The top-seeded Michigan basketball team is one win away from advancing to another Sweet 16. Standing in the way of the Wolverines is ninth-seeded Saint Louis.
The Billikens run the dreaded five-out offense that gave Michigan trouble earlier this season against Wisconsin. Howard also gave Michigan some problems, knocking down 14 3-pointers.
Eventually, the Wolverines were able to outscore the Bison, and string together enough stops to turn a four-point halftime lead into a 21-point win.
Saint Louis won by even more than that, scoring 102 points against Georgia. It was the most lopsided 8-9 win in a decade. That alone should have Michigan basketball fans worried. It feels like Saint Louis was a little underseeded, although they are No. 32 in the Kenpom rankings.
Robbie Avila, the Saint Louis center, was a college basketball darling at Indiana State. He's a stellar player for the Billikens, shooting 62 percent on twos and 41 percent on threes. He's the leading scorer for Saint Louis with 12.9 points per game, but there is a bevvy of shooters surrounding him, including five in the rotation who shoot better than 40 percent. Trey Green led the A-10 with a 45-percent hit rate from beyond the arc.
Saint Louis also leads college basketball in field-goal percentage defense, allowing teams to make just 37.1 percent of their shots. These are all challenges the Wolverines can overcome. Defense will be the key. They also need to shoot the ball well, and get out in transition as much as possible.
Looking ahead to the second-round NCAA Tournament game between Saint Louis and Michigan, here are the final odds and a prediction.
Michigan vs. Saint Louis odds
Michigan is a 12.5-point favorite. The over/under is 161.5, and the moneyline is -900 for Michigan and +600 for Saint Louis.
Michigan vs. Saint Louis prediction
Michigan hasn't played that well defensively the past two games, but it feels like they will accept the challenge of slowing down Saint Louis, especially after some trash talk put out by the Billikens. The Wolverines' length is a real issue, especially when you aren't used to it.
Saint Louis will hang around but Michigan wins by 15.