You can no longer select it after today.
There are no more Iowa games to cover.
I’m Tom Hanks at the end of Castaway.
National Championship Tournament: No.1 Purdue (+6.5) vs. No. 1 UConn.
I vowed to ride the Huskies until the wheels fell off and to root for Dan Hurley’s University until I couldn’t cover an NCAA Tournament game (11-0).
The books then imposed the largest Husky tax ever, offering a spread that was about double what it should have been.
You can see why. If the line were much smaller, all the action would favor the defending champion. There’s no question that UConn is the best team in the country, but he had two teams this season that were at the same level. Houston’s season was cut short by an injury to Jamal Shehead in the Sweet 16. Purdue entered the title game with the best inside-out combination in the sport and was able to feed the best player in the country (7-foot-4 Zach Eady). I watched him kick out to the best perimeter shooter in the country.
The Boilermakers demonstrated their ability to withstand elite physical defenses during the Elite Eight win over Tennessee. They held the No. 5 offense in the nation (Gonzaga) to 17 points below their season average in the Sweet 16. They have an even more important advantage: they only need to feel better for one night.
Since 1983, underdogs with a score of 6.5 points or higher have gone 4-4 in the national title game, giving Purdue’s money line (+220) value to play.
The ill-equipped Alabama team played UW for about 29 minutes in the semifinals and tied the game. However, the Tide made the mistake of playing too fast as their subpar defense allowed too many openings. This is because they have more possession and less chance of making a mistake.
Purdue’s architecture is different. Play at your own pace. He will accept whatever the defense offers. You can’t be bullied internally. It’s a much bigger threat than the books believe.
This season: 29-31
Records from 2011-23: 349-308-12
