How to watch and what to know about San Diego State basketball at Colorado State
Road struggles make home games even more important.
The Colorado State men's basketball team has skidded to an 0-4 start to road games in the Mountain West and needs a quick rebound after a stunning loss at Wyoming over the weekend.
Next is a huge test and therefore huge opportunity for the Rams. CSU's NCAA Tournament resume is still in fine shape, but the Rams need more marquee wins to continue to add to it. Any game against San Diego State, the national runner-up a year ago, provides that opportunity.
Here's a look at everything to know about Tuesday's game in Fort Collins:
What time does San Diego State basketball at Colorado State start?
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 30
Start time: 7 p.m. MT
What channel is the San Diego State at Colorado State basketball game on?
The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
How to find CBS Sports Network (CBSSN):
Comcast/Xfinity: 412 (846 for HD)
DirecTV: 221
Dish Network: 158
Fort Collins Connexion: 70
Online stream: CBSSports.com/CBS-Sports-Network/
Who are the announcers for the TV broadcast?
Play-by-play: Carter Blackburn
Analyst: Pete Gillen
How can you listen to the game on the radio?
The CSU broadcast is available on 99.1 FM or on the Varsity Network app.
CSU's radio team will be Brian Roth (play-by-play) and Adam Nigon (analyst).
What are the records, rankings?
San Diego State is 16-4 overall and 5-2 in Mountain West play. CSU is 15-5 overall and 3-4 in MW play.
CSU dropped out of the top 25 after back-to-back losses. Both teams have been ranked during the season but are now in the "receiving votes" category in both polls.
What's the betting line?
Colorado State is a consensus 2.5-point favorite, according to Vegas Insider.
Who are the coaches?
Brian Dutcher is in his seventh season as San Diego State head coach, and he has a 167-51 record. CSU is led by Niko Medved, who is in his sixth season as head coach of the Rams. He's 107-69 at CSU and 186-157 overall in his career.
Series history
San Diego State leads the all-time series 51-43.
Stadium information, tickets
The game will be at Moby Arena on Colorado State's campus. Moby has a capacity of 8,083. Tickets are available at CSURams.com/tickets. The game was nearing a sellout as of Monday afternoon. It's "state pride" night where the Rams will wear their Colorado state flag themed uniforms. The first 2,000 students will receive a headband giveaway, honoring "Headband Joe" Palmer, a fan favorite on the team.
What do the metrics say?
San Diego State is No. 20 in the NCAA's NET rankings and CSU is No. 34. It's a Quad 1 game for both teams.
CSU is No. 41 in KenPom and San Diego State is No. 21. KenPom projects a one-point win for CSU.
Who are the top players to watch?
Here are some players who will be key to the game for each team:
SAN DIEGO STATE
Jaedon LeDee: The 6-foot-9 forward leads the MW in scoring at 20.9 points per game and is second in rebounding at 8.7 per game. He's one of the lead candidates for MW Player of the Year.
Reese Waters: The 6-foot-6 guard is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game, and he's hit 40% of his 3-pointers.
Lamont Butler: The 6-foot-2 guard is an excellent defender who will likely be tasked with many minutes on Isaiah Stevens. He's fourth on the team at 9.2 points per game.
COLORADO STATE
Isaiah Stevens: Stevens has been a bit off, by his lofty standards, lately, and the Rams will need him to be excellent against a San Diego State team that's always hard to score on. Stevens leads CSU in scoring at 16.7 points per game and 7.5 assists per game.
Patrick Cartier: Staying out of foul trouble helped Cartier have a strong game at Wyoming on Saturday. He's key to helping CSU's offense flow and is third on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game.
Nique Clifford: CSU will need the 6-foot-6 wing to use his athleticism to match that of San Diego State. He's the second-leading scorer (13.6 points per game) on the team and a versatile defender.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: What channel is San Diego State basketball at Colorado State on?
