Auburn Tigers vs. Michigan Wolverines Prediction on March 28, 2025

Match info

The 2025 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship – Sweet 16 face-off between the No. 1 Auburn Tigers (30-5) and No. 5 Michigan Wolverines (27-9) will decide which team advances to the South Region bracket final and the Elite Eight, at the same time. The game is scheduled to start at 9:39 p.m. local time on Friday, March 28, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Tigers are basketball bet sites’ favorites going into their game versus the Wolverines.

Meeting statistics

The current form of the Michigan Wolverines

In this tournament, everyone has been opting out of Michigan. In the Round of 64, it seemed like UC San Diego was the fans’ favorite. In a Round of 32 meeting with Texas A&M, many people tried to fade the Wolverines following an uninspiring victory over the Tritons. In the second half of that game, Michigan overcame a 10-point deficit to win 91-79.

With 26 points and four three-pointers, Roddy Gayle Jr. was outstanding coming off the bench. Additionally, he had a perfect record on the free-throw line. The frontcourt tandem of Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf also contributed significantly to Michigan’s performance, as they combined for 37 points, 21 rebounds, and six blocks. It will be interesting to watch that pair play Auburn.

The current form of the Auburn Tigers

Johni Broome, a strong candidate for the Wooden Award (an award given annually to the most outstanding men’s and women’s college basketball players), may not be able to perform his typical job around the hoop, even if the Tigers are the clear favorites in this game. Michigan ranks 13th in the country for 2PT% defense (30.9%). Auburn will need Broome to be absolutely exceptional as long as Michigan is capable of doing this. Additionally, some of the Tigers’ guards will need to step up and make some triples.

Naturally, that’s what Auburn’s shooters have done all year. Many players on Bruce Pearl’s team can make catch-and-shoot triples, as the club ranks 44th in the US in 3PT% (36.6%). However, it’s important to note that Michigan’s 3PT% defense (30.9%) is 34th in the nation. The Wolverines excel at contesting jumpers in addition to their skill at guarding around the hoop.

Head-to-head

Interestingly, there’s no track record of head-to-head duels between these two.

Match analytics

We expect Auburn to take care of business and advance to the Elite Eight. Furthermore, we even think that the Tigers will cover the long spread (handicap).

Tip: Match – Odds: Handicap, Auburn -8.5, with odds of 1.86 on Bet365.