Michigan Wolverines vs Alabama Prediction & Picks - NCAA Basketball

Prediction published on 3/27/26, 3:49 PM  by Travis Pulver | Modified on 4/17/26 at 5:33 AM in NCAA Basketball Picks

The Alabama Crimson Tide will take on the Michigan Wolverines in Sweet 16 action Friday night at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Game time is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. EST, and fans can catch all the action on TBS.

Alabama has done exactly what it was expected to do in the Tournament—outscore whoever they play. They hit 12 of 36 3-point attempts against Hofstra in the first en route to a 20-point win, 90-70. Against Texas Tech, they hit 19 of 42 3-point attempts, once again scoring 90 points, and winning 90-65. The Tide had the No. 1 scoring offense in the regular season at 91.6 points per game, so this came as no surprise. However, with their poor defense (No. 347), it was surprising to see them hold both opponents to under 71 points.

As for Michigan, Howard was much more competitive than expected, or what the 101-80 final score indicates. But it was business as usual against Saint Louis in the second round as they dominated the Billikens in the first half, 48-39, en route to a 95-72 final score. Morez Johnson Jr. led the way vs. Howard had 21 points and ten rebounds. Yaxel Lendeborg led the way vs. Saint Louis with 25 points.