Michigan Wolverines vs Colorado State Rams Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/17/2022

Game Time: 12:15 pm ET, Thursday, March 17, 2022

Venue:  Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN 

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Michigan -2, CSU +2; Over/Under:  139 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Michigan -2.5, CSU +2.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Michigan -2.5, CSU +2.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

 

Michigan Wolverines:  17-14 (8th place, Big Ten)

Colorado State Rams:  25-5 (2nd place, MWC)

 

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Michigan Wolverines:  2-3 last 5

Colorado State Rams:  4-1 last 5

 

 

 

Michigan is coming into this game with a 17-14 record overall and they are 2-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game. Their last win was against the Ohio State Buckeyes while their 2 losses in that span came against the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers in their last game. Devante Jones led the team in points in that game with 18 while Eli Brooks was next on the team with 17 points. Eli Brooks, Devante Jones, and Caleb Houstan all led the team in assists in that game with 3 each while Moussa Diabaté led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 37.9% from the field, 30% from 3-point range, and 90.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 73 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.9 PPG against them. Michigan has an ATS record of 13-18 this season and their O/U record is 18-13.

 

 

CSU is coming into this game with a 25-5 record overall and they are 5-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 4 of their last 5 games but are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game which snapped a 4 game winning streak that they were on. Their 4 wins in that span were against the Wyoming Cowboys, the Utah State Aggies, the Boise State Broncos, and Utah State again while their loss came against the San Diego State Aztecs in their last game. David Roddy led the team in points in that game with 22 while Isaiah Stevens was next on the team with 21 points. Roddy led the team in assists in that game with 4 and he also led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 47.8% from the field, 28.6% from 3-point range, and 50% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 73.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 65.7 PPG against them. CSU has an ATS record of 14-15 this season and their O/U record is 10-19.

 

CSU is coming into this game as a 2.5 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. CSU has been playing well recently winning 4 of their last 5 games but they lost in their conference tourney after putting together a great season where they were 2nd in the conference against conference opponents. CSU has been playing very well recently and they have been winning a lot of their games with good defense. They are keeping their opponents to under 70 points and even 60 points in a lot of their games and they will likely continue to play good on defense in this game as well. Michigan has been very inconsistent this season and even though they have played in a tougher conference this season, they have not been playing well and really they do not belong in this game or even deserve to have made the tourney this season. Their team has been a mess and it all starts with their coaching after an incident in a Wisconsin game a few weeks ago that saw Juwan Howard suspended for the rest of the season. His team went 4-1 without him but as soon as he came back they get knocked out in their first game of the Big Ten tourney after having a double digit lead in the game and blowing it to lose by 5 points to Indiana, another team that just barely made it into the tourney. Michigan has had a lot of problems in their games but one of their biggest ones have been on defense and even in the games they are winning, they have been allowing too many points. CSU will be able to slow down their offense and take a lead in this game. If they do not take a lead early, Michigan has shown many times this season that any lead they have is never safe and can be blown at any second. CSU is a more reliable team due to their ability to play defense and they should be able to upset Michigan in this game and win, sending them home where they belong.

 

Michigan Colorado State Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, March 17, 2022 (12:15 pm ET start time) is CSU 70 Michigan 63.

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Michigan Wolverines: 52-29 ATS as a neutral court favorite or pick. 28-17 ATS in a neutral court game where the total is 130 to 139.5. 27-19 UNDER in a postseason tournament game.

Colorado State Rams: 4-12 ATS off a loss against a conference rival. 9-2 UNDER when the total is 130 to 139.5. 5-1 UNDER in all neutral court games.

 

 

Michigan Wolverines:  None. 

Colorado State Rams:  None.

 

 

"When they were on that run. that's when I felt our guys sort of like, you know, it was more a little doubt with our guys. It took away that defensive disposition that we had prior to the run." - Juwan Howard after their loss against Indiana in the Big Ten tourney.

 

 

“I would have felt really good about that. But you’ve got to give them credit. And Dutch does such a good job with those guys. Other guys stepped up for them. … We let some of those guys maybe get into a little bit of a rhythm.” - Niko Medved on his team’s loss against SDSU in the MWC tourney.

 

 

 

Eli Brooks 

M. Diabate

H. Dickinson 

C. Houstan 

D. Jones

 

K. Moore 

D. Roddy 

I. Stevens 

A. Thistlewood 

D. Thomas

 

 

PPG: H. Dickinson (18.4)

APG: D. Jones (4.7)

Reb/G: H. Dickinson (8.5)

 

PPG: D. Roddy (19.5)

APG: I. Stevens (4.9)

Reb/G: D. Roddy (7.6)

 

Coaches:

Michigan Wolverines: Juwan Howard (3rd season)

Colorado State Rams: Niko Medved (4th season)