Each game day during the NCAA tournament, the Post’s Marc Raimondi, Anthony Sulla-Heffinger and Justin Terranova will be providing you with their input for that day’s games.
For the early session of the second round, Sulla-Heffinger is picking St. Mary’s to pull an upset of Memphis and the Ducks to be the first 5-12 of 2013.
Here are his picks:
(14) Valparaiso vs. (3) Michigan State; 12:15 p.m.
Tom Izzo might be the best tournament coach in NCAA history, considering that for the past 17 years, every player that has come through the program and stayed four years has made a Final Four. No way the Spartans get bounced this early. If you’re looking for an upset, this is not the game to pick.
Prediction: Michigan State 74-58
(6) Memphis vs. (11) St. Mary’s; 2:45 p.m.
In a battle of the mid-majors, I’m going to go with St. Mary’s pulling an early upset of the Tigers. The Gaels are an experienced tournament team and outside of three losses to Gonzaga, have not been beaten since Dec. 23.
Prediction: St. Mary’s 79-75
(11) Bucknell vs. (6) Butler 12:40 p.m.
I do not like Butler this year in the tournament. After having watched the Bulldogs in three games at Barclays Center last week, I believe they are soft in the interior and rely too much on Rotnei Clarke. That said, I am picking them over Bucknell, which has zero quality wins out of the Patriot League.
Prediction: Butler 69-58
(14) Davidson vs. (3) Marquette; 3:10 p.m.
Marquette should easily coast to a win against Davidson. The Golden Eagles will look to play a much more physical game against the Wildcats, who rank 212th in the nation in rebounding.
Prediction: Marquette: 61-52
(9) Wichita State vs. (8) Pittsburgh 1:40 P.M.
Pitt is a sexy pick to pull off a few upsets, including one in the third round against Gonzaga. The Panthers might run into a bit of trouble in their first round matchup against Wichita, but their ball movement is superior and should be enough to get things rolling in this tournament.
Prediction: Pittsburgh: 58-53
(1) Gonzaga vs. (16) Southern; 4:10 p.m.
I could just write Kelly Olynyk and that would be reason enough to pick Gonzaga. The 7-footer is a bona fide stud who will dominate Southern. There has never been a 16-1 upset, and there will not be today.
Prediction: Gonzaga: 75-56
(13) New Mexico State vs. (4) St. Louis 2:10 p.m.
Another chic pick to make a deep run, St. Louis frustrates opponents with a slow, methodical offense. The Billikens won’t look like a potential Final Four team out of the gate, but when all is said and done, will win by double-digits.
Prediction: St. Louis: 58-46
(12) Oregon vs. (5) Oklahoma State; 4:40 p.m.
This is one of the most-picked 5-12 upsets in the tournament, and while I believe the Cowboys are better than everyone thinks, Oregon could pull a shocker. The Ducks certainly deserved better than a 12 seed and will show that this afternoon.
Prediction: Oregon: 69-64