The Michigan Wolverines (20-4) take on the Texas Southern Tigers (17-8) in an East Region First Round game Saturday. The No. 1-seed Wolverines and 16th-seeded Tigers will tip-off at 3 p.m. ET at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. Below, we analyze the Michigan-Texas Southern odds and lines, with March Madness NCAA Tournament picks and predictions.
Michigan wants to get back to the basketball it played from Nov. 25-Feb. 27 when a well-rounded Wolverine five went 18-1, outscoring teams by an average margin of 13.6 points. In five games since, UM is just 2-3. Michigan has struggled from the floor and fallen off in its normally strong rebounding over that stretch.
Texas Southern advanced to this game after defeating Mount St. Mary’s 60-52 in a Thursday First Four contest. TSU has won 10 straight games and is playing excellent defense. Over the win streak, the fast-tempo Tigers have held foes to a mere 38.0% mark from the floor.
Michigan vs. Texas Southern: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 2 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Michigan NA | Texas Southern NA
- Against the spread/ATS: Michigan -26 (-110) | Texas Southern +26 (-110)
- Over/Under: 143.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Michigan vs. Texas Southern: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Michigan 86, Texas Southern 60
Money line (ML)
There was no money line available at the time of publishing. Due to the size of the spread, it wouldn’t be worth pursuing, anyway.
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Against the spread (ATS)
This is a mismatch without any real hook to hang a play on for either side. The Tigers can’t hang with Michigan from a physical standpoint, and it’s logical to expect a bounce-back game from a Wolverines squad looking to make a run and playing on a familiar floor.
Expecting a near-30-point win in a game with a likable Under is too much of a stretch.
Tag TEXAS SOUTHERN +26 (-110) with the lightest of leans.
Over/Under (O/U)
The Under is 15-9 in Michigan’s 24 games, and UM has tended to force lower scores in the pace clashes in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are without senior F Isaiah Livers (foot), and things swung the other way when Michigan played lesser fast-paced non-conference foes at the start of the season. Against Bowling Green, Oakland, and Ball State, the Over went 3-0.
A couple of UM’s recent losses were in very slow games, and the Maize & Blue may look to leverage their athleticism more in this match-up.
TAKE THE OVER 142.5 (-110).
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