On Monday, Iona inexplicably dumped coach Tobin Anderson after only two seasons. Thursday, Fordham tried to top its neighbor, firing third-year coach Keith Urgo despite any meaningful NIL or facility investments.
A reminder: Kevin Willard, now in his seventh NCAA Tournament, went 21-10 in his third season at Iona after going 24-39 in his first two years.
Another reminder: There has been no Fordham coach in the past 53 years who won more games in a single season than the 25 that Urgo, the 2022-23 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, did in his first season.
All odds are provided by BetMGM Sportsbook.
New Mexico (+4.5) over Marquette
Rick Pitino’s impact may be seen beyond St. John’s. When the bracket was released, the coach of the Red Storm — who went 3-0 against Marquette this season — immediately texted the scouting report to his son, Richard, who has led New Mexico to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The help may not even be necessary.
The Lobos (26-7) have gone 7-2 against tournament teams (UCLA, VCU, Utah State, Colorado State, San Diego State) this season, with a top 20 defense and offense averaging over 81 points, led by Mountain West Player of the Year Donovan Dent. In the past two tournaments, the Golden Eagles were a No. 2 seed. Before that, Shaka Smart had lost six straight first-round games, including upsets to a 14-seed, 12-seed, 11-seed and 10-seed.
Oklahoma (+5.5) over UConn
The Huskies may advance, but they are back-to-back champs in name only. Without four starters from last season, UConn’s defense — a top 10 unit the past two seasons — has posted a worse efficiency rating than every power conference team in the tournament. Dan Hurley can only do so much, as demonstrated in back-to-back one-and-done appearances before the championship runs.
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The Sooners — who are 12-6 as underdogs against the spread under coach Porter Moser, the leader of Loyola-Chicago’s 2018 Final Four and 2021 Sweet 16 runs — have faced tougher challenges this season, defeating Arizona and Michigan, and claiming three wins over tournament teams in the past two weeks.
Saint Mary’s (-4.5) over Vanderbilt
The Commodores’ up-tempo offense had no answers against Drake early in the season, losing by double digits against the slowest-paced team in the nation. Saint Mary’s also ranks bottom six in pace, but has a far stronger defense (rated eighth in efficiency), which held Gonzaga’s top 10 offense to an average of 61 points in three meetings. When the misses pile up, the Gaels — tops in the nation in rebounding rate — will clean them up against the undersized Vanderbilt frontcourt.
Betting on College Basketball?
Liberty (+6.5) over Oregon
It has been 18 years — and eight tournament appearances — since Dana Altman lost in the Round of 64. The Oregon coach might be due. The Flames have the makeup of Cinderella, ranking fifth in the nation in 3-point shooting (39.5 percent) and second in effective field goal percentage, while owning a top 20 rating in defensive efficiency. The ultra-patient offense is largely resistant to cold spells, featuring six players averaging at least 8.8 points and four starters shooting 39 percent or better from 3. Liberty went 5-0 against the spread as an underdog this season.
This season: 14-14
2011-24 record: 378-340-12
