As it is with anything, it is all about matchups. The No. 1 Michigan Wolverines played with their food just a bit when taking on the No. 16 Howard Bison. Despite Howard being within striking distance at halftime, the Wolverines prevailed mightily in the second half to win their Round of 64 game quite comfortably, 101-80. They awaited the winner of No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis over in Buffalo...
Well, fate would have it, the Billikens bullied the Bulldogs in one of the most shocking first-round games in the first full day of the NCAA Tournament. Mike White's team was no match for Robbie Avila and this A-10 power. Saint Louis cakewalked to the Round of 32 by the final score of 102-77. Even though Saint Louis may present the type of matchup Michigans fans are fearful of, look at the odds...
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Michigan will be laying 12.5 points in this neutral-site matchup up in Buffalo. The associated moneylines for this game are Michigan -1100 and Saint Louis +680. The projected point total comes in at a combined 161.5 points. We could be looking at a final score somewhere in the range of Michigan 87, Saint Louis 74.5. We should expect Saint Louis to pull back.
After watching both games closely, here is why Michigan fans should be thinking about the Sweet 16.
Michigan cannot reasonably expect for Saint Louis to play like that again
While Michigan may have shot well from the field too, Saint Louis had its day with the Dawgs all night long. The Billikens shot a strong 58 percent from the floor and 32 percent from beyond the arc. When compared to Georgia's 35-percent effort from the field and 26-percent stroke from distance, it was not particularly close. Moreover, SLU crushed UGA on the glass all night long with 47 boards to 36...
Yes, Saint Louis is a step up in competition from Howard, but the chances of the Billikens playing that well again in consecutive games are slim to none. It was amplified by Georgia not being interested in playing competitive basketball from opening tipoff. Keep in mind that Georgia was widely seen as a slight favorite over Saint Louis coming in. The Bulldogs made everyone who backed them look dumb.
Overall, Michigan played a B-plus game vs. Howard, with it more skewed in the positive in the second half. As for Saint Louis, you have to give the Billikens an A-plus for their first-round performance vs. Georgia. While Howard should get a positive grade, how can you give anything but an F to Georgia? That was such an embarrassment out of UGA. In the end, Michigan should prevail over Saint Louis.
If Michigan is ready to be competitive on the glass and defending the three, the Wolverines got this.