- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,374
- Reaction score
- 59
Should Michigan basketball feel confident about its chances against Saint Louis on Saturday, March 21, in Buffalo, New York? After all, the Wolverines are the 1-seed in the Midwest region and coming off a 101-point performance in the first round on Thursday.
Then again, the ninth-seeded Billikens also broke the 100-point mark, and against an 8-seed from a high-major conference, Georgia. U-M and SLU share philosophies, according to their coaches, and both have players who have captured the nation's imagination (at least among the nickname generators of the sport).
And yet, 1-seed vs. 9-seed – how often has that upset occurred in the second round since March Madness grew to at least 64 teams? Just six times in 81 matchups, and not at all since 2018 when Florida State stunned Xavier before eventually losing in the Elite Eight to ... well, Michigan.
CARLOS MONARREZ: Yo, Dusty! Forget bromance with Josh Schertz and knock out Saint Louis
Will we see another improbable upset at the KeyBank Center at 12:10 p.m. Saturday (CBS)? Five Free Press sports writers have some thoughts.
Michigan got its offensive mojo back, scoring 100 points in a game for the first time since December. Of course, Saint Louis also broke the century mark in its opener.
The Wolverines have their hands full with the nation's top defense and the No. 2 offense in field goal efficiency. The Billikens are balanced and won't be spooked by the matchup. Still, U-M has enough talent to escape what will be a tighter game than fans want. The pick: U-M 83, Saint Louis 74.
"Cream Abdul-Jabbar" is a cute story with fun glasses, but Saint Louis obliterated an unprepared Georgia and still only shot 58.3% from the field while struggling on 3-pointers. The Billikens got 66 of their 102 points in the paint, and they’ll be lucky to get half of that against Michigan. The pick: U-M 90, Saint Louis 76.
The Wolverines got the “upset scare” out of their system early against Howard. It was enough to wake up Michigan and get them focused; I seriously doubt that will happen again. Michigan is too big, too talented for a hiccup here. The Wolverines will roll and have little trouble with Saint Louis. There’s a reason this game is being played so early in the day. TV expects a blowout, too. The pick: U-M 90, Saint Louis 70.
Two teams coming off blowout wins should provide some offensive fireworks. However, Saint Louis played the late game Thursday and gets minimal rest to try and figure out how to slow down the potent Wolverines. Yaxel Lendeborg asserts himself from the outset, and Morez Johnson Jr. dominates the Billikins on the block to send Dusty May back to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. The pick: U-M 92, Saint Louis 80.
The Wolverines weren't too interested early on against Howard. They played like it, anyway. Here's betting they'll come out with more juice against the Billikens, who torched Georgia in their first-round matchup. That should get U-M's attention. The pick: U-M 76, Saint Louis 67.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball picks vs Saint Louis for NCAA Tournament 2nd round
Continue reading...
Then again, the ninth-seeded Billikens also broke the 100-point mark, and against an 8-seed from a high-major conference, Georgia. U-M and SLU share philosophies, according to their coaches, and both have players who have captured the nation's imagination (at least among the nickname generators of the sport).
And yet, 1-seed vs. 9-seed – how often has that upset occurred in the second round since March Madness grew to at least 64 teams? Just six times in 81 matchups, and not at all since 2018 when Florida State stunned Xavier before eventually losing in the Elite Eight to ... well, Michigan.
You must be registered for see images attach
CARLOS MONARREZ: Yo, Dusty! Forget bromance with Josh Schertz and knock out Saint Louis
Will we see another improbable upset at the KeyBank Center at 12:10 p.m. Saturday (CBS)? Five Free Press sports writers have some thoughts.
Tony Garcia
Michigan got its offensive mojo back, scoring 100 points in a game for the first time since December. Of course, Saint Louis also broke the century mark in its opener.
The Wolverines have their hands full with the nation's top defense and the No. 2 offense in field goal efficiency. The Billikens are balanced and won't be spooked by the matchup. Still, U-M has enough talent to escape what will be a tighter game than fans want. The pick: U-M 83, Saint Louis 74.
Carlos Monarrez
"Cream Abdul-Jabbar" is a cute story with fun glasses, but Saint Louis obliterated an unprepared Georgia and still only shot 58.3% from the field while struggling on 3-pointers. The Billikens got 66 of their 102 points in the paint, and they’ll be lucky to get half of that against Michigan. The pick: U-M 90, Saint Louis 76.
Jeff Seidel
The Wolverines got the “upset scare” out of their system early against Howard. It was enough to wake up Michigan and get them focused; I seriously doubt that will happen again. Michigan is too big, too talented for a hiccup here. The Wolverines will roll and have little trouble with Saint Louis. There’s a reason this game is being played so early in the day. TV expects a blowout, too. The pick: U-M 90, Saint Louis 70.
Chris Solari
Two teams coming off blowout wins should provide some offensive fireworks. However, Saint Louis played the late game Thursday and gets minimal rest to try and figure out how to slow down the potent Wolverines. Yaxel Lendeborg asserts himself from the outset, and Morez Johnson Jr. dominates the Billikins on the block to send Dusty May back to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. The pick: U-M 92, Saint Louis 80.
Shawn Windsor
The Wolverines weren't too interested early on against Howard. They played like it, anyway. Here's betting they'll come out with more juice against the Billikens, who torched Georgia in their first-round matchup. That should get U-M's attention. The pick: U-M 76, Saint Louis 67.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball picks vs Saint Louis for NCAA Tournament 2nd round
Continue reading...
