Gameday guide: How to watch Colorado State basketball vs. Mountain West-leading Utah State

It’s move-making time in the Mountain West.

Many of the top men’s basketball teams in the league are playing each other this weekend as the title race comes down to the final weeks.

For Colorado State, that means a shot at the leaders. First-place Utah State comes to Moby Arena on Saturday, giving the Rams an opportunity to put themselves right back in the mix with a win. Saturday is also the annual “Fight Like a Ram” game in partnership with UCHealth, and players will honor those fighting or who have fought cancer by wearing their names on their jerseys.

Also, don’t forget that the CSU women host Wyoming at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Moby in the first of a hoops doubleheader.

Here’s a look at everything to know about Saturday’s men’s basketball game in Fort Collins:

What time does Colorado State men’s basketball vs. Utah State start?

• Date: Saturday, Feb. 17
• Start time: 3:30 p.m. MT

What channel is the Utah State at Colorado State men’s basketball game on?

The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

How to find CBS Sports Network (CBSSN):

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?

Utah State is 21-4 overall and 9-3 in Mountain West action. CSU is 19-6 overall and 7-5 in Mountain West play.

CSU is ranked No. 25 in the USA TODAY coaches poll and receiving votes in the AP poll. Utah State is the first team outside the top 25 in each poll.

Who are the coaches?

Utah State is led by Danny Sprinkle, who is in his first year with the Aggies. He’s 102-47 overall in his career with the prior four seasons at Montana State. CSU is led by Niko Medved, who is in his sixth season as head coach of the Rams. He’s 111-70 at CSU and 190-158 overall in his career.

Series history

Utah State leads the all-time series 62-43. Utah State beat CSU 77-72 in Logan in the first matchup of the season on Jan. 6.

Stadium information, tickets

The game will be at Moby Arena on Colorado State’s campus. Moby has a capacity of 8,093 and the game is already sold out. Tickets are available on the secondary market.

What do the metrics say?

Utah State is No. 28 in the NCAA’s NET rankings and CSU is No. 30. It is currently a Quad 1 game for each team.

Utah State is No. 38 in KenPom and CSU is No. 37. KenPom projects a three-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:

UTAH STATE

• Great Osobor: The 6-foot-8 forward had 20 points (including eight free throws) and 14 rebounds in the first matchup. He’s averaging 18 points and nine rebounds per game.
• Darius Brown: The 6-foot-2 Brown is one of the top point guards in the league. He’s averaging 11.7 points and 6.6 assists per game.
• Ian Martinez: The 6-foot-3 guard is second on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game and he’s shooting 40% from 3-point range.

COLORADO STATE

• Isaiah Stevens: The Rams will look for Stevens to win the point guard battle. He had 21 points and eight assists in the first matchup.
• Nique Clifford: The 6-foot-6 wing is averaging 13.2 points and seven rebounds per game.
• Joel Scott: Given the uncertainty around fellow big Patrick Cartier (who was injured last game), Scott will be key on both ends of the floor. He’s averaging 11.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.