The opening round of the NCAA Tournament starts off on Thursday, and there’s a pair of battles between No. 16 and No. 1 seeds. A 7:10 p.m. ET bout between Howard and Michigan tips on CBS.
With the Wolverines dominating their way through the season, they enter Thursday as staggering 31.5-point favorites on PrizePicks Team Picks. With that said, the Bison might have something to say about that if they can start the night off on a good note.
Below, we’ll break down our Howard vs. Michigan prediction on spread for Thursday’s game. Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Howard vs. Michigan Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
To say it’s been a heck of a season for Howard would somehow still be an understatement. On January 10, the Bison were an ugly 9-8 and seemed destined for a lost season. Since then, they’re 15-2, and their two defeats came by a combined seven points.
Head coach Kenneth Blakeney’s crew has its most wins with him at the helm. In fact, Howard as a program is a 2025-26 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference juggernaut, as its 24 wins tie a program record from 1986-87.
There isn’t much about Michigan that hasn’t already been said. Since starting the season 14-0, they’re a scorching 17-3 and made the Big Ten look like a walk in the park.
With head coach Dusty May at the helm, UM’s 31 victories are its most since the 2017-18 campaign. It’s hard to believe this same program was 8-24 just two seasons ago.
Howard and Michigan have only met once in their history, per Howard’s men’s basketball site. On Nov. 11, 2016, the Wolverines cruised to a comfortable 76-58 triumph.
Howard vs. Michigan Spread, Over/Under
Howard enters Thursday’s game as 31.5-point underdogs, returning a 33.33x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
Michigan is a favorite with a 1.96x payout if they cover the spread, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: Michigan Wolverines -31.5 (1.96x payout)
- Over/Under: 151.5 (1.92x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Bison 33.33x | Wolverines N/A
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Howard vs. Michigan Prediction on Spread – 3/19/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your Howard vs. Michigan prediction on spread for Thursday, March 19 on PrizePicks.
- Michigan is 14-19 against the spread this season as favorites. When playing the underdog role, Howard is 6-2-1 ATS.
- According to KenPom, Howard ranks 204th nationally with a -2.88 net rating. Michigan is third at +37.58.
- Per Bart Torvik, the Wolverines are a top-six team in both offensive (127.6, sixth) and defensive (91.0, second) efficiency.
- As far as the battle of the boards is concerned, the Bison sit 111th with an average of 36.0 rebounds. The Wolverines give up just 31.2 per game, good for 21st.
- HU could struggle from deep. Per CBB Shot Charts, it makes 34.8% of its 3-point tries, with 89% being assisted. UM allows a 30.9% mark with 71% being assisted.
- Things might not get much easier inside the arc, where Michigan cedes just a 44.3% efficiency clip (fourth) and Howard makes only 49.8% of its tries (261st).
- Another area Howard must ascend in is turnovers. The club’s 19.5% turnover clip on offense is 336th in the country.
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