UCLA Bruins vs Michigan Wolverine Elite 8 Betting Picks, Lines, Predictions & Odds
The Bruins will look to extend their amazing run through March Madness as they face the top-seeded Wolverines. The battle for the last spot in Final Four will take place on Tuesday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
UCLA (21-9) started their run in the First Four and is now one of the two lowest seeds still alive. The college basketball powerhouse came to the tournament on a four-game losing streak. However, looked like a different team in Indianapolis winning four straight games, two in overtime. The Bruins are now looking to become only the second team ever to advance to the Final Four after starting in the First Four.
Michigan also had a run of bad form before the tournament. They lost 3 out of the last 5 games before coming to Indianapolis. But, the Wolverines have been very convincing in the first three rounds. Their average margin of victory in the tournament is 15.3 points. They now have a 23-4 record this season and 19-8 against the spread. When favored, the Wolverines have covered the spread 13 times in their last 19 games.
UCLA Bruins vs Michigan Wolverines Elite 8 Betting Odds And Line Movement
There hasn’t been much movement since the bookies published the opening lines. Michigan opened as -7 favorites and the line is back at that number after bouncing to -7.5 for a brief time. On the other hand, the total was significantly shrunk from 138.5 to 136 with early money coming in on the UNDER.
Notes On The UCLA Bruins
In the Sweet 16 game, the Bruins were on the receiving end of the soul-crushing buzzer-beater to take the game to overtime. Most of the teams would’ve found it hard to recover and just folded. UCLA went on to score incredible 23 points and shut down Alabama to win the game in the additional 5 minutes. It’s a great illustration of the confidence they’re playing with right now. Plus, they went to the overtime without their best scorer Johnny Juzang. They made it through to the Final Eight mainly by playing tough and hard. They weren’t particularly efficient. The Bruins shot 39.2 from the field. However, they managed to keep one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country to only 25.0% from the deep. The biggest question for UCLA is how they’re going to handle fatigue from four games in a short span, including two overtimes. Wolverines are a big, strong, and physical side and will look to tire out the Bruins for the start.
Sophomore guard Johnny Juzang leads five UCLA players scoring in double-digits. Juzang averages 15.0 points per game.
Notes On The Michigan Wolverines
After they lost leading scorer Isiah Livers, many have written of the Wolverines. Still, they’ve delivered impressive performance even in his absence. They’ve dismantled Texas Southern, struggled a bit with LSU, but the real statement came in the Sweet 16. They’ve destroyed No. 4 Florida State in a game they controlled from start to finish. They controlled the paint and shot 49% from the field. The Wolverines also shared the ball well with 19 assists for 29 made shots. On defense, they were tough under the rim and forced the Seminoles to take the tough shots.
In Livers’ absence, Michigan’s frontcourt stepped up and took the leading role. Hunter Dickinson, a freshman center, dominated against Florida State with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Forward Brandon Jones Jr. added 14 points of his own and 6 rebounds.
UCLA Bruins vs Michigan Wolverines Elite 8 Betting Pick: Over 136
It’s hard to believe that UCLA will be able to keep their defensive intensity for the fifth game in a row. Michigan will likely try to run as much as possible to drain the energy from the Bruins. It should result in a fast-paced and high-scoring game.
