In our estimation, the Michigan Wolverines shouldn't even really be in the NCAA Tournament. They really didn't have all that great of a resume, and though they survived their First Four trip to Dayton, the game was incredibly ugly most of the way and wasn't worthy of being called an NCAA Tournament game. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be the favored of the two sides for sure on Friday night in the last game to tip in Brooklyn, though this could still surely be an interesting affair.
There will be plenty of NCAA Tournament odds at BookMaker.eu for this and all 67 games of the dance.
HOW THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
If the Wolverines are going to cover the spread in this game, they're going to do so with the three-point shot. They're certainly going to let it rip from deep as they did against Tulsa in the First Four, but if they go 6-of-25 or anything of the sorts in this game, they're going to end up going home after a short trip to Brooklyn.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rakhman, Derrick Walton Jr., Zak Irvin and Duncan Robinson are all most certainly capable shooters from the outside, but all of them had their moments of woe against the Golden Hurricane. Notre Dame's defense though, ranks No. 323 in America in opposing three-point shooting percentage. If the Wolverines can get to around 40 percent from deep in this game, not only are they going to cover, but they're going to be on their way to a Sunday showdown with most likely West Virginia.
HOW THE NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Golden Domers have to play big boy basketball in this game. That means driving to the hoop, getting the ball on the inside to Zach Auguste and ultimately trying to get as many points in the paint as possible. That really isn't their M.O., as they really prefer to shoot the ball from the outside like Michigan, but the Wolverines are super weak defensively on the inside.
Tulsa's success in that First Four game came in the paint, especially with dribble-drives and off of offensive rebounds. The Wolverines aren't great at rebounding the basketball, and that could set Auguste up for a huge day at the office.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Notre Dame is going to hope to draw on the experience of last year's Elite Eight run to get out of the first round of this tournament, but we think they're going to be in for a real fight. Michigan is going to be getting points in this game for sure, and we think that every single digit is going to be valuable in this one.
The Fighting Irish are just 0-7 ATS in their last seven NCAA Tournament games as favorites dating back to 2008, and they've been knocked out as favorites five times in that span. Even though Mike Brey's crew got over the hump last year and made a great run, that could end up being the exception instead of the rule.
If Notre Dame had better defense on the perimeter, we'd say that it would win this game with ease. We have no doubt that it has the better of these two teams, but we also know that its tournament history doesn't suggest that it will cover this game, and its struggles defending at the top of the key suggest that Michigan's offense should be in for a much better day than it had against Tulsa. Go with Big Blue to pull off the modest upset.
Michigan 75, Notre Dame 70
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BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The matchup between the Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will kick off Friday, March 18, 2016, at 9:40 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center. The matchup will be televised live on CBS.
