ORLANDO, Fla. — Hopefully, I can keep my focus in this warm weather …
Texas Southern (+4) over Cal Poly: Imagine spending your first three years of high school accumulating a D- average. Then, you ace the SAT’s and are accepted to Harvard. Welcome to Cal Poly’s season. The Mustangs were 10-19 before winning three games in three days to reach their first-ever NCAA Tournament. And they’re the favorites! Texas Southern has won nine straight games, anchored by center Aaric Murray, who scored 48 points in a win over Temple in December. This one’s for the SWAC!
Iowa (-2½) over Tennessee: Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery will be flying in and out of Dayton to be with his 13-year-old son, who is undergoing surgery to remove a thyroid tumor only hours before the game. There’s no way to know how players will respond in a terrible situation like this, but in a coin-flip game, it’s easy to find the team to back.
2014 record: 14-5-1 (before Tuesday night)
2011-13 record: 72-47-2
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