The Saint Louis Billikens play the Michigan Wolverines in the second round of the NCAA Tournament from Buffalo, New York. Tip-off is set for 12:10 p.m. ET on CBS.
Michigan is favored by -12.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -900. Meanwhile, Saint Louis is the underdog at +12.5 with a moneyline of +600. The total is set at 161.5 points.
Here’s my Saint Louis vs. Michigan predictions and college basketball picks for March 21, 2026.
Saint Louis vs Michigan Prediction
My Pick: Saint Louis +12.5
My Saint Louis vs Michigan best bet is on the Billikens to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Saint Louis vs Michigan Odds
| Saint Louis Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+12.5 -110 | 161.5 -110o / -110u | +600 |
| Michigan Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-12.5 -110 | 161.5 -110o / -110u | -900 |
- Saint Louis vs Michigan spread: Michigan -12.5
- Saint Louis vs Michigan over/under: 161.5 points
- Saint Louis vs Michigan moneyline: Saint Louis +600, Michigan -900
Saint Louis vs Michigan College Basketball Betting Preview
Saint Louis Basketball
102 points for the game and 66 points in the paint against a pretty good Georgia defense?!
Talk about an opening statement to begin the NCAA Tournament for Saint Louis.
Now the Billikens get a chance to slay a dragon and book a trip to Chicago for the Sweet 16.
For the season, Saint Louis ranks inside KenPom's top 45 of both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, proof of a team that has plenty of balance on both sides of the floor.
Robbie Avila is one of the most fun players in all of college basketball, and his ability to stretch the floor could be huge in this matchup against Michigan.
It will require a group box-out effort for Saint Louis to keep the Michigan bigs off the backboards and limit the Wolverines to one shot a trip.
Saint Louis is also going to need to make some 3s to hang around in this one, and the good news is it knocked down nine of them on Thursday night in Buffalo.
This team was elite all season and after a bit of a struggle to end the regular season, it appears to have found its mojo again.
It won't be easy, but there are paths to success against the Wolverines.
Michigan Basketball
It's been a dream season for Dusty May and Michigan, and this group rightfully has aspirations of cutting down the nets in Indianapolis.
That being said, the season-ending injury to L.J. Cason has lowered this team's ceiling on both sides of the floor.
The Wolverines have looked very mortal in recent weeks, including in tight wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin, and then in a loss to Purdue in the Big Ten title game that the Boilers controlled from start to finish.
Yaxel Lendeborg is an absolute stud and will be the best player on the floor in this game, but May needs guys like Roddy Gayle Jr. and Nimari Burnett to step up offensively if this team is going to make the Final Four.
Michigan better be ready to go right out of the gates in this one, as Saint Louis will be looking to attack early and often.
The Wolverines have been a bit sloppy with the ball in recent weeks, and the Billikens do a good job of getting in passing lanes, so Elliot Cadeau and the rest of the backcourt will need to clean up the mistakes.
Michigan has the size advantage and should look to attack the offensive glass for some easy second chance points.
Saint Louis vs Michigan Pick, Betting Analysis
The Billikens were arguably the most impressive team of day one of the NCAA Tournament, and I expect them to put forth another strong performance on Saturday in the Round of 32.
Will it be enough to pull off the outright upset of No. 1 seed Michigan? It's possible, but they'll need to catch some breaks along the way.
But in terms of covering this double-digit number? I see plenty of value on Saint Louis to hang tough and keep this inside single digits throughout.
The Wolverines haven't looked like the same team since the Cason injury, and Saint Louis will enter this game with boatloads of confidence.
Give me the Billikens to keep this close and potentially pull off the stunner and advance to the second weekend.
My Pick: Saint Louis +12.5
