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The sports world has acted appropriately, even human, extending well-wishes to Duke superstar Cooper Flagg after his ankle injury. I suspect Christian Laettner, J.J. Redick or Grayson Allen wouldn’t have received the same support.
Tennessee (+4) over Auburn
The Tigers have been the best team in the nation this season, but they haven’t played like it in the past 10 days, losing consecutive games for the first time this season, before scraping by with 62 points against Ole Miss yesterday. The nation’s top defense already has dragged the top-rated offense into a rock fight, holding Auburn to 53 points in a back-and-forth nail-biter that Tennessee had a chance to win on the road on the final shot. Now, the teams meet in the Volunteer State.
Michigan State (-1.5) over Wisconsin
Upper-tier matchups in the Big Ten can be a coin flip, but the Spartans (17-8 against the spread as a favorite) have shown far more consistency, entering the semifinals with eight straight wins — six against ranked teams, including Wisconsin — fueled by a top five defense allowing 65 points per game during the streak. It has been a month since the Badgers won three straight games.
Maine (+6.5) over Bryant
The Bulldogs have home court in the America East title game, but I have covered enough mid-major championship games to know that a No. 1 seed is just as likely to see the advantage backfire. The crowd expects to rush the floor, already prepared for the NCAA Tournament. If there is a slow start, if there is a cold stretch — for a team that ranks 187th in true shooting percentage — the building will quiet and the tension will grow. The Black Bears, who are 7-4 against the spread as a road underdog this season, are capable of slowing the pace against the uptempo offense of Bryant, which has three home losses and five outright losses to lower-ranked (KenPom) opponents.
Betting on College Basketball?
Princeton (+8) over Yale
The Bulldogs have dominated the Ivy League, dropping one game since Dec. 21, but four of their past five games have been decided by nine points or fewer, and the No. 1 seed has failed to win the past five conference tournaments. The Tigers are overmatched, but the Bulldogs’ below-average perimeter defense will allow Princeton to close the gap with a group of shooters who hit nearly 36 percent from 3 and average nearly 29 per game (tied for 14th nationally).
This season: 7-4 2011-24 record: 378-340-12
