Utah was on our go-against list since February and there's even less reason to back to Utes in the Crown. HC Craig Smith was dismissed before the end of a disappointing season and replaced by Dallas Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen, but in the short term there has been roster upheaval, with no fewer than seven Utes leaving the program via the portal, including starters Lawson Lovering and Jake Wahlin. Meanwhile, Thad Matta can salvage something from a disappointing Butler campaign. The Bulldogs mostly beat the Big East lesser sorts, and assuming F Jahmyl Telfort (16 ppg) and bruising wing Pierre Brooks II (15.2 ppg) make the post, Butler has an edge. Play Butler (Crown at MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas).

I'm going to write about the new College Basketball Crown in Monday's newsletter, but the gist of it is that betting games in this event will be all about which teams kept their guys from the portal, etc. Utah has been hammered by defections with nine total -- doesn't officially mean all of them won't play, and this is the stupidest thing ever -- likely because the school also fired its head coach. I don't currently see any Butler guys in the portal but that doesn't mean anything honestly as guys can enter whenever they want, and some may just opt not to play in this and risk injury. But there is $$ motivation as I will explain Monday.

This is a first-round game in the College Basketball Crown. Both teams enter on skids, but two factors have me on Butler. The Utes are going through a coaching transition, and they won one game away from home all season (Butler won five). Haslametrics rates Utah as the nation's worst in its "away-from-home metric," while the Bulldogs rank 33rd-best nationally. Butler holds opponents to 31.3 percent from beyond the arc, which will be key against Gabe Madsen and company. Look for Thad Matta to build momentum for next season with a win in Vegas.