Welcome home.
I don't think you're here for the preamble, so let's jump in immediately. There's no time to waste.
Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper have to start preparing for the NBA draft.
Rutgers on USC (-1)
If the Scarlet Knights could turn the switch over, they would have done so before. Instead, they could soon complete one of the nation's most disappointing seasons, finishing on a losing record despite the expected top-5 draft pick pairs. Bailey is part of the problem, averaging 11.6 points since late January. The bigger issue is the loss of their defensive identity, the backbone of Steve Pikiel's prominent rebuilding of Rutgers basketball. Programs with top 20 defenses in four of the last five years are now ranked outside the top 100, with Rutgers vulnerable to attacks from Trojans ranked in the top 25 in shooting rates, reaching nearly 37% of the three-pointer.
Seton Hall on Villanova (+10.5)
Beware of teams with nothing to lose. Last year, 11 seed DePaul lost to the Wildcats with a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Two times in the last decade, the worst team in the Big East has made it to the quarterfinals. The Pirates have only won one win in the last two months, but manager Shaheen Holloway, the miraculous marching run of St. Peter and leader of last year's NIT champions, can offer his conviction to the group that took a 16-point second half lead against Villanova three weeks ago. Kyle Neptune's hot seat can only add more pressure to a group that relies heavily on star Eric Dixon and be drawn into another rock fight.
Arkansas, South Carolina (-2)
I hope John Calipari's NCAA Tournament will depend on beating the team who handed the Hogs over to a 19-point beatdown two weeks ago. His final performance in South Carolina is a collection of extraordinary, a result of 3-point shootings of 22, with a first half of 14 points – the lowest of this century – a career-high 35 points from Colin Murray Boyles. This is the outlier of Razorbacks' recent driving, including pairs that include ranked opponents, averaging over 90 points in their last four wins. The more talented groups don't hand out another game.
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DePaul on Georgetown (+3.5)
Chris Holtman's first season in Chicago was already a success, pulling the Blue Demon out of the Big East basement. Now DePaul has come to the yard with back-to-back victories and has recently completed a regular season sweep for Georgetown. Hoyas coach Ed Cooley has lost in the first round of the Big East Tournament in three of the last four years, knocking out twice as a high seed in that range.
Records 2011-24: 378-340-12
