Has the outrage over the 68th team invited to the dance subsided yet?
No. 11 San Diego State (+4.5) over No. 11 North Carolina
Of course the Tar Heels don’t belong in the NCAA Tournament.
Of course it helped to have their athletic director — and the chairman of the selection committee — as a constant presence among those who made the decision, even if Bubba Cunningham wasn’t in the room during those discussions.
But the committee did North Carolina no favors in its First Four matchup with the Aztecs, whose past two tournament runs ended in the national title game and the Sweet 16.
The fast-paced Tar Heels will face an elite defense that’s built to slow down any offense, then use its size to force tough shots.
San Diego State tops the nation in opponents’ field goal percentage (38.1), already defeated elite offenses in top-seeded Houston and ninth-seeded Creighton, and is led by senior guard Nick Boyd, a starter on Florida Atlantic’s Final Four team.
Though North Carolina has won eight of its past 10 games, none have come against NCAA Tournament teams.
This will mark the Tar Heels’ 13th game against a top 35 defense. Carolina is 1-11 against such opponents.
No. 16 Alabama State (-3.5) over No. 16 St. Francis (Pa.)
Sadly, “(Pa.)” isn’t really necessary anymore, two years removed from the shocking announcement that St. Francis Brooklyn would close its gym doors, ending New York City’s oldest basketball program (1896).
Sadly, the now-defunct Terriers will never have the chance to make their first NCAA Tournament, to make the kind of unlikely run that the Red Flash needed to reach Dayton.
St. Francis was 10-17 less than a month ago. Then came three consecutive overtime wins and an unlikely conference tournament run, winning all three games by three points.
But the magic won’t last much longer for the team picked to finish last in the Northeast Conference preseason poll.
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Alabama State — which has won 10 of its past 11 games — had a similar late-season run, but the Hornets have a stronger foundation, built to handle the nerves that accompany so many First Four games between No. 16 seeds
Led by guards CJ Hines and Amarr Knox, Alabama State protects the ball better than all but four teams in the nation. St. Francis ranks 322nd in turnovers per possession.
This season: 9-10
2011-24 record: 378-340-12
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Howie Kussoy has long been the New York Post’s main handicapper in college basketball (since 2011) and college football (since 2013).
