New YORK City is the center of the college basketball universe again.
Madison Square Garden hosts the Big Ten title game Sunday afternoon, and a couple of days later, the ACC and Big East arrive to begin their conference tournaments.
Plus, Tuesday night, the city is guaranteed to lock up an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in three years when Wagner and LIU Brooklyn meet in the NEC championship game in Staten Island.
If only Yeshiva’s first tournament run hadn’t just ended. Oy vey.
Michigan (+3½) over Purdue: Like I said yesterday — and will probably keep saying when I ride the Wolverines in the NCAA Tournament — don’t bet against John Beilein this time of year.
Despite how good the Boilermakers have looked all season, and again against Penn State in the Big Ten semifinals, don’t bank on any team beating the Wolverines three times in one season (Purdue won the two meetings this season — both in January — by a total of five points). Michigan is playing as well as any team in the country right now, having won eight straight, and having just ended Michigan State’s 13-game win streak with a strong all-around effort Saturday.
The Wolverines are not nearly as talented as some of the teams Beilein has taken deep in recent NCAA Tournaments, but Michigan makes up for it with outsized confidence, as well as the most impressive and reliable defense — the Big Ten’s best scoring defense this season, allowing 63.5 points per game — his team has ever demonstrated.
The Wolverines upset top-seeded Purdue in overtime in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals last year, and will come out on top again, securing their second straight title — becoming the first back-to-back champions since Ohio State (2010-11) — in front of another electric crowd guaranteed to make Michigan feel at home.
This season: 3-4
2011-17 record: 199-155-8
Follow @HowieKussoy on Twitter for bonus picks throughout March Madness