Michigan, Michigan State Enter NCAA Tournament as Favorites in Opening Round Games

The Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans enter the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament after roller coaster seasons.

The Wolverines wrapped up the 2022 season with a 17-14 record after entering the year ranked No. 6 and reaching as high as No. 4 in the Associated Press poll.

Michigan State, meanwhile, used a hot start to propel itself to a 22-12 record, going from unranked in the AP preseason poll to being ranked in 12 straight polls between Nov. 29 and Feb. 14.

Both Great Lakes State teams are favored by Michigan online sportsbook apps in their opening round games.

The No. 11-seeded Wolverines play Colorado State in Indianapolis in the South Region, kicking off Thursday’s TV coverage at 12:15 p.m. Eastern on CBS. The Spartans grabbed the West Region seventh seed and face Davidson at 9:40 p.m. Eastern Friday (CBS) in Greenville, S.C.

Here’s a breakdown of both teams’ March Madness brackets and odds:

 

First Bet Offer Up To $1,000
Bonus Code: GLSBONUS

GLSBONUS

Bet Now

Visit BetMGM.com for T&Cs. Must be 21+. MI Only. New Customer Offer. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets. Bonus bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help.

Michigan enters the NCAA Tournament off an erratic last month or so, having not won multiple games in a row since beating Penn State and Purdue in February.

Since then, Juwan Howard’s team has traded wins and losses, beating Iowa, Rutgers, Michigan State and Ohio State — interspersed with losses to Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Indiana.

The Wolverines are listed as an NCAA title longshot, with odds of between +10000 (Caesars Sportsbook Michigan) and +150000 (DraftKings Sportsbook Michigan).

In between, Michigan is listed at +12000 on FanDuel Sportsbook Michigan and +12500 on BetMGM Michigan.

Michigan is a 2.5-point favorite in the first round against Colorado State, with moneyline odds that range from -137 (FanDuel Sportsbook Michigan) to -145 (BetMGM Michigan and Caesars Sportsbook Michigan).

The Rams are ranked 31st on KenPom.com, two spots ahead of the Wolverines and nine spots ahead of the Spartans.

 

Up to $1,250 on Caesars
Promo Code: GLSFULL

GLSFULL

Bet Now

Must be 21+ to participate. T&Cs apply.

The Spartans qualified for their 24th consecutive NCAA Tournament (not counting 2020’s canceled event), which is the fourth-longest streak in the event’s history.

Coach Tom Izzo’s team is currently listed at +10000 in college basketball betting to win the title at Caesars Sportsbook Michigan, +12500 on BetMGM Michigan, +20000 on DraftKings Sportsbook Michigan and +25000 on FanDuel Sportsbook Michigan.

Michigan State’s first-round matchup is against Davidson of the Atlantic 10. The 27-6 Wildcats enter the Big Dance off a two-point loss in the A10 title game Sunday.

Michigan sportsbook sites list the Spartans at -1.5, with moneyline odds that range from -118 (FanDuel Sportsbook Michigan) to -125 (BetMGM Michigan, Caesars Sportsbook Michigan, and DraftKings Sportsbook Michigan).