One game at a time... Good luck telling some legions of the Michigan faithful that. Dusty May has such a fantastic basketball team, one that should be viewed as the slight favorite to cut down the nets in Indianapolis in the end. Only four teams are left playing for the ultimate prize. Michigan is chief among them. As far as the latest betting odds are concerned, Michigan should be playing with an advantage.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Michigan will be favored over Arizona in their Final Four matchup.
- No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini (-2.5) vs. No. 2 UConn Huskies
- No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (-1.5) vs. No. 1 Arizona Wildcats
While that may be too close for comfort, Michigan fans could exhale with who it might play in the final.
- No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (-4.5)
- No. 2 UConn Huskies vs. No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (-5.5)
- No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (-5.5)
- No. 2 UConn Huskies vs. No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (-6.5)
Yes, Michigan is favored over every team the rest of the way. It may only be laying 1.5 points to Arizona in the Final Four matchup, but if it were to get past the Wildcats in that one, things might ease up a bit. Michigan would be favored over the Illinois Fighting Illini by 5.5 points and over the UConn Huskies by 6.5 points. They must overcome Tennessee's Elite Eight curse, but things are looking up.
As Dave Portnoy said over the weekend, Arizona vs. Michigan is the de facto national championship.
Michigan Wolverines will be favored over everyone during the Final Four
Based on the potential matchups at hand, Michigan would much rather face UConn in the national championship than Illinois potentially getting another crack at them. UConn may be the biggest long shot at winning it all this postseason, but Dan Hurley's team seems to thrive under pressure. Brad Underwood's squad has been overlooked all season long. Tommy Lloyd could be leaving Arizona...
Since the Wildcats would be a tough matchup or anyone, Michigan cannot count its chickens before they hatch here. With Arizona also being seen as a favorite over Illinois and UConn in their potential national championship matchup, this just further goes to Portnoy's point. This Final Four game may be the real national championship, regardless of what the other side of the bracket might offer up.
Should chalk prevail the rest of the way, Michigan will get past Arizona to face Illinois in the national title bout, as the Illini took care of business vs. UConn. Michigan would then beat Illinois in an all-Big Ten championship game. Of course, the last two teams to eliminate Tennessee from March Madness ended up losing in the national title bout. That would be 2023-24 Purdue and then 2024-25 Houston.
At this time, Michigan fans better get ready for a true heavyweight battle with Arizona on Saturday.