Just Gopher it — even against Izzo
RUMOR has it that Rick Pitino won a title in his most recent Big East Tournament appearance. Strangely, I can’t find a record of it anywhere. Minnesota (+7.5) over Michigan State: There is natural hesitation to go against Tom Izzo in March. But the Spartans have advanced past the Sweet 16 only once since 2015. They’ve fallen on the opening weekend in five of the past seven NCAA Tournaments. They’ve lost their opening game of the Big Ten Tournament in two of the past three years, including an upset as a 4-seed to a 13-seed last season. This quarterfinal game is being played in Minneapolis, where the Gophers — who are 12-4 against the spread as an underdog this season — prevailed over Michigan State on Feb. 6. The underachieving Spartans have been flirting with the bubble all season. If they could flip a switch, they would have done it by now.
Seton Hall (+4) over St. John’s: It has been almost a month since Pitino blamed his players for virtually everything since they were born. Maybe his candor played a role in the Red Storm returning to the bubble, rolling off five straight wins, but a combined three matchups with Georgetown and DePaul made it possible. The Pirates held the physical edge in the first matchup, grabbing 21 offensive rebounds in a 15-point win. They claimed a mental victory last month, climbing back from a 12point halftime deficit. They have the best player on the floor (Kadary Richmond). They deserve more respect, entering Round 3.
Byu (-2) over Texas Tech: The Cougars — who have covered 18 of 25 games as a favorite this season — are in rhythm, scoring at least 85 points in three of their past four games, to improve to 4-1 over their past five games. The Red Raiders needed to shoot 50 percent on 3’s and 94 percent on free throws to pull out a home win against BYU on Jan. 20. I don’t foresee a repeat performance.
Usc (+9.5) over Arizona: It took four months, but the Trojans are finally resembling the team that was expected to compete for the Pac-12 crown. A second upset over Arizona in less than a week would be a stretch, but the confidence of their 13-point win — and a 6-2 mark over the past month, with both losses by one possession — will allow this talented roster to cause problems for the Wildcats again.
This season: 0-0 (entering Wednesday)
2011-23 record: 349-308-12