Houston vs. Michigan Pick
Which team will close out Saturday’s NCAA Tournament action with a cover? Will it be No. 3 Michigan or No. 6 Houston?
GAME SNAPSHOT
NCAA Tournament West Region: (529) Houston vs. (530) Michigan
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
TV: CBS, 9:40PM ET
CURRENT ODDS
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, Michigan is favored in this game, as the Wolverines are getting odds of -3.5 points against Houston. The over/under total is currently listed at 133.5 points.
LINE MOVEMENT
The opening spread for this game had Michigan favored by three points. It held there most of the last 48 hours before adding the hook this morning. The over/under total opened at 134 points and was briefly at 134.5 before falling back a point.
Bet on College Basketball for Saturday, March 17, 2018
PUBLIC BETTING INFORMATION
The public is behind Michigan for this game. As of Saturday morning, the Wolverines are getting 77 percent of the wagers on this game as the favorite against Houston.
KEY INJURIES
Michigan comes into today healthy, with nobody listed on the injury report. Gonzaga guard West VanBeck is listed as questionable with a hand injury. VanBeck averages 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game when he plays for the Cougars.
BETTING STRATEGIES
Michigan opened up its NCAA Tournament play with a 61-47 win over Montana, covering a 10-point spread in the process. Houston survived a scare from San Diego State for a 67-65 win despite being a 4.5-point favorite.
The Cougars have an offense that puts up 77.1 points per game this season, but we have seen them struggle on offense in their last two contests. They had just 55 against Cincinnati and 67 against the Aztecs. That will be an issue against Michigan, a team that has held its last nine opponents to 67 points or less in regulation.
The Wolverines fell behind 10-0 to start their game against Montana. So it essentially had a 61-37 edge on the Grizzlies from there. Michigan has won 10 straight, going 9-1 against the spread during the streak. The Wolverines are locked in defensively and scoring consistently enough to pull away from their opponents. I think this matchup with Houston works out very well for them as the Cougars will try to beat Michigan at its own game.
NCAA TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS: MICHIGAN -3.5