NCAA Tournament: Michigan vs. Montana fearless prediction and game preview.
Broadcast
Date: Thursday, March 21
Game Time: 9:20 ET
Venue: Wells Fargo Arena , Des Moines, IA
Network: TNT
All You Really Need To Know About Michigan (28-6)
(Big Ten), NCAA NET Rank: 9. West 2-seed
17-0 to start the season, the Wolverines had a few down performances over the second half of the season. They didn’t show up in a loss at Iowa, and couldn’t handle Michigan State in in three losses over the last few weeks including the conference tournament title, but they’re built to make another deep run. However, there’s little to no depth, going seven deep, and even that’s pushing it.
Ignas Brazdeikis, Jordan Poole and Charles Matthews crank up the scoring, but it’s the defense that pulls off the wins. The Wolverines crush three-point shooting teams, they never turn the ball over, and score in bunches. What they can’t do is hit free throws, and they’re not good enough on the boards, but that D should carry them early on.
All You Really Need To Know About Montana (26-8)
(Big Sky), NCAA NET Rank: 124. West 15-seed
The Grizzlies took down the Big Sky regular season title and won 16 of their last 18 to pull off the tournament championship. There’s a little bit of size, and good enough veteran talent for a balanced attack that keeps coming in waves. The depth is there, and so is the shooting.
One of the best teams in the nation from the field, they connect from inside and out helped by enough defensive pressure to keep teams on their heels. The don’t do much on the boards, and they stunningly can’t hit from the free throw line, but they’re dangerous.
– Fill out your bracket in the CFN NCAA Tournament Pool
What’s Going To Happen
The Michigan defense is going to rise up from the start. This is a good, sound Montana team that should be able to hold its own on the boards, but the Wolverines aren’t going to make enough mistakes to provide an opening. The biggest issue for the Grizzlies will be the fouls – get ready for them to commit at least ten more.
Fearless Prediction & Line
Michigan 77, Montana 56
Line: Michigan -15.5, o/u: 131.5
ATS Confidence: 4
5: Watching games by Vegas pool working on fruity drink No. 3
1: Watching game online while doing TPS reports in your cubicle
