The Sweet 16 continues tonight as the fourth seeded Michigan Wolverines take on the top seeded Kansas Jayhawks. The game is scheduled for a 7:37 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on TBS. Currently the odds for the game have Kansas favored by 1.5 points.
Only 12 teams are left in the NCAA Tournament after Thursday's Sweet 16 games and tonight we'll be down to the Elite Eight.
Michigan and Kansas have both gotten to this point in the tournament by winning solid games. Kansas struggled in their opening game against Western Kentucky, beating the Hilltoppers by only seven points and being level or just barely ahead for most of that game. Then they were able to top North Carolina in their next game, taking advantage of Tar Heel mistakes and Carolina's inability to knock down shots consistently.
The Wolverines have been very impressive in both of their wins. They beat up on South Dakota State in their opening game of the tournament and then blew out VCU and their "havoc" defense by utilizing Naismith Player of the Year Finalist Trey Burke in the open floor. Michigan was able to knock down shots and played well in transition, even though they turned it over 12 times in that game, which is more than they average per game this season.
Mitch McGary played a huge role in the starting lineup against VCU, playing with a ton of energy and hitting the boards hard, which took VCU for a surprise, I think. Don't expect McGary's play to surprise anybody from Kansas tonight. Jeff Withey might be the best defensive player in the country and he mans the paint for the Jayhawks, who play a tough style of man-to-man defense. If McGary and Michigan can bring Withey outside of the paint defensively, it will certainly be to their advantage.
Ben McLemore leads Kansas in scoring and is the only starter that isn't a senior for Bill Self's club. He is however expected to bolt for the NBA Draft when Kansas finally loses, figured to be a lottery pick by most NBA scouts. Typically he's a matchup problem for opposing teams but Tim Hardaway Jr. is a very big bodied guard that has length and can defend McLemore on the perimeter.
There isn't a whole lot of advantages for either team in this game. They both have similar numbers for the tournament and on paper it looks like Michigan has played two better teams than Kansas.
The biggest factor in this game is Kansas' field goal defense. They're the best team in the country in that category, allowing opponents to shoot just 35 percent from the floor for the season. Michigan has ranked in or near the Top 10 nationally all season in shooting percentage, compiling a 49 percent clip from the floor. If Michigan can hit shots, they'll win.
Free Pick: Michigan 71, Kansas 67
College Basketball Free Picks: Michigan vs Kansas Betting
What college basketball bettors need to know about Michigan Wolverines vs Kansas Jayhawks on Friday (3/29/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Vegas Runner, with Bryan Leonard and host Steve Fezzik.