Life is unfair. We are reminded of it every March.
It is during this illogical time of year that Navy — which went 17-1 in the Patriot League — can blow a long-awaited chance to become a beloved Cinderella after a buzzer-beater loss to a team (Boston) which finished the regular season under .500.
It allows for a pair of six-seeds (Northern Iowa, Furman) to steal NCAA Tournament berths.
It creates the potential for chaos in a Big East Tournament where only four teams have a winning conference record, but 11 teams have a chance to dance.
It is absolutely insane that four days matter more than four months. But it would be even stranger if it was any other way.
Butler (+1.5) over Providence (Big East, 4 p.m.)
The Friars haven’t responded well to the news that coach Kim English wouldn’t be brought back for a fourth season, losing back-to-back games to fellow sub-.500 teams.
Providence — which lost last year’s first round game against Butler — has gone 4-11 away from home this season.
Marquette (-3.5) over Xavier (Big East, 6:30 p.m.)
The shooting numbers from their split regular season series will not be repeated. Marquette hit 23 percent from 3 and 50 percent of free throws in a win. Xavier went 16-of-34 from deep in their win.
The constant is the Golden Eagles’ edge inside, enabling them to outscore the Musketeers by a combined 94-38 in the paint.
Marquette is also riding the momentum of back-to-back wins, including the regular season finale upset over UConn.
Washington (-5.5) over USC (Big Ten, 2:30 p.m.)
It isn’t hard to beat a team three times in one season when you present a matchup problem like star freshman Hannes Steinbach, who has averaged 23 points and 20 rebounds against the Trojans.
USC hasn’t won since Feb. 8 and hasn’t lost by single-digits since Feb. 21.
Kentucky (-6.5) over LSU (SEC, 12:30 p.m.)
The Wildcats won’t look past the last-place Tigers after needing an 18-point second-half comeback and Malachi Moreno buzzer-beater to escape in Baton Rouge.
Kentucky, which is looking to snap a two-game losing streak before the Dance, has won by an average of nearly 10 points in its past six victories.
Betting on College Basketball?
Mississippi State (+7.5) over Auburn (SEC, 3 p.m.)
The Bulldogs are less than a month removed from beating the Tigers, who enter just one game over .500 and with two wins in their last 10 games, yet remain on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Let’s not expand the field anytime soon.
2011-25 record: 403-371-12
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Howie Kussoy has long been the New York Post’s main handicapper in college basketball (since 2011) and college football (since 2013).
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
