NCAA Second Round: Saint Louis vs Michigan Preview, Odds, Predictions (March 21)

• The Billikens blew out Georgia in the Round of 64.
• The Wolverines routed Howard in the first round.
• This marks the third all-time matchup between the two squads.

The NCAA Tournament is now down to 32 teams as the second round begins with a matchup between the Atlantic 10’s Saint Louis Billikens and the Big Ten’s Michigan Wolverines. The latter comes out as the solid favorite, paving the way for many factors to come into play for this showdown.

How to Watch

• When: Saturday, March 21, 12:10 pm ET
• Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
• How to Watch: CBS

NCAA Matchup Odds & Lines

Game Preview

The Billikens (29-5) proved themselves as a tournament squad in the first round, dominating the SEC’s Georgia Bulldogs on both sides of the ball in convincing fashion. They are eighth nationally in scoring offense with 87.7 ppg. Its scoring margin of +17.9 is third in the NCAA. SLU is second in the NCAA in 3FG% (.398), fourth in eFG% (.602) and fifth in FG% (.509). Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year Robbie Avila leads the Billikens in scoring with 12.9 ppg. He is first among NCAA centers in assists/game (4.1) and 3s per game (1.9). He is the third center in NCAA history with 200 or more career 3-pointers. Dion Brown adds 11.3 ppg and Trey Green scores 11 ppg while Amari McCottry chips in 10.4 ppg for the squad.

Dusty May and the Wolverines (32-3) returned to the win column with a dominant offensive performance in their first-round victory over Howard. They shot a program NCAA Tournament-record 67.2 percent shooting from the field throughout the game. Michigan hit 65.4 percent in the first half and 69.0 percent in the second, pulling away after halftime.
Yaxel Lendeborg leads Michigan in scoring with 14.4 ppg, with Morez Johnson Jr. close behind at 13.4 ppg. On another note, Aday Mara adds 11.9 ppg and is fourth in the NCAA with 2.63 blocks per game.

Saint Louis vs Michigan Head-to-Head

The two programs have had one meeting in their history, and the result is 1-0 for the Wolverines. The last matchup was in December 1970 when Michigan won 80-78.

Saint Louis vs Michigan Predictions

The winner of this matchup will go to the Sweet 16 as they face the victors between Texas Tech and Alabama. The Wolverines will prove to be a lot of trouble for the Billikens with the balanced attack they have at their disposal with Yaxel Lendeborg leading the charge. Robbie Avila will need to have his best game to date if Saint Louis were to stand a chance against the national championship contenders. Our betting pick here is the Wolverines to defend a 12.5-point spread.

• Free NCAAB pick: Michigan Wolverines -12.5