The Colorado State Rams take on the Utah State Aggies in Logan, Utah. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Utah State favored by -7.5 points on the spread with a price of 76 cents to win and the total set at 148.5 points on Fanatics Markets.
Here’s my Colorado State vs. Utah State prediction and college basketball picks for December 20, 2025.
Colorado State vs Utah State Prediction
My Pick: Colorado State +7.5 (Play to +5.5)
My Colorado State vs Utah State best bet is on the Rams to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Colorado State vs. Utah State Odds
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Colorado State vs Utah State College Basketball Betting Preview
Colorado State Basketball
Colorado State is still a clear conference contender in the first year of the Ali Farokhmanesh era. The Rams are 9-2 with an ugly home loss to Denver, which is No. 300 in KenPom. Winning road games against the better Mountain West squads — like Utah State — would help make up for the loss.
The Rams are one of the slowest tempo teams in America (362nd in adjusted tempo). That's not due to Colorado State being passive; it looks to hunt the best shot on every possession. The ball never sticks. The ball movement is superb, and it keeps teams off-balance.
That's why Colorado State is one of the premier offensive teams in America.
The Rams lead the nation in effective field goal percentage (65%) and 3-point percentage (45%). They also rank 12th in 2-point percentage (12th) and second in free-throw rate (81.5%).
Moreover, the Rams attempt 3s on 50% of their field goals. Here's the thing, though: I think Colorado State can survive a poor shooting night if it also focuses on getting the ball to the hoop since it's so efficient on 2s.
This is the perfect matchup for the Rams to shoot it well, as long as they turn the ball over less than 20% of the time.
All five starters for Colorado State can drill shots from deep. The worst shooter of the group is 6-foot-5 point guard Jevin Muniz, and even he hits 39%. Everyone else shoots better than 40%, including star big, Kyle Jorgensen, who's at 51% from deep.
Guards Josh Pascarelli and Brandon Rechsteiner will have to avoid fouling the bigger Utah State guards. If they can, they'll be huge weapons, since both are shooting better than 46% from downtown.
Defense is a bit of a problem for the Rams. They rank 184th in defensive efficiency, and teams shoot 55.4% on them from inside the arc.
The roster construction is all about offense, so it's giving defense away to support an elite offense.
Utah State Basketball
The Jerrod Calhoun era in Logan remains a booming success. The Aggies are 9-1 with their lone loss coming in a tough road game against a solid South Florida team.
This will be the fourth game for Utah State against a top-100 squad, having already beaten Illinois State and VCU, with the loss coming against USF.
The Aggies pride themselves on defense, ranking 43rd in KenPom’s defensive efficiency. Most of their defensive success stems from a dazzling 23% turnover rate.
Another byproduct of the mixture of defenses Calhoun works with leads to teams shooting 3s 45% of the time. The Aggies are excellent at keeping the ball out of the paint, but Utah State may have to pay a steep price when teams get hot from 3.
Offensively, Utah State isn't as explosive as it was a season ago. The Aggies are 50th in KenPom's offensive efficiency, and they shoot just 34% from deep.
The Aggies don't prioritize shooting, though. They want to score inside (shooting 58% on 2s) and often generate clean looks at the hoop thanks to their 35.6% offensive rebound rate.
The roster contains a slew of glass-crashers, namely bench big Garry Clark, who leads the Aggies with 7.8 rebounds per night.
Also keep an eye on freshman big Adlan Elamin, who's grown into a starter, as well as 6-foot-10 Zach Keller and former starter Karson Templin. All four will play key minutes and try to disrupt the Rams' more offensive-focused bigs.
The guard play remains a strength in Logan. The Aggies' leading scorer — MJ Collins Jr. — already has a 40-point game under his belt, and he tallies over 20 points a night.
A familiar name in the Mountain West — Mason Falslev — also pitches in with 15 points per game, but he's strictly a driver and mid-range scorer. Teams dare him to shoot from deep.
Colorado State vs. Utah State Betting Analysis
I think this will be a close fight. Winning road conference games is difficult, but Colorado State has the offensive weapons to keep it within the number.
Both teams figure to struggle with what the opposing team is good at doing.
Utah State will score inside, and Colorado State will have ample opportunity to drain 3s.
I'll call that an advantage for the Rams.
My Pick:Â Colorado State +7.5 (Play to +5.5)
