Grizzlies vs. Wolverines Prediction
The 15th-seeded Montana Grizzlies will face a steep challenge tonight when they face the second-seeded Michigan Wolverines in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Can Montana keep it interesting and cover as the big underdogs?
Game Snapshot
779 Montana Grizzlies vs. 780 Michigan Wolverines
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Wells Fargo Arena at 9:20PM ET
TV: TNT
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Wolverines are a 14.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 129.5 points. As of Thursday morning, 53 percent of public bets are being placed on Michigan. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for up-to-date information.
Grizzlies down Eagles to win Big Sky
Montana secured a 68-62 win over Eastern Washington Saturday night in the Big Sky Tournament title game. The Grizzlies outscored the Eagles 42-31 in the second half after trailing by five at halftime. Montana shot 27-of-53 from the floor, 9-of-20 from 3-point distance plus 5-of-9 at the free throw line. Sayeed Pridgett paced the Grizzlies with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting plus 3-of-4 at the free throw line. He also brought down seven rebounds. Kim Aiken Jr. accounted for 14 points, 11 boards, four blocked shots and two steals. Mason Peatling tallied 13 points, seven caroms and two steals. Tyler Kidd added 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Wolverines blow lead versus rivals
For the third time this season, Michigan lost a big second-half lead against rival Michigan State in a 65-60 loss Sunday afternoon in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Michigan (28-6) was outscored 42-29 in the second half of the defeat. The Wolverines shot 21-of-51 from the floor, 8-of-25 from 3-point distance plus 10-of-12 at the free throw line. Ignas Brazdeikis led U-M with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting including 4-of-8 from 3-point distance plus 3-of-4 at the free throw line. He also contributed six rebounds. Jordan Poole accounted for 13 points, four boards and two assists. Jon Teske added 10 points, 10 caroms, three blocked shots and two assists.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Montana
The Grizzlies are 1-4 ATS in their last five NCAA Tournament games. Montana is 0-4 ATS in its last four games against Big Ten Conference foes.
Michigan
The Wolverines are 39-14-2 ATS in their last 55 Thursday games. Michigan is 0-4 ATS in its last four non-conference games.
Prediction:
The Wolverines defeated the Grizzlies 61-47 last season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on their way to advancing all the way to the title game. This isn’t as good of a version of the Grizzlies by a fairly considerable margin with its only win over a top-100 program coming against South Dakota State. Montana was hammered by the likes of Creighton and Arizona, so I don’t expect it to hang around here on a big stage.
NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES -14.5