Wofford vs Michigan Gambling Lines
The 15th-seeded Wofford Terriers and the second-seeded Michigan Wolverines will open Midwest Region play at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday. [ad-4468020]
2014 NCAA Tournament Free Picks
Midwest Region – 2nd Round
15 Wofford Terriers (25-8) at 2 Michigan Wolverines (25-8)
Date: Thursday, March 20, 2014
Time: 7:10 PM ET
Venue: BMO Harris Bradley Center
City: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
O/U Odds: 126.5
Spread: Michigan -16
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Matchup Stats | ATS Insider Preview
Wofford punched its ticket to the Big Dance by winning the Southern Conference tournament, while Michigan cost itself a shot at a No. 1 seed when it lost to Michigan State in the final of the Big Ten tournament.
The Wolverines would have surely taken a No. 1 seed in the tournament if not for a 69-56 loss to rival Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament title game on Sunday. They’ve had to settle for a No. 2 seed, though it comes in one of the toughest regions of the year.
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The tournament appearance is the fourth in a row for the Wolverines, and its fifth under head coach John Beilein. The No. 2 seed is the highest Michigan has seen since way back in 1993 when the Fab Five carried the Wolverines to a No. 1 seed prior to losing to North Carolina in the title game.
In the first round, Michigan draws a Wofford team that finished third behind Davidson and Chattanooga in Southern Conference’s regular season standings, but heads to the NCAA tournament for the third time after winning the conference tournament with a 56-53 victory over Western Carolina.
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The team was competitive in its most recent trips to the tournament, playing Wisconsin to a 53-49 final in 2010, then playing BYU to a 74-66 final in 2011.
The Terriers rank 265th in the nation in scoring offense, scoring only 67.7 points per game, but make up for it by ranking 23rd in the nation in scoring defense, surrendering just 62.4 points per game.
That unit will look to slow Big Ten Player of the Year Nik Stauskas, who leads the Wolverines with 17.5 points and 3.3 assists, and knocks down 44.5 percent of his three-pointers.
The winner of this game moves on to face the winner of the later game between the seventh-seeded Texas Longhorns and the 10th-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils in the round of 32 for a shot at a trip to the Sweet 16 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The winner of this game isn’t really in doubt. Michigan is the far superior team coming from the far superior conference. As for Wofford, they should keep this game within the assigned spread on the back of their strong defense. Michigan hasn’t really been able to blow teams away when playing away from their home court.
The Terriers are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games overall, and 5-1 ATS in their last six games when facing teams with a winning percentage above .600. The Terriers are 11-3-1 ATS in their last 15 neutral site games, while the Wolverines are 1-4-1 ATS in its last six neutral site games.
The play: Wofford +16
