After two straight close victories to start March Madness, the Michigan Wolverines made sure to make their presence felt on Thursday night. Michigan hammered the Texas A&M Aggies 99-72 in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 to make it to the Elite Eight. The Wolverines were a slight favorite in this one, closing as a -2.5 favorite according to the oddsmakers. The game went well over the total of 136.
Michigan will now await the winner of the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Florida State Seminoles for the right to go to the Final Four in San Antonio. The betting odds for that showdown will be released soon by BetDSI Sportsbook. If Gonzaga wins, the spread will likely be around a pick ’em. However, if Florida State wins, Michigan is likely to be a four- or five-point favorite.
This game was never close as Michigan roared out to a 52-28 halftime lead on its way to an easy cover. The Wolverines were incredible from the floor in this one, hitting 61.9 percent of their field goals and 58.3 percent of their threes. It was easily the best offensive game we have seen from Michigan all year.
Moritz Wagner, Charles Matthews, and Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman all had huge games for Michigan in the win. The trio combined to score 63 points, with every player shooting above 55 percent from the floor. Zavier Simpson had a massive game on the defensive end with six steals.
Coming into the game, the question was whether or not Michigan could keep up with Texas A&M on the glass. The Wolverines allowed 12 offensive rebounds, but they shot well enough that this was not an issue. Also, Michigan only turned the ball over seven times, making it an incredibly efficient game for the Wolverines.
At the start of the NCAA Tournament, Michigan was a trendy pick at +1000 to hoist another banner according to the oddsmakers at BetDSI. Gonzaga was another popular pick at +2500, while Florida State was considered a longshot at +28000.
