Auburn vs. Michigan: Picks, Predictions and Odds

The first week of the men's tournament is in the books and now it’s time for regional semifinal action, with Friday night seeing the Auburn Tigers and Michigan Wolverines battle for a place in the last eight.

These two teams have advanced in quite different fashions. The No. 1 seeded Tigers picked up a pair of double-digit victories, while the No. 5 seed Wolverines struggled at times with both UC San Diego and Texas A&M.

Read below to see our expert predictions for Auburn vs. Michigan.

Auburn vs. Michigan betting picks and predictions 

Auburn -9.0 (-115)

To say that week one of the tournament was eventful for Michigan would be a gross understatement.

The Wolverines almost squandered a double-digit lead over UC San Diego in round one, scoring a modest 27 points in the second half while hanging on to win by only three points. Two days later, they trailed Texas A&M by 10 points at halftime before dominating the Aggies over the final 15 minutes.

Head coach Dusty May’s team typically overwhelms opponents with size in the form of Vlad Goldin (7’1’’) and Danny Wolf (7’0’’). Unfortunately for UM, this may not be a favorable matchup against Auburn.

The Tigers bring plenty of their own firepower down low, as Johni Broome (2.2 blocks per game) and Dylan Cardwell are among the best frontcourt defenders in the nation. Chaney Johnson can also be called upon to defend the paint.

Stellar guard play is, more often than not, essential for success in March, and the Tigers certainly have an edge in that department. Auburn is No. 5 nationally in turnover percentage and they feature four players who make at least 38 percent of their three-point attempts with at least 137 tries on the season.

That includes Chad Baker-Mazara (12.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.1 spg) and Georgia Tech transfer Miles Kelly. Michigan is 324th nationally — out of 364 teams — in turnover percentage and has only two legitimate perimeter shooting threats in Nimari Burnett and Tre Donaldson (who once played at Auburn).

Even though Michigan’s fanbase travels well, this will be close to a home game for the Tigers. State Farm Arena in Atlanta is a two-hour drive at most from Auburn.

As if the Tigers needed any additional help to win and cover, that gives them yet another edge.

Over 154.0 Total Points (-110)

An Over bet correlates nicely with Auburn at -9.0, as Michigan is in the top 70 nationally in scoring at 78.3 points per game. Teams generally aren’t going to beat the Wolverines by a wide margin unless they score a lot of points.

Fortunately for the Tigers, they score even more. Head coach Bruce Pearl’s squad ranks ninth in the country with 83.8 points per contest. Broome, who is in the running with Duke freshman Cooper Flagg for National Player of the Year and Wooden Award honors, comes in at 18.4 ppg. Five different guys on the roster are averaging double figures.

It would probably be in the Wolverines’ best interest to slow things down against an opponent that has more offensive firepower and is clearly superior on paper, but that is not in their nature. 

UM is No. 44 in the nation in pace of play, averaging 73.0 possessions per game. Michigan pinned 91 points on Texas A&M and it has surpassed the 80 mark in three of its last five contests dating back to the Big Ten Tournament.

Goldin (16.8 ppg) and Wolf (13.0 ppg) are the two leading scorers, but five players on the roster are contributing at least 9.4 ppg.

This regional semifinal will likely be played at a relatively fast pace and both teams can score in a variety of ways with plenty of different players. All things considered, the Over looks like a strong play.

Read more betting picks and predictions for College Basketball on site.

Michigan vs. Auburn odds

Michigan	+325 ML
Auburn	-425 ML
Spread	Auburn -9.0
Total Points	O/U 154.0

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.