Michigan
March Madness picks: Predictions, schedule, odds, lines for South region; Michigan trying to avoid 5-vs.-12 upset
The stat was making the rounds after Auburn didn’t make the championship game of the SEC tournament: No team has lost three of its past four games before the NCAA tournament and won a national championship.
And yet, Auburn still was a somewhat surprising pick as the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.
Auburn stumbled late in a very tough league, which might open things up for the other teams in the South region. Auburn will open the tournament against Alabama State, which took down St. Francis 70-68 on a thrilling final-second layup off a tipped full-court pass in the First Four at Dayton on Tuesday. (We’re also waiting to see if San Diego State or North Carolina play Ole Miss on Friday, as well), but here are the rest of the picks for the first round in the South, with all the odds from BetMGM:
Midwest region picks | East region picks | West region picks
(All times Eastern.)
No. 8 Louisville (-2.5) over No. 9 Creighton, 12:15 p.m. Thursday
The first game of the first round Thursday is a good one. Louisville seems very under-seeded, but that’s part of playing in a bad ACC. Still, since Dec. 14 the Cardinals are 21-2 and one of the losses came to Duke in the ACC tournament. Creighton has been a very good team too, and 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner will be a problem for the Cardinals. But I won’t hold it against Louisville that the ACC was down. The Cards advance.
No. 1 Auburn (-31.5) over No. 16 Alabama State, 2:50 p.m. Thursday
Alabama State thrilled us with a great NCAA tournament opener, with a last-second shot to win it. But this isn’t the type of 16 seed that can scare a 1 seed. Alabama State doesn’t have any strength that will keep it in a game against an Auburn team looking to quiet critics who wondered how it got the No. 1 overall seed after losing three of their last four.
[Full NCAA tournament bracket revealed | Printable bracket]
No. 13 Yale (+7.5) over No. 4 Texas A&M, 7:25 p.m. Thursday
Yale has become the Ivy’s best program, and this season it dominated the league. Yale was 16-1 after Dec. 22. Texas A&M is a good team, but it lives off offensive rebounding (the best offensive rebounding percentage in the nation), and yet Yale is pretty good on the defensive boards. The Ivy League has been pretty good in the first round of the NCAA tournament, going 10-4 against the spread in the first round since 2009 (per Matt Eisenberg’s Tournament Guide). Texas A&M could make a run into the second weekend, but this one isn’t going to be easy.
No. 5 Michigan (-2.5) over No. 12 UC San Diego, 10 p.m. Thursday
Ah, the 5 vs. 12 game. We all know by now this is where upsets come from, and UC San Diego is a dangerous 12 seed. KenPom.com had San Diego as the 36th best team in the sport, which is rarified air for a Big West school. That’s just one spot below UConn, the reigning champs. San Diego does everything well, and it shoots (and hits) a lot of 3s. The problem is UCSD’s size. It doesn’t have a regular who is taller than 6-8. Michigan is the rare team with two 7-footers, Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf. If UCSD hits a ton of 3s this could be a fun upset, but this was a really unfortunate matchup for a strong mid-major.
[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K]
No. 14 Lipscomb (+14.5) over No. 3 Iowa State, 1:30 p.m. Friday
Iowa State looked like it could be a Final Four contender, but the last month was a little rough. Injuries affected the Cyclones. It appears Tamin Lipsey (10.8 ppg) will return from injury, but Keshon Gilbert (13.4 ppg) is out for the season via the Des Moines Register. That lowers the Cyclones’ ceiling. Lipscomb has a lot of shooters, which is what you want from a big underdog. If Lipscomb can knock down some of the many 3s it’s going to take, this one could be interesting late.
No. 11 North Carolina (-1.5) over No. 6 Ole Miss, 4:05 p.m. Friday
Most years, a team that wins in the First Four also wins a first-round game. This isn’t just an overreaction to UNC’s dominant win over San Diego State; the Tar Heels match up pretty well with Ole Miss. UNC didn’t deserve an at-large spot but that never meant it couldn’t get hot and win multiple games.
No. 7 Marquette (-3.5) over No. 10 New Mexico, 7:25 p.m. Friday
If you like guard play, this will be a fun matchup. Marquette’s Kam Jones is one of the best players in the country, a Bob Cousy Award finalist for the trophy that goes to the nation’s best point guard. New Mexico’s Donovan Dent and his 20.6 points per game should get more respect for postseason honors. Marquette won just five of its last 12 games, but there weren’t any bad losses. This isn’t an easy pick between two similar but flawed teams. Marquette might be happy to not see a Big East foe.
No. 15 Bryant (+17.5) over No. 2 Michigan State, 10 p.m. Friday
Michigan State had a tremendous season. The Spartans were good to bettors too, posting a 22-10-1 mark against the spread via Action Network, one of the best marks in the sport. MSU won’t shoot many 3s, won’t shoot them well, but can score inside and rebound it well. Bryant is one of the few 15 seeds that actually has some decent size. It has the sixth-tallest team in college basketball, according to KenPom.com. The Bulldogs didn’t play a tough schedule and against the two best teams they played, St. John’s and Grand Canyon, they lost by 22 and 46, respectively. There’s no upset concern here, but Bryant might not be a total pushover.
