Former Xavier and Virginia coach Pete Gillen, a New York native and CBS College Sports Network analyst, shares some of his March Madness thoughts and predictions with The Post. As told to Steve Serby.
I’m picking St. John’s to get to the Sweet 16.
Gonzaga is not what it was, and St. John’s is playing with an edge, with a little bit of a chip on its shoulder, trying to bring the glory back. The Johnnies are on a mission. This is a favorable matchup for St. John’s if it brings its “A”game.
Gonzaga’s biggest threat would be Steven Gray, a 6-foot-5 shooter, but the Zags think defense is an underarm spray. Gonzaga’s got size, but its players are not quick jumpers, they’re not quick off their feet. St. John’s is quicker to the ball.
Gonzaga’s probably going to play some 2-3 zone against ‘em, but I think Dwight Hardy’s going to have a real good game. D.J. Kennedy is a big loss, but the Johnnies are built on their defense and their quickness and their depth. They play nine or 10 guys.
I see St. John’s beating BYU without Brandon Davies because the Johnnies will wear down Jimmer Fredette. He’ll get his 30, but St. John’s will punish ’em on the boards.
Region by region, here are the games I like best:
EAST
Second Round
Xavier over Marquette: Tru Holloway is one of the top five point guards in the country, a poor man’s Isiah Thomas when he was in college.
George Mason over Villanova: Cam Long can really shoot it, and Villanova is out of kilter. Something’s missing.
Syracuse over Indiana State: Jake Odum looks like he’s heading to a Grateful Dead concert, but he’s a terrific point guard. He can get in the lane and penetrate. They’ll give Syracuse a game.
Third round
Kentucky over West Virginia: Jared Sullinger is a wrecking machine in the post.
Sweet 16
North Carolina over Syracuse: Harrison Barnes is playing out of this world, and the point guard, Kendall Marshall, will make some great passes through the (2-3) zone.
Ohio State over Kentucky: Sullinger is the third-best player in the country — I’ve got a tie between Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker. (Jon) Diebler’s one of the best shooters in the country.
Elite Eight
Ohio State over North Carolina: Sullinger is The Terminator; he’ll get Ty Zeller in foul trouble, and it’s history.
West
Second Round
UConn over Bucknell: Mike Muscala dominated the Patriot League. He can give the Huskies some trouble inside, and Daryl Shazier can knock down 3s. But Kemba Walker reminds me of Butch Lee; a little better shooter, though.
Missouri over Cincinnati: They’re a better offensive team.
Texas over Oakland: But sometimes the Longhorns don’t share the ball. They’re playing for their NBA careers. Keith Benson is one of the best big men in the country, and I think Oakland’s going to scare Texas.
Sweet 16
Arizona over Duke: Derrick Williams is a special player, and the Blue Devils will have trouble with Arizona’s athleticism on the frontline.
San Diego State over UConn: Kemba (Walker) will get his, but the mental fatigue of playing so many games will catch up to Connecticut.
Elite Eight
Arizona over San Diego State: D.J. Gay and Kawhi Leonard are tremendous players, but Williams is a poor man’s Danny Manning, a little stronger.
Southwest
Second Round
Louisville over Morehead State: A dangerous game, two teams inside the state. This is life-and-death for these guys. The Louisville kids might not respect them no matter what Rick Pitino says. But I’m going with Rick. Kenneth Faried is a killer on the boards, but Rick’s guards will make the difference in the end.
Third Round
Purdue over Georgetown: Chris Wright is back (for Georgetown), but they’re limping into the tournament. They should bring one suit. They can have some coffee, but they won’t have time to put the cream in.
Sweet 16
Kansas over Louisville: Any time you got a (Bobby Sr.) Hurley guy (Tyshawn Taylor) playing a prominent role, that’s a good thing. The Jayhawks frontline is too big.
Purdue over Notre Dame: Too much Jajuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore, one of the best inside-outside combinations in the country.
Elite Eight
Kansas over Purdue: The Boilermakers could have used Robbie Hummel in this one.
Southeast
Second Round
Belmont over Wisconsin: Belmont chucks and ducks, heaves and leaves. They rain 3s, they press. Wisconsin’s playing in mud. They’ve got a great player in Jordan Taylor, but I think Belmont can get ’em out of sync.
Sweet 16
Kansas State over Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh’s post guys are not athletic enough here. Gary McGhee’s going to get in foul trouble.
Florida over St. John’s: Kenny Boynton’s a terrific guard, and Chandler Parsons is one of the most improved players in the country. Florida’s too good of a scoring team.
Elite Eight
Florida over Kansas State: Jacob Pullen’s a great guard, and Curtis Kelly’s a (New York City) kid playing out of his mind, but KSU goes into lulls.