Michigan and Villanova have both been fixtures in the later stages of the NCAA Tournament recently and the programs even met in the 2018 national championship game, which Villanova won. On Thursday, the they will meet again in a Sweet 16 matchup in the South Region of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Michigan is the No. 11 seed and upset No. 6 seed Colorado State and No. 3 seed Tennessee on its way to the regional semifinal. Villanova is a No. 2 seed that bested No. 15 seed Delaware and No. 7 seed Ohio State.
The game will be played at the AT&T Center in San Antonio and tipoff is scheduled for 7:29 p.m. ET. The Wildcats are five-point favorites in the latest Villanova vs. Michigan odds from Caesars Sportsbook while the over-under is set at 135.5 points. Before locking in any Michigan vs. Villanova picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $1,300 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Villanova vs. Michigan and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2022. You can head to SportsLine to see all of the model's college basketball picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Michigan vs. Villanova:
- Michigan vs. Villanova spread: Wildcats -5
- Michigan vs. Villanova over-under: 135.5 points
- Michigan vs. Villanova money line: Wolverines +190, Wildcats -230
- VILL: The Wildcats are 17-4 ATS in their last 21 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite
- MICH: The Wolverines are 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 neutral site games as an underdog
Why Villanova can cover
Redshirt sophomore forward Eric Dixon provides Villanova with a nice scoring threat. Dixon can score from all three levels on the floor, averaging 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The Pennsylvania native is also shooting 51 percent from both the field and 3-point land. Dixon has scored in double figures in back-to-back games. In the win over Ohio State, he had 13 points, eight rebounds and went 2-for-2 from deep.
Senior forward Brandon Slater is another contributor in the frontcourt. Slater logs 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest. The Virginia native is aggressive when heading to the basket, using his strength to barrel through contact. Slater has scored in double digits in 18 games. On March 11 against UConn, he tallied 15 points, four rebounds and two steals.
Why Michigan can cover
The Wolverines got off to a 7-7 start on the season but have won 12 of their last 18 games and are coming off of extremely impressive offensive performances in their first two NCAA Tournament 2022 games. Michigan shot 54.2 percent from the floor against Colorado State and then 50.0 percent against Tennessee, who ranked third in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency this season.
Hunter Dickinson has 48 points on 16-of-23 shooting and also produced 17 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals so far in the NCAA Tournament. The 7-foot-1 center will be a difficult matchup for a Villanova squad that doesn't have anybody over 6-foot-8 in its rotation or anybody over 6-foot-9 on its roster.
How to make Michigan vs. Villanova picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 143 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits more than 50 percent of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Villanova vs. Michigan? And which side of the spread hits more than 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.