Alabama (4) vs. Michigan (1) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Sweet 16 Odds
The Alabama Crimson Tide look to punch their ticket to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year when they take on the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines on Friday night in Midwest Region Sweet 16 betting action at United Center.
Pegged as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest, the Tide rolled to a pair of dominating victories on the opening weekend of March Madness, topping Hofstra and Texas Tech by a combined margin of 45 points, and have now won 11 of their past 13 overall.
The Wolverines were equally dominating in the first two rounds, posting victories by 20+ points over both Howard and Saint Louis and will now be eyeing their first Elite Eight berth since 2021.
The Wolverines have emerged as lofty 9.5-point favourites Friday’s Sweet 16 odds, while the Crimson Tide are pegged as lengthy +333 March Madness moneyline underdogs and the total is listed at 172.5.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Michigan Wolverines NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Friday night’s matchup marks the first ever March Madness meeting between these squads and their first overall clash since the Crimson Tide eked out a 68-66 upset victory over Michigan in November 2009.
In addition to overcoming a somewhat start to the campaign with their current 13-2 run, the Tide have been dominant at times while going 9-2 SU in their past 11 dates at the Big Dance, with each of their past four victories coming by double-digit margins.
The Tide have also covered the spread in all but one of their past 10 March Madness wins but have covered just once in their past four as betting underdogs at the NCAA Tournament and just 2-2 SU and ATS in their past four Sweet 16 appearances.
The Wolverines earned their top seeding with wins in 15 of 17 pre-tournament contests, but have been a betting disappointment, going just 2-8 ATS in their past 10 overall and just 1-6 ATS in their past seven outings when favoured by 8+ points.
Michigan has also regularly fallen short in Sweet Sixteen action, going just 2-4 SU and ATS in their past six appearances, with the UNDER going 5-1-0 over that stretch.
Alabama Crimson Tide (4)
Labaron Philon Jr. led the Crimson Tide in points, assists, and steals during the regular season and carried that momentum over into first round action with a dominating 29-point, eight-rebound, seven-assist performance in a 90-70 win over Hofstra. Philon has now dropped 20+ points in five of seven outings.
However, it was the sophomore’s playmaking skills that were on display in the squad’s second-round rout of Texas Tech. Philon mustered just nine points on brutal 16.7 per cent shooting but atoned from that sloppiness with a season-high 12 assists, and offers great value on the March Madness player props as a +110 bet to record OVER 5.5 helpers on Friday night.
While Philon struggled to find the mark against the Red Raiders, senior Latrell Wrightsell busted out of a mini slump with a team-high 24 points. Wrightsell tallied just 9.5 points per game over his previous four outings but demonstrated veteran cool while converting 70 per cent versus Texas Tech and has not scored 17+ in two of his past three March Madness game appearances.
Michigan Wolverines (1)
Morez Johnson Jr. atoned for a disappointing performance at the recent Big Ten Tournament with a pair of impressive performances last weekend. The sophomore led the attack in a 101-80 beatdown of Howard in the first round with 21 points and 10 boards and has now recorded nine double-doubles this season.
Jonson continued to dominate in the paint in the second round, pulling down a team-high eight rebounds in a 95-72 win over Saint Louis while Taxel Lendeborg took care of business on offence. The team’s leading scorer during the regular season, Lendeborg lit up the Billikens for 25 points. But he has to better after recording just 20+ points in just two of his past five outings.