Updated Colorado State vs. Michigan Odds, Spread, Pick & Predictions for 2022 NCAA Tournament

by BettingPros Staff |
Mar 14, 2022

Colorado State Rams vs. Michigan Wolverines 2022 NCAA Tournament Game Preview

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Colorado State Rams vs. Michigan Wolverines Match Up Overview

	Michigan	Colorado State
Conference	Big Ten	MWC
W-L	17-14	25-5
AdjEM	33rd	31st
AdjO	20th	19th
AdjD	89th	82nd
Tempo	219th	278th
eFG%	76th	19th
TO%	90th	22nd
OR%	77th	340th
FTR	222nd	171st
DeFG%	189th	173rd
DTO%	335th	171st
DR%	35th	61st
DFTR	82nd	50th
Luck	237th	6th

Stats via KenPom.

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Colorado State Rams Preview

Colorado State is lead by David Roddy, one of the best players in the nation. The Rams' big man moves swiftly and stretches out defenses with his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. The Mountain West was tough this season, and the Rams have played a lot of close games that prepared them for the stress of the tournament.

The Rams depend on their offense and can basically do everything well with the ball. They score inside at a high clip (56.1%) while taking care of the ball and shooting their free throws well. On defense, they limit rebounds and don't allow teams to reach the charity stripe very often.

This is a team on whom a lot of bettors hold futures tickets. Preparing for a player like Roddy is difficult. Colorado State went undefeated out of conference this season, with wins over Saint Mary's at home and Creighton and Mississippi State on neutral courts.

There are obviously a lot of great teams in this tournament. Colorado State is one of them. Niko Medved has done excellent coaching this team to find open look after open look, and they're going to give any team they face a tough matchup this tournament.

Michigan Wolverines Preview

If any team in the tournament is going to be tagged as "last years' UCLA," itâ€™s Michigan. After ranking sixth in the AP preseason poll, Michigan went 17-14 and had an early exit from the Big Ten tournament.

Looking at how talented this team is, I am shocked at their performance this season. Hunter Dickinson developed in his sophomore season with some incredible performances. Eli Brooks is an experienced guard with a nice shooting stroke, and freshman Caleb Houston looks like a future NBA talent.

Looking at a blind resume, however, I am a bit surprised they made the tournament. Michigan went 8-13 across the first two quadrants â€“ that's fewer Quad I and II wins than Xavier â€“ and had a Quad III loss. I imagine this Michigan squad got the benefit of the doubt based on name recognition.

If the Wolverines do want to make a deep run, their talented playmakers have to live up to potential. Juwan Howard's team won't shock you on defense, but they had the No. 1 offensive strength of schedule â€“ meaning they faced the best offensive teams out of any DI team. They will be a popular upset pick in the tournament, but I'm not buying Michigan as a dangerous team.

Rapid Prediction for Colorado State Rams vs. Michigan Wolverines

Many people won't agree with Michigan getting a bid into the NCAA Tournament. After all, Michigan went just 17-14 on the season, finished 11-9 in conference play, and lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to Indiana. But Michigan's strength of schedule was enough to put them through. The Wolverines have a terrific offense that can score at will inside. On the defensive end, Michigan rebounds exceptionally well and guards the perimeter effectively. That bodes well for the Wolverines going up against Colorado State, as the Rams rarely earn offensive rebounds. Still, Colorado State can shoot the lights out and make every offense work to score points. This will be an exciting matchup, but Michigan will get more second chances and has more star power.

Colorado State Rams vs. Michigan Wolverines Round 1 Game Pick

Michigan -3

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