PITTSBURGH — I try to remember how lucky I am to sit courtside for NCAA Tournament games, but know that your favorite couch or bar can sometimes provide a better seat.
There is no chance you’ll miss the first buzzer-beater of the tournament while sitting in a press conference.
Marshall (+11½) over Wichita State: Before receiving his first head-coaching job in college — and taking Marshall to its first NCAA Tournament since 1987 — Dan D’Antoni spent the previous decade as an assistant under his younger brother, Mike, with the Suns, Knicks and Lakers. Here, you’ll see Dan loves the 3 just as much.
The Shockers have tournament experience, share the ball beautifully and crash the glass ferociously, but they lack the defensive intensity of their past teams, and will allow the Thundering Herd to keep it close from outside.
Nevada (-1) over Texas: Shaka Smart will forever be remembered for taking VCU from the First Four to the Final Four in 2011, but the suddenly 40-year-old coach has gone 2-5 in the NCAA Tournament since then, losing each of his past three first-round games.
The Longhorns aren’t built to match up with the balance of Nevada, which deserved better than a No. 7 seed.
North Carolina (-19½) over Lipscomb: Mrs. Hoops’ choice of champion remains as dangerous as any team in the field, and has the experience to calmly put away the upstart early. Lipscomb has lost four games to NCAA Tournament teams by an average of nearly 22 points, and the Bisons’ strength on the boards will be negated by the second-best rebounding team in the country.
Creighton (-1½) over Kansas State: Big East > Big 12.
Texas A&M (-2½) over Providence: Except when 70-something percent of the public gets really excited about the Friars’ strong Big East Tournament run, and pretends like nothing else about this matchup matters. The Aggies should clean up on the glass, and their defensive length will cause problems for a Providence offense already susceptible to cold-shooting stretches.
This season: 17-16-1
2011-17 record: 199-155-8
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