The Auburn Tigers will face the Michigan Wolverines in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. One of these teams will be in the Elite 8. This game will take place in Atlanta on Friday, March 28. The game will air on CBS. Auburn is from the SEC. Michigan is from the Big 10 Conference. Auburn is 30-5, and finished in first place in the SEC. Michigan is 27-9 and finished second in the Big 10. Do you think Michigan will upset Auburn?
Auburn’s Keys to Victory
First, superstar Johni Broome needs to be a superstar. Broome is a possible national player of the year, and from here on out, he needs to play like it. Broome averages 18.4 points per game to go along with 10.7 rebounds. He needs to get double-doubles. Reaching double figures in a third category, like blocked shots, would be good as well. To beat the Wolverines, the Tigers need Broome to play well.
The second key to victory for the Tigers is related. They need to rebound the ball. These two teams are close in terms of rebounding efficiency. Michigan ranks 33rd nationally and Auburn ranks 41st. That lowish national ranking for Auburn is despite Broome’s exploits. In important basketball games, the team that rebounds the basketball better wins. That will certainly be the case here with the two teams ranking so close to each other nationally.
Third, the two teams also rank very close in terms of defensive efficiency nationally. Michigan ranks 41st, and Auburn ranks 44th. If Auburn is to win this Sweet 16 game, it must outperform Michigan defensively. That will be difficult because the numbers say the teams are pretty close. However, it is the case that the team that performs better on the defensive end prevails in big basketball games.
Michigan’s Keys To Victory
Like the Tigers, for the Wolverines to win this game their stars need to be stars. For Michigan, this means twin 7-foot centers Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf must play well. They should be able to score at will and dominate the glass against a smaller opponent. For Michigan to prevail, they must.
Second, Michigan needs a solid performance from a supporting cast member. The leading candidate is Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr. Gayle is a 6-foot-5 junior guard. Not many people transfer from Ohio State to Michigan in any sport, let alone a big one like basketball. Gayle scored 26 points in the Michigan win over Texas A&M in the Round of 32. It is necessary that he, or someone like him, has a great game against the Tigers in the Sweet 16.
Third, it is just as important as it is for Michigan to get rebounds and be defensively efficient as it is for Auburn. With Michigan’s length, they should be able to get rebounds. The question for them is whether they will be able to contain the powerful scoring threat posed by Broome and the Tigers.
What Is Next?
The winner of this game will advance to the Elite 8 to face the winner of the Mississippi-Michigan State game. It would be interesting if Michigan and Michigan State both won their games because then the rivals from the Big 10 would face each other in the Elite 8. Auburn is the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament and is a 7.5-point favorite in the game.
Prediction
The Auburn Tigers are 4th in the Ken Pom rankings. The Michigan Wolverines are ranked 20th. Michigan is ranked below conference mate Michigan State in these rankings as well. Despite a large advantage for Auburn, all the NCAA Tournament games are going to be closer than people think. Nevertheless, the Auburn Tigers will win 75-70.
Conclusion
Most of America will be watching this game. Especially given that the Auburn Tigers are the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Adding to the viewer demand will be the fact that Broome is a national player of the year candidate. With the stakes so high in the games from here on out, fans should expect greatness from both teams.
