NCAA Tournament Second Round: (1) Michigan (21-4) vs (8) LSU (19-9) prediction and college basketball game preview.
Michigan vs LSU Broadcast
Date: Monday, March 22
Game Time: 7:10 pm ET
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Network: CBS
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Michigan vs LSU Game Preview
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Why LSU Will Win
You know how this NCAA Tournament is all wacky, and all these fun upsets are happening with buzzer-beaters and thrillers left and right? All of these relatively even matchups have been wars, each game has been better than the last, and …
LSU had nothing to do with that. It did what a big-name, Power Five program is supposed to do against a St. Bonaventure and won 76-61 with absolutely no drama whatsoever.
The Tigers have been terrific since March started, going 5-1 with only a one-point SEC Championship loss to Alabama as a blip. They’re outstanding lately from the free throw line, everything is just fine from the field – even if the threes aren’t really there – and they’re absolutely crushing teams on the boards.
The 49 rebounds against St. Bonaventure made it the ninth straight game with 35 rebounds or more.
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Why Michigan Will Win
The offense has to kick it all in for a full 40 minutes. If it does, the efficiency and effectiveness are there keep the pressure on a LSU team that’s not good enough defensively to come up with enough meaningful stops to matter.
There are too many Tiger turnovers on one end – the one concern about the St. Bonaventure win – and way too many fouls on the other. Teams occasionally live on the free throw line against LSU, and Michigan is as good as any team in the country at getting there and making them.
Michigan has to shoot like it normally does. It’s hitting 46% from the field on the year, and that seems to be the magic mark against LSU. The Tigers are 3-4 when teams shoot above the mark and just 5-10 when teams shoot 42% or better.
Michigan has been under 42% just five times, but …
What’s Going To Happen
1) Michigan is 1-4 when shooting under 42% and 20-0 when it doesn’t. 2) It shot below 42% in three of its last six games, and 3) however you want to define this, the team doesn’t seem to have its mojo.
The Wolverines just haven’t been quite the same since March started. They’re not as crisp, they’re not as consistent, and they’re not looking like the team that seemed like a stone-cold lock for the Final Four midway through the season.
Obviously this is a murky way to put it, but LSU is trending up and Michigan appears to have flatlined.
If both teams play at their absolutely best, Michigan wins. Michigan won’t play its absolute best and LSU will play like it has over the last few weeks.
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Michigan vs LSU Prediction, Line
LSU 72, Michigan 70
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Line: Michigan -5, o/u: 149
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Must See Rating: 5
5: 12 tubs of ice creak even though Tasha is still cutting the veggies for dinner in the Scoop, There It Is ad
1: The really, really, really, really creepy Coke ads
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