The No. 11 seed Michigan Wolverines (19-14) and No. 2 seed Villanova Wildcats (28-7) clash for a Sweet 16 South Region showdown Thursday in San Antonio. The NCAA Championship Tournament contest at the AT&T Center is slated to tip-off at 7:29 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Michigan vs. Villanova odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Michigan went just 11-9 in Big Ten play and was ousted in the first round of its conference tournament, but the Wolverines have advanced in the South Region bracket with victories over Colorado State (75-63) and nationally eighth-ranked Tennessee (76-68).
UM posted some wildly divergent offensive and defensive shooting figures over the last month of the regular season. However, Michigan has shot 52% from the floor while holding opponents to a 38.6% mark through their first two tournament games.
Villanova — ranked No. 5 nationally — won the Big East Tournament and cruised in NCAA wins over Delaware (80-60) and Ohio State (71-61) to open their tournament. The Wildcats are 12-1 since Feb. 5; they’ve benefited by holding foes to a 30% mark from beyond the arc over that span (23.8% in the two NCAA games).
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Michigan vs. Villanova odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:20 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Michigan +190 (bet $100 to win $190) | Villanova -240 (bet $240 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Michigan +5.5 (-115) | Villanova -5.5 (-107)
- Over/Under (O/U): 135.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
[tipico]
Michigan vs. Villanova odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Villanova 71, Michigan 67
Money line
Peg Michigan as more of a lean here. Figuring UM as a 33% proposition is fair but it would take a tag of +210 or better to make for enough value.
PASS.
Against the spread
The Wildcats are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS win.
Villanova’s slow pace plays into Michigan’s favor, and the Wolverines are a strong free-throw shooting team that has gotten more looks there of late. Figure on some beyond-the-arc regression working as a Michigan play and a Villanova fade.
BACK MICHIGAN +5.5 (-115).
Over/Under
The Over is 5-0 in UM’s last five games as an underdog and it’s 5-1 in its last six games against teams playing .600-or-better basketball.
The two-sided above-average offensive efficiency here wins out over the two-sided slow pace.
BACK THE OVER 135.5 (-110).
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