Sports

PETE GILLEN: May my Four-ce be with you

Former Xavier and Virginia coach Pete Gillen, a New York native and CBS Sports Network college basketball analyst, shares some of his March Madness thoughts and predictions with The Post. As told to Steve Serby.

I’d like to point out that I correctly picked 10 of the 16 teams still playing in the NCAA tournament, that’s 62 percent — that was my grade in seventh-grade math class with Sister Mary Ann Terminator … she was a tough nun.

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Since you asked, my Final Four — Syracuse, Kentucky, Michigan State (my national champ) and Kansas — is still intact. The last time that happened for me was probably during the Russian Revolution, and Rasputin was in junior high school.

EAST

OHIO STATE over CINCINNATI: A war for the ages. The only time Ohio State will play these guys is in its own living room. Jared Sullinger gets Yancy Gates in foul trouble, and Aaron Craft handles Cincinnati’s aggressive man-to-man defense.

SYRACUSE over WISCONSIN: Wisconsin plays the game in the mud and the glue. Syracuse can speed them up with some trapping in the 2-3 zone and some full-court pressure after free throws. Jordan Taylor is a great point guard, but Syracuse has too much depth and talent.

SYRACUSE over OHIO STATE: The 2-3 zone slows down Sullinger, and Scoop Jardine is gonna go right by Craft when he tries to pressure him. Ohio State only plays six, maybe seven guys. Syracuse, even without Fab Melo, still has eight or nine guys who are good.

WEST

MICHIGAN STATE over LOUISVILLE: The first word Draymond Green said when the doctor smacked his rear end was “Rebound!” He’s been doing so ever since. Michigan State’s front line is too much, and Keith Appling slows down Peyton Siva, and Brandon Wood shoots over Louisville’s 2-3 zone.

MARQUETTE over FLORIDA: Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom are the best 1-2 punch in the tournament. Marquette pressures Florida’s perimeter shooters and make the Gators misfire on 3s.

MICHIGAN STATE over MARQUETTE: Spartans are too big and physical, and the pressure is not gonna bother Appling because he’s lightning quick.

MIDWEST

NORTH CAROLINA over OHIO: I like Ohio’s coach John Groce. He’s very intense, very organized, very emotional — he cries when he sees “Law and Order’’ reruns. And the MAC is an underrated league. D.J. Cooper is one of the top 10 point guards in the country — he’s a points guard, he likes to score points. If the Bobcats play deliberately, if they make Carolina play defense and Cooper can take over, if Carolina looks ahead to Kansas, they can hang around. But the Tar Heels’ front line is too much with or without Kendall Marshall. Tyler Zeller and John Henson are killers inside. Ohio U gets ready for spring football.

KANSAS over N.C. STATE: Mark Gottfried is so popular in The Triangle right now, we’re hearing whispers he’s gonna do nose-hair removal commercials in the near future. Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey are too big and athletic and talented for C.J. Leslie. Robinson reminds me of Wayman Tisdale with a better perimeter game.

KANSAS over NORTH CAROLINA: Robinson is the best big guy on the floor, and Tyshawn Taylor is the best guard on the floor especially with Marshall not being 100 percent.

SOUTH

KENTUCKY over INDIANA: Revenge game. Anthony Davis dominates Zeller and Watford inside and gets help from Darius Miller and Lamb knocking down 3s. Marcus Teague has grown up now, and Kentucky is playing on another level.

BAYLOR
over XAVIER: As a former coach, I like zones: I like no-parking zones, I like the Twilight Zone, I like the ozone. But I really like Baylor’s zone. The Bears are big and they’re long and they’re quick. When they do go man, Pierre Jackson can slow down Tu Holloway a little bit. Brady Henslip’s gonna stay on fire, and Quincy Acy is a tough matchup for Xavier.

KENTUCKY over BAYLOR: A close game, but the inside-outside combination is too much.

Next week: My final Final Four picks.