Defense led the way for the Michigan Wolverines in a comfortable 61-47 victory over the Montana Grizzlies in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 on Thursday, March 15. Michigan was a 10-point favorite over Montana in this one and was able to get the cover in the victory. The game easily cruised under the total of 134. That capped off a day where the under went 10-6.
Michigan will now set its sights on the Houston Cougars in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. The betting odds for this game will be released soon by BetDSI Sportsbook. The Wolverines have been a trendy pick and are red hot over the last few weeks, so look for them to be around a seven-point favorite. Houston needed to hold on late to beat San Diego State, so Michigan’s recent performance carries more weight.
Montana tried whatever it could to score against Michigan’s defense. The Grizzlies ran out a number of lineups against this defense, but nothing worked all night long. They finished the game converting on just 32.1 percent of their field goals and 20 percent of their three-point attempts. That is not the blueprint for an upset in March.
John Beilein’s teams play at a very slow tempo, but it has worked very well this season. Even though Moritz Wagner wasn’t at his best, Charles Matthews stepped up to carry Michigan to a win. Matthews went 7-13 from the floor and led the Wolverines in points and rebounds in the victory.
At the start of the NCAA Tournament, Michigan was one of the most popular picks to win it all. Although the Wolverines are a No. 3 seed, they were the fifth favorite on the board with odds of +1000 at BetDSI. Oddsmakers weren’t nearly as high on Houston coming into March Madness, giving the Cougars a 150-1 chance to reign supreme in April.
