Tar Heels exposed; Buckeyes built to last

As soon as one season passes, another arrives with a bang. Austin Rivers sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer as Duke shocked North Carolina, and just like that the sports books are springing back to life.

Super Bowl hangover week was shortened to three days. The NFL season is history, and we’re moving on full blast to college basketball. The Blue Devils’ comeback — and the Tar Heels’ collapse — Wednesday offered a teaser to March madness.

Some things have changed since early November, when North Carolina was handed the No. 1 ranking and some people still had high hopes for Ashton Kutcher on the new version of “Two and a Half Men.”

Here’s the truth: Kutcher can’t act, the show’s script stinks, and the Tar Heels are too soft on the defensive end.

“I’m a little down on North Carolina right now,” said The Gold Sheet handicapper Bruce Marshall, who has plenty of company.

Harrison Barnes is the real deal, and point guard Kendall Marshall is a slick playmaker, yet some of the flaws the Tar Heels have shown for two months were exposed by Duke in dramatic fashion.

“Aside from Barnes, they are not that athletic,” said Marshall (Goldsheet.com) “The Tar Heels’ defense is not that good, and they are vulnerable.”

Rivers, a freshman guard, finished with 29 points, and the Blue Devils, 6½-point underdogs, overcame a 10-point deficit in just more than two minutes to win, 85-84. There was silence in Chapel Hill, N.C., except for Dick Vitale screaming, “Oooo. Oooo. Unbelievable.” (Vitale is no Al Michaels.)

Rivers, the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, looked like another Ray Allen, and he has a bright future in the NBA. But for Duke, the comeback probably was a fluke. The Blue Devils fired 36 3-pointers, and there will be a day in March when the 3s won’t fall.

Neither Duke nor North Carolina can live up to Vitale’s hype. It’s a different story with Kentucky and Ohio State, however.

John Calipari always comes up short in the NCAA Tournament and always reloads for another run. The Wildcats, 24-1 with a one-point loss at Indiana on Dec. 10, will be tougher to stop this time because — unlike North Carolina — their defense is relentless.

Anthony Davis, a 6-foot-10-inch freshman, averages 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.8 blocked shots. He’s the type of explosive big man who can lead a team a long way, though shaky point guard play could be problematic for Kentucky.

The Wildcats will get tested at Vanderbilt on Saturday, and when opening lines are posted at 2 p.m. today, look for Kentucky to be around a 4½-point favorite. If the number is higher, I’ll look at the ‘dog.

“Davis is NBA-ready right now,” Marshall said. “He’s probably the top draft pick.”

My pick as the top team is Ohio State, which has everything needed to survive the NCAA Tournament obstacle course. Jared Sullinger is a horse in the post, Aaron Craft is an experienced point guard, and William Buford is a senior who can make big shots.

The Buckeyes host Michigan State on Saturday, when some of the best games will be in midmajor conferences such as the Mountain West (San Diego State at UNLV) and Missouri Valley (Wichita State at Creighton).

We’re about a month away from Selection Sunday, on March 11, and plenty of under-the-radar teams are capable of doing damage in the NCAA’s field of 68.

Marshall is down on Gonzaga. His list of teams with upside includes Drexel, Saint Louis and Saint Mary’s.

“I would have said the Rebels about two weeks ago, but I’m a little disturbed by their recent road efforts,” Marshall said. “UNLV is on the edge of a 4 to 5 seed.”

Expect the Rebels to be 8-point favorites over the Aztecs. In league play, UNLV is 3-0 against the spread at home and 0-4 ATS on the road.

I recommend buying stock in New Mexico, Michigan, Middle Tennessee State, Long Beach State and Weber State.

Murray State, which was 23-0 before losing 72-68 as a 10½-point favorite to Tennessee State on Thursday, became an overvalued point-spread team when its undefeated run started attracting too much national attention.

Sort of like the Green Bay Packers.

■ BOTTOM LINES — Station Casinos has hired Chuck Esposito as its sports book director at Sunset Station. Esposito formerly ran the Caesars Palace book and most recently was at the Venetian/Palazzo and Tropicana. …

One final note from the Super Bowl: The New England Patriots lost the game but won the coin toss, ending the NFC’s 14-year run of coin-flip winners.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts the “Las Vegas Sportsline” weeknights at midnight on KDWN-AM (720) and thelasvegassportsline.com.