“Defenseman C. Reid will spend next year at college in Michigan” is a sentence that has been said before. The first time, it was about incoming Michigan State star defenseman Chase Reid, a presumptive top-five pick in the upcoming NHL draft. Now, Michigan has secured a defenseman C. Reid of their own — Cam Reid of the Kitchener Rangers.
This is likely to confuse many people, so here are four quick ways to tell them apart. First, they are probably wearing different colors. Second, if one of them says “eh,” that’s Cam, as he’s from Aylmer, Ontario while Chase is from Chesterfield, Michigan. Third, Chase is two inches taller at six-foot-two. Fourth, they don’t look very similar. We will likely gain a fifth way after the draft as Chase is unlikely to fall to the Nashville Predators at tenth, which is who drafted Cam, but we can’t say for sure yet, so we’ll stick with four for now.
Advertisement
Bits aside, Reid committing to Michigan is a big get for the Wolverines — albeit, not an unexpected one. This move was rumored for months, and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic reported that Reid had been planning the move since December. Still, to actually land the commitment is significant for the Wolverines as it bolsters an already-strong blue line for Michigan.
As previously mentioned, Reid is from Aylmer and grew up playing for the Aylmer Flames. He’s six feet tall and 194 pounds and shoots left, much to the chagrin of anyone who wanted another right shot for Michigan (that d-core is almost entirely lefties). Reid is a two-way defenseman who ran the Kitchener Rangers power play and he’s known for his explosive skating. With him and defenseman Henry Mews on the back end, Michigan’s power play would have two stars manning the point.
As captain this season, Reid led the Rangers to the Memorial Cup, where they defeated Landon DuPont and the Everett Silvertips. And there is a very realistic chance that the two of them will be teammates together next year as Michigan is currently leading the pack in recruiting DuPont. He was reportedly on campus this week and will be touring Michigan State as well.
Even if DuPont doesn’t come, the Wolverines’ defensive core is absolutely stacked with Reid and Mews. Reid will be another key chip as Michigan tries again to get over the hump of the Frozen Four.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — June 19th is also Juneteenth, which signifies when the final African-American slaves in the United States learned of their freedom in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.
It became a federal holiday in 2021, and it’s celebrated strongly in West Michigan.
In Kalamazoo, there will be festivities in Bronson Park from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, including food, dancing, and music.
“That’s very typical of how African Americans or people from the African diaspora celebrate,” said Dr. Sherrie Fuller, Director of Education & Training in the Vice President’s Area for Diversity and Inclusion. “It’s always food, it’s always dance, it’s all this music and it’s festive.”
This Juneteenth is a reminder of how far Black Americans have come, but a difficult reminder that there is still a long way to go for equality.
This week, a Black teenager was handcuffed and detained in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Battle Creek.
The boy’s family accused the officer of racial profiling, and the Battle Creek Police chief stands by his actions.
Dr. L.E. Johnson II of the Center for Afrocentric Thought was disgusted by the officer’s actions.
“What type of bias and prejudice are we dealing with here?” Dr. Johnson II said. “What that officer did was put blight on a legacy of a community that has worked hard to make things better for everybody. It was horrible what he did. He should be ashamed. He should be ashamed.”
Western Michigan University hosted a performance from Rootead on Friday afternoon at the multicultural center at the Trimpe Building.
Performers danced and played drums, focusing on their cultural roots.
“I believe people were able to have an opportunity to just kind of reflect on what the purpose of Juneteenth or the celebration of the holiday is all about, so it’s phenomenal,” said Dr. Fuller.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
Battle Creek will have a Juneteenth family day at Claude Evans Park on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Friday is Juneteenth. The long-celebrated holiday, which was officially declared a federal holiday in 2021, marks the day in 1865 when enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free — two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
In Grand Rapids, a parade steps off at noon at the corner of Eastern and Hall. It will head to Dickinson Buffer Park, where an opening ceremony gets underway at 1 p.m. The celebration continues until the evening and will feature food, vendors and activities for kids.
Organizers say it’s important to recognize Juneteenth.
“We cannot properly deal with and accept our future if we don’t understand our past,” said Rhaeven Richardson with West Michigan Jewels of Africa. “So it’s very important for us to come together and bring notoriety for what Juneteenth stands for and how important it is — not just for people of color, but for everyone in this country.”
There are plenty of other Juneteenth events happening in Grand Rapids and around West Michigan. For a full list, click here.
-
Virginia1 minute ago15 things to know about the budget deal Virginia lawmakers just reached
-
Washington8 minutes agoSuspect arrested in deadly shooting of 15-year-old girl in Washington County
-
Wisconsin11 minutes agoMissing endangered 24-year-old in Wisconsin, search ongoing
-
West Virginia16 minutes agoNotebook: MCWS as good as advertised; West Virginia no overnight success story – WV MetroNews
-
Wyoming23 minutes agoWith high costs and access gaps, Wyoming’s elder care landscape is ‘in crisis’
-
Crypto26 minutes agoIran Moves to Close the Strait of Hormuz as Tensions Erupt Over Broken Ceasefire Deal
-
Finance31 minutes agoPersonal Finance: SpaceX IPO bends the rules | Chattanooga Times Free Press
-
Fitness38 minutes ago8News tries Pilates exercises for Fitness Friday
