Michigan vs Colorado State Predictions, Odds, Picks

• The Michigan Wolverines struggled this season and finished the year only three games above .500.
• The Colorado State Rams had a dominant season and went 14-4 in conference play.
• Colorado State lost in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament.

Michigan Wolverines vs Colorado State Rams Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook

The Michigan Wolverines will meet the Colorado State Rams for the first game of the First Round of March Madness. These teams rarely play each other, as they play in different conferences and regions of the country.

The Michigan Wolverines had a tough regular season. They went 6-5 in non-conference play and just barely stayed above .500 in conference play.

Their one shining moment came against the Purdue Boilermakers on February 10. In a strong all-around effort, they crushed a top Purdue team at home 82-58. The heart and soul of this Wolverines squad is center Hunter Dickinson. The 7’1” sophomore from Virginia plays over 32 minutes per game and averages 18.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. Dickinson is a strong shooter that can hit threes and score near the hoop. He is joined by guards Eli Brooks and DeVante’ Jones.

Brooks and Jones are both good shooters and combine for 23 points a game. Michigan may have a worse record than Colorado State, but they faced more formidable opponents and play in a more challenging conference. They also have more scorers and might have a small crowd at this game in Indiana. This game will come down to the wire, but the Wolverines will come out on top.

The Colorado State Rams had an outstanding season in a competitive Mountain West Conference. They finished in second and ended with only four conference losses.

Guard David Roddy is the leader of this team. The 6’5” junior averages 19.4 points and 7.6 rebounds on 57.4% shooting from the field. Roddy’s official position may be guard, but he plays more like a power forward. Roddy is not the only scorer on this team.

Guard Isaiah Steven also knows a thing or two about putting the ball in the hoop. He scores 14.9 points per game and hits 90.2% of his free throws.

Pick:

Michigan beats Colorado State 72-71. Colorado State covers, Over 139 points.

Head-to-Head: Michigan Wolverines vs Colorado State Rams

Why Might the Michigan Wolverines Win?

The Michigan Wolverines are the favorites in this matchup, but they will have to fight tooth and nail to win. They need to focus on creating turnovers and slowing down David Roddy.

Michigan does not generate a lot of turnovers. They average a measly 4.8 steals per game. That will not be enough against this guard-heavy Colorado State team. They need to create turnovers and steal the ball any way they can. If they do, they will limit Colorado State’s scoring opportunities.

Michigan knows David Roddy is the primary scorer for Colorado State. Since that is the case, they need to slow him down. Roddy is not a great passer, so Michigan could force him to turn the ball over if they double-team him.

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Why Might the Colorado State Rams Win?

The Colorado State Rams had no problem winning games against Mountain West opponents, but everything changes in March Madness. The Rams need to protect the rim and win the rebounding battle.

The Rams are a guard-heavy team; their top five scorers are guards, and they only have two forwards in their rotation. Regardless, they need to protect the rim against this bigger Michigan team.

The Rams do not rebound well. They average 31.9 boards per game, 3.6 fewer rebounds than the Wolverines. They need to rebound as a team and box out Michigan’s big men. If they lose the rebounding battle, they lose the game.

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Wolverines Key Player: (C) Hunter Dickinson

Center Hunter Dickinson is having an outstanding season for Michigan. I spoke about his rebounding earlier, but I did not talk that much about his shooting.

Dickinson may be 7’1”, but he shoots 31.6% from deep and 79.4% from the free-throw line. Those are good numbers for any college basketball player, let alone a center. Dickinson is a unique talent and very hard to stop.

The Colorado State defense cannot give Dickinson any open shots. If they do, he will likely drain them.

Rams Key Player: (G) David Roddy

Guard David Roddy had a monstrous regular season for Colorado State. The Minneapolis, Minnesota native led the Rams in scoring with 19.4 points on solid shooting.

Roddy only hits 69.6% of his free throw attempts, but he shoots 45.5% from deep and 57.4% on field-goal attempts.

Roddy also impacts the defensive side. He averages 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks. He needs to have a big game on offense and defense if he wants to make it to the second round. His energy and play will set the tone for the rest of the team.

How to Watch Michigan Wolverines vs Colorado State Rams