With a showdown against No. 6 Notre Dame on the line, the Wolverines look to leverage their 51-24 NCAA Tournament record as they face a Tulsa team that they match up favorably against.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tulsa Golden Hurricane +3.5
Michigan Wolverines –3.5
HOW THE TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Let us start with the opposition and the knowledge that Caris LeVert remains out of the equation.
After LeVert went down with his latest injury, the team dropped four of five prior to the conference tournament. Michigan rebounded a bit there, but there’s still significant questions about the team, on both sides of the court, without him. Additionally, Michigan hasn’t scored more than 72 points in any of its last six games.
Overall, Tulsa isn’t a great shooting team, but it’s going against a team that’s ranked No. 240 in the nation in opposing field goal percentage.
The Hurricanes, on the other hand, are allowing the opposition to shoot just 41.6 percent from the floor.
Unlike Michigan, Tulsa will also have its best player on the court. James Woodard leads the team in scoring with 15.6 PPG and is joined by Shaquille Harrison and Pat Birt with 14.8 and 12.4 PPG respectively.
That trio of guards could compete with a weakened Michigan backcourt. Tulsa also boasts plenty of experience on the court. Their starting five is made up of four seniors and a junior.
HOW THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Wolverines are shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent behind the arc. That number from three-point land ranks it No. 30 in the NCAA and gives Michigan a great matchup against a Tulsa team that’s weak defending the outside.
Overall, opponents are shooting 36.3 percent from long range against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes are a solid enough defensive squad and excel at forcing turnovers, but this could be a tough matchup for them if the Wolverines are on their game shooting from behind the arc.
Tulsa, on the other hand, struggles to shoot from behind the arc themselves. That’s a troubling trend for a smaller team like the Golden Hurricanes.
In terms of individual talent, the Wolverines’ roster isn’t nearly as top heavy. They are without their best player, but are still five deep with players scoring at least 7.9 PPG. Mark Donnal doesn’t see a ton of playing time, but the forward is a strong shooter, sinking 57.9 percent of his shots inside.
On the outside, Zak Irvin, Derrick Walton Jr. and especially Duncan Robinson can all score. They’re also strong ball handlers with the first two combining for 239 assists. Each are also averaging at least 11.2 PPG.
It’s been tricky getting all three hot in the same game, but if all three are on their game, it’s hard to imagine Tulsa overcoming that.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Michigan opened as the three point favorite in this game and it could win by even more. I just don’t think there’s enough there for Tulsa against the Wolverines. The Hurricanes struggle too much on defense out on the perimeter. Michigan is also the superior shooting team, inside and out.
Even without LeVert, the Wolverines still have a plethora of outside shooters that can do plenty of damage against that Tulsa weakness. In return, the Golden Hurricanes will need to lean on their offense that’s shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and likely to be overmatched on the perimeter.
Look for the Wolverines to advance to play Notre Dame. Their journey may end there, but Tulsa’s looks to end first. Of course, the fact the Golden Hurricanes made the dance was a bit of a surprise.
Michigan 73, Tulsa 65
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Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The contest between the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes and Michigan Wolverines will take place Wednesday, March 16, 2016, at 9:10 p.m. ET at the UD Arena in Dayton. The matchup will be televised live on TruTV.
