Sweet 16: Villanova vs Michigan 3/24/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Villanova Wildcats and Michigan Wolverines square off Thursday in the college basketball NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at the AT&T Center. The Michigan Wolverines look to make their sixth Elite Eight since the 1994 season. The Villanova Wildcats look to make their fifth Elite Eight since the 2016 season.

The Michigan Wolverines are averaging 73.2 points on 47.1 percent shooting and allowing 69.7 points on 44.7 percent shooting. Hunter Dickinson is averaging 18.7 points and 8.4 rebounds, while Eli Brooks is averaging 12.8 points and 3.7 rebounds. DeVante’ Jones is the third double-digit scorer and Caleb Houston is grabbing 4 rebounds. The Michigan Wolverines are shooting 34.1 percent from beyond the arc and 73.9 percent from the free throw line. The Michigan Wolverines are allowing 32.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32.9 rebounds per game.

The Villanova Wildcats are averaging 73.8 points on 44.4 percent shooting and allowing 63.6 points on 41 percent shooting. Collin Gillespie is averaging 16 points and 3.8 rebounds, while Justin Moore is averaging 15 points and 4.9 rebounds. Jermaine Samuels is the third double-digit scorer and Caleb Daniels is dishing 0.8 assists. The Villanova Wildcats are shooting 36.6 percent from beyond the arc and 82.5 percent from the free throw line. The Villanova Wildcats are allowing 31.9 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 31.7 rebounds per game.

The Wolverines are 48-20-3 ATS in their last 71 Thursday games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 NCAA Tournament games. The Wildcats are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games and 20-8 ATS in their last 28 Thursday games. The over is 19-7 in Wolverines last 26 overall. The under is 4-1 in Wildcats last 5 overall.

The Michigan Wolverines can’t be overlooked here, as they’ve put together some nice ball as of late, and they have a big fan base that travels well and creates an electric atmosphere. With that said, the Wolverines have sucked us in many times this year to only fall flat on their face once you start to believe. The Villanova Wildcats have been head and shoulders the more consistent team this season, and they’re playing some of their best ball right now. Villanova is winning its last five games by an average of eight points while allowing 40.4 percent shooting from the field. I need a little more convincing to really believe in the Wolverines. Give me Nova and the reasonable chalk.