Michigan Basketball: 3 predictions for Wolverines against Montana

Michigan basketball takes on Montana Thursday night in the NCAA tournament and here are three predictions for the Wolverines against the Griz.

After 34 games and a 28-6 record, the Michigan basketball team hits the floor in Des, Moines Iowa tonight to kick off another run in the NCAA tournament.

Of course, the team Michigan basketball will play, Montana is hoping to make that stay as short as possible as the Grizzlies are out for revenge following last season’s loss to the Wolverines in the round of 64.

Yet, second-seeded Michigan is a heavy favorite tonight against the 15h-seeded Griz, who won the Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament titles. Montana comes in with a record of 26-8 and ranked as the 137th best team in the country according to the Kenpom rankings.

Michigan, on the other hand, comes in as the fifth-ranked team and the No. 2 team in defensive efficiency. The Wolverines also rank 18th in offense, while Montana ranks outside the top 100 in both categories.

Ahmaad Rorie, Sayeed Pridgett and Jamar Akoh are three of the names to know for the Griz as all averaged right around 15 points a game for a Montana team that scored 76.8 points per game and shot 38 percent from 3-point range.

Slowing down the Grizzlies perimeter shooting will be a key and taking care of the basketball will also be vital for the Wolverines. As far as the game is concerned, here is a look at what should happen with three predictions for Michigan vs Montana.