Nelly’s Monday Late Night NCAA Hoops Opener
- Handicapper
- Nelly's Sports
- League
- NCAAB
- Competition
- Montana State vs Colorado State
- Release Date
- 11/02/2026 06:25 AM
- Event Date
- 11/02/2026 10:00 PM
- Bet Type
- Point Spread
- Pick
-
Montana State +11.5 (-105)
(BetMGM)
- Outcome
- Win
- Analysis
- Montana State finished second in the Big Sky regular season standings last season but wound up getting upset by Idaho in the conference tournament. The Bobcats were formidable for Matt Logie in a tough non-conference schedule last November with single-digit defeats in four top 100 road games, playing right with Colorado, Stanford, Boise State, and Utah State. Only once all season last season did the Bobcats lose a game by more than 10 points and that was a third straight conference road game less than 48 hours after an overtime game. Montana State plays a deliberate pace and doesn’t turn the ball over often, while last season’s team was a strong 3-point shooting squad for valuable underdog traits. Christian King is expected to be one of the top players in the conference and last year’s team was often shorthanded with injuries to fall short of the team’s potential. There is a strong backcourt in place with Jeremiah Davis and Cavin Holden and this is an experienced team with excellent size for a mid-major. Colorado State was a pleasant surprise last season in the first season under Ali Farokhmanesh, winning 21 games and making the NIT. The Rams made a great late season run winning eight of the team’s final nine MWC games. Things will look different this season with a move to the Pac-12 though this is a roster that has more returning contributors than most programs in the current era with three returning starters. The best player from last season’s team, Brandon Rechsteiner, is now at Kansas State however, and along with Jevin Muniz also leaving, there is a void in the backcourt. In an era where adding key players in the portal is critical, there are not many standout additions as while the Rams have experience, it feels more like a collection of role players. The Rams struggled with turnovers last season and the efficient offensive numbers were built on nearly 39 percent 3-point shooting for a top 10 rate nationally that will be difficult to replicate with two of the team’s three highest volume 3-point shooters departed. This was not a team that often produced blowouts against quality competition with only two wins against top 200 teams by more than 10 points last season, one of which came on a third straight day of action in the Bahamas for a unique set-up. This should be a competitive game with these teams rating much closer than the contrasting conference sizes suggest.
Thank you for playing with Nelly’s and Best of Luck.
