed: 67.6

• FG% 49%

• 3PT%: 34.1%

• KenPom ranking: 28

Texas basketball schedule 2023-24

Below is the last five games of Texas' 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here

Colorado State basketball schedule 2023-24

Below is the last five games of Colorado State's 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas vs Colorado State live updates, results: 2024 NCAA Tournament