It’s almost unanimous. Every Division I metropolitan area basketball coach believes the Giants will win tomorrow’s Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. Giselle might be praying for husband Tom Brady but we’ve got St. Francis, St. Johns’s, St. Peter’s praying for Big Blue, plus Fordham, Iona and Seton Hall.
The lone voice of dissent comes from Columbia’s Kyle Smith who clearly knows where his bread is buttered. The Patriots owner, Bob Kraft, is a Columbia graduate.
The rest of the fraternity went Big Blue, though Hofstra’s Mo Cassara and LIU’s Jim Ferry came the closest to picking the Patriots before sanity prevailed. Cassara, the former coach at Clark and an assistant at B.C., hesitated for a moment before being told The Post would publish his home address if he picked the Patriots.
Ferry, a former assistant at Keene St in New Hampshire and Bentley College in Mass., before becoming the head coach at Plymouth State in N.H., acknowledged members of his family are Patriots fans but, when informed The Post would publish his license plate number, declared himself a Big Blue fan.
Here is a breakdown of why the area hoops coaches picked the Giants and their game MVP prediction. Because we’re obliged to provide some basketball content in this space, we look at how each program has fared.
Columbia, Kyle Smith: Patriots. Have to go with the Columbia graduate, Robert Kraft. MVP: Tom Brady.
Lions: 12-8, 1-3 in the Ivy League.
FDU, Greg ‘Shoes’ Vetrone: Giants. The Giants will win the Super Bowl their defense is playing at a level that champions are made of. MVP: Victor Cruz will have a big game. I have to pick him, he’s a Jersey boy.
Knights: 2-20, 1-10 in the Northeast.
Fordham, Tom Pecora: Giants. Honest, hard working, classy head coach. Go Giants. MVP: Victor Cruz.
Rams: 9-12, 2-6 in the Atlantic 10.
Hofstra, Mo Cassara: Giants. Mark Herzlich, the guy beat cancer and should just be named MVP. Plus, he’s a Boston College guy. MVP: Mark Herzlich.
The Pride: 8-16, 2-10 in the Colonial.
Iona, Tim Cluess: Giants. They are on a roll. Solid ‘D’ and Eli will come through. MVP: QB Eli Manning.
Gaels: 18-5, 10-2 in the MAAC.
LIU, Jim Ferry: Giants. I think they’re locked in together as a group. They’ve taken it to a whole nother level. MVP: Eli Manning, he showed some big time toughness in that San Francisco game.
Blackbirds: 15-7, 10-1in the Northeast.
Manhattan, Steve Masiello: Giants! Because of the defense. MVP: Jason Pierre Paul.
Jaspers: 17-7, 10-2 in the MAAC.
Marist, Chuck Martin: Giants. Coach [Tom] Coughlin is very underrated and there’s leadership from the top. There’s a group of unselfish high character and mentally tough group of guys who believe in each and are willing to sacrifice personal gain for the greater good of the team. MVP: Victor Cruz.
Red Foxes: 7-15, 2-9 in the MAAC.
NJIT, Jim Ingles: Giants. I am a Giants fan, always have been, always will be. MVP: Eli Manning, never gets caught up in any nonsense; goes out does his job every day.
Highlanders: 9-12, 2-2 in the Great West.
Rutgers, Mike Rice: Giants. Myles Mack will be sad if Cruz doesn’t shine. MVP: Victor Cruz.
Scarlet Knights: 12-11, 4-6 in the Big East.
St. Francis, N.Y., Glenn Braica: Giants. I’m a diehard Giants fan my whole life! The MVP’s got to be Eli since Brady’s on the other side. He has to at least match him which should get him the MVP.
MVP: Eli Manning.
Terriers: 11-10, 8-2 in the Northeast.
St. Johns, Steve Lavin: Giants. They have an inspired defense, improving with each passing week that is built to give Brady problems. Plus, I’m biased because when I first came home from the hospital Coughlin and his staff sent me an autographed Giants football with well wishes. MVP: Victor Cruz.
Red Storm: 10-12, 4-6 in the Big East.
St. Peter’s, John Dunne: Giants. I’m a season-ticket guy, Giants all the way. I just think they’re defense is going to get to Brady. Brady doesn’t like getting knocked down and hurried and rushed. Their front four is going to be the difference in the game: MVP: Eli Manning.
Peacocks: 4-18, 3-8 in the MAAC.
Seton Hall, Kevin Willard: Giants. The Giants because of their pass rush and a strong aerial attack against a weak New England defense. MVP: “CRRRUUUUUZZZ!!!”
Pirates: 15-7, 4-6.
Stony Brook, Steve Pikiell: Giants. I like teams that defend. MVP: Jason Pierre Paul.
Seawolves: 14-7, 9-1 in America East.
Wagner, Danny Hurley: Giants. Got to go with the NY-NJ Giants. MVP: Victor Cruz.
Seahawks: 18-4, 9-2 in the Northeast.
lenn.robbins@nypost.com