Michigan vs Duke | Prediction & Pick

Michigan prepares for showdown with top-seeded Duke

No longer in the shadow of in-state rival Michigan State, the Wolverines will prepare for their showdown with the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils in the West Region on Sunday in Charlotte.

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#8 Michigan (21-13, 9-9 Big Ten) vs. #1 Duke (31-4, 13-3 ACC)

Date/Time: Sunday, March 20, 2:45 PM EST
Venue: Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC.
Broadcast: CBS

Money Line: Duke -800, Michigan +600
Spread: Duke -11.5
Over/Under: 136

Just a day after the Spartans were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by UCLA, the Wolverines who spent the majority of the last two months ‘on the bubble’, collected only their second NCAA win since 1998 brining the basketball spotlight to Ann Arbor.

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An undersized but feisty Michigan squad dominated the second half of play routing Tennessee 75-45 on Friday in their second appearance in the last three years, and the 22nd overall for the Maze-and-Blue.

Zack Novak posted a double double of 14 points, 10 rebounds, and two 3-pointers in a decisive spurt to start the second half, shooting 52 percent from the field and holding a 36-26 rebounding edge against the bigger Volunteers.

Meanwhile the defending champions Duke made their 16th consecutive appearance in March Madness seem effortless, easily handling Hampton with a crushing 87-45 win.

Kyrie Irving in his first game in three months came back for Duke and chipped in 14 points, giving Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski his 899th career victory.

Andre Dawkins contributed 13 points, Mason Plumlee had 12, Kyle Singler finished with 11, and Miles Plumlee had 13 rebounds for the Blue Devils.

Duke never trailed and shot 53 percent while dominating from the start, winning its fourth straight and advancing to a third round.

Michigan is led by Darius Morris, who scored a season-best 15.2 points per game and also led the team in assists at 6.7 per game. Tim Hardaway Jr. was second on the club at 13.9 points per game.

Duke counters with Nolan Smith, the ACC’s leading scorer this season at 21.3 points per contest. Kyle Singler finished second on the team and fifth in the league at 17.1 points per game. Smith also dished out 5.2 assists per game, second best in the ACC.

Prediction: It may be easy for new bracketologists to count Michigan out at first glance, but this is a squad that posted victories over several teams in the tournament, including Oakland, Illinois, and two wins against rival Michigan State. However, the Blue Devils are playing as well as they have all season right now, so my guess is Duke.

The odds makers have the Duke Blue Devils as a -11.5 point favorite with an over/under of 136.

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