Michigan Basketball: 3 predictions for Wolverines against Montana

Montana will keep it close early

According to the metrics, Montana isn’t quite as good as it was last season when it was seeded 14th before taking on third-seeded Michigan in the West Region, but even then the Grizzlies made it tough on the Wolverines.

And this time around, Montana won’t be new to March Madness. The Griz will be familiar with the environment and familiar with Michigan basketball after last season. Both teams return a lot of the same players and the same coaches, meaning many things will be the same.

Even experienced teams like Michigan suffer some jitters at the start of the tournament and that should be something both teams go through as they feel each other out.

Both teams will rely heavily on shooting from the perimeter, although Montana more so because the Wolverines can try to dump the ball inside the Jon Teske. Teske will also help defend the bucket from the Griz, who don’t have a ton of height outside of Akoh (6-8).

Much like last year’s game, I think both teams start a little sluggishly on the offensive end. The Michigan defense will be stout and keep the Wolverines in the lead, yet don’t expect a cakewalk early on.