Entering the tournament, both, Michigan and Texas A&M were on upset watch. The Wolverines and the Aggies drew two of the most dangerous mid-major programs in the field, but fortunately for both fan bases, neither team bowed out of the tournament in the first round.
Michigan, the Big Ten Tournament champs, pulled out a three-point win against first-time NCAA Tournament participant UC-San Diego, beating the Tritons 68-65. Dusty May’s squad held a double-digit lead at halftime and needed to hold off a strong second half from UCSD. Michigan missed the past two NCAA Tournaments, but it squeaked out the win to send the Wolverines to the round of 32.
Texas A&M’s first-round game wasn’t quite as close, but the Aggies toppled Yale, the Ivy League champion, 80-71 to advance to the second round. A&M dominated the boards in an uncharacteristically strong offensive performance to knock off the Bulldogs. Under Buzz Williams, Texas A&M has appeared in three straight NCAA Tournaments. However, the Aggies are looking to make it past the second round for the first time since 2018.
How to watch Michigan vs Texas A&M
- Date: Saturday, March 22
- Time: 5:15 pm ET
- Venue: Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado
- How to Watch (TV): CBS
- Steaming: fubo TV
- Michigan record: 26-9
- Texas A&M record: 23-10
Michigan vs Texas A&M odds, spread, and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Money line:
- Michigan +120
- Texas A&M -144
Spread:
- Michigan +2.5 (-110)
- Texas A&M -2.5 (-110)
Total:
- 140.5 (O-110/U-110)
Michigan injury report
- Sam Walters - Questionable
Texas A&M injury report
- None
Michigan vs Texas A&M prediction
This matchup has the potential to be one of the lowest-scoring games of the tournament. Michigan’s offense has been bad at times this season, and Texas A&M seemingly finds a way to make every game its plays close. But if both offenses show up, we might be treated to an awesome second-round game.
Michigan’s offense has been hit-or-miss most of the season, though recently, it has been more miss. Over the final five games of the regular season, the Wolverines averaged a paltry 66.6 points per game, which included three games scoring 65 points or fewer. Michigan’s offense is a nice mix of scoring in the paint and from deep, though the Wolverines aren’t a great three-point shooting team, making 33.4 percent from behind the arc. Their offense goes through its two big men, Vladislav Golden (16.6 ppg) and Danny Wolf (13.0 ppg). These two are a big reason Michigan is one of the better rebounding teams in the country, averaging 38.3 rebounds per game. Defensively, the Wolverines have been solid this season - but not great. Teams are averaging 71 points per game, making 40.2 percent from the field against Michigan. A matchup with a poor shooting Texas A&M team might get the Wolverines past the second round, but as many teams have found out this season, beating the Aggies isn’t easy.
Texas A&M is a capable, if at times infuriating, scoring team. The Aggies average a respectable 74.5 points per game, with most of the scoring coming from Wade Taylor IV (15.7 ppg), but it's how they score those points that make them hard to beat. No team in the country does a better job on the offensive glass than A&M. The Aggies lead the country with 16 offensive boards per game. If you can limit their second chances, Texas A&M doesn’t have much of an offense. Luckily for the Aggies, Michigan is one of the worst teams in the country when it comes to allowing offensive rebounds - the Wolverines allow 11.5 per game. Texas A&M also has a really good defense, so the Aggies should be set against Michigan as long as they can handle the two big men. A&M’s defense, simply put, is pure havoc. The Aggies like to pressure the ball and force turnovers - forcing more than 13 turnovers per game, which should terrify Michigan since the Wolverines average 14 turnovers per game.
Michigan’s propensity to turn the ball over and allow a ton of offensive rebounds should cause some panic for Dusty May. Texas A&M is the perfect team to take advantage of Michigan’s problem areas. The Aggies can play lockdown defense, making any offensive issues even worse. They can also lull opponents into a sense of security with a shaky first-half offensive performance before dominating in the second. Michigan, if everything goes right, can with this game. But needing to rely on things going right isn’t a recipe for success. Texas A&M is at its best in messy games, and against Michigan, the odds of that type of game happening are pretty high.