Michigan vs Howard College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for NCAA Tournament First Round

The No. 16 Howard Bison (24-10) will be trying to move on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament when they take on the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines (31-3) on Thursday. This 1-16 matchup in the Midwest Region bracket tips off at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Before you place your bet on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Michigan vs. Howard Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Thursday, March 19, 2026
• Game time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• TV channel: CBS
• Location: Buffalo, New York
• Arena: KeyBank Center

Michigan vs. Howard Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Michigan win (91.2%)

Before making an informed wager on Michigan-Howard outing (in which Michigan is a 31.5-point favorite and the total is set at 151.5 points), below are a few betting insights and trends for Thursday's game.

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Michigan vs. Howard: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Michigan is 15-19-0 ATS this season.
• Howard has won 22 games against the spread this season, while failing to cover eight times.
• As a 31.5-point favorite or more in 2025-26, Michigan is 1-0 against the spread compared to the 1-0 ATS record Howard puts up as a 31.5-point underdog.
• The Wolverines have covered the spread in a higher percentage of their home games than away games. They have covered eight times in 15 opportunities when playing at home, and they've covered four times in 11 opportunities in road games.
• The Bison have performed better against the spread at home (8-3-0) than away (9-4-0) this year.

Michigan vs. Howard: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Michigan has come away with 29 wins in the 32 contests it has been listed as the moneyline favorite in this season.
• The Wolverines have yet to play a game this season with better moneyline odds than -100000.
• Howard has won five of the nine games it was listed as the moneyline underdog this season (55.6%).
• The Bison have not yet played as a moneyline underdog of +8000 or longer.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies Michigan has a 99.9% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.

Michigan vs. Howard Head-to-Head Comparison

• With 78 points scored per game and 71.5 points allowed last year, Michigan was 75th in college basketball offensively and 160th on defense.
• Last season, Michigan was 34th in the country in rebounds (35 per game) and 114th in rebounds allowed (30.2).
• Michigan was 46th in the country in assists (15.8 per game) last season.
• In terms of turnovers, Michigan was 14th-worst in college basketball in committing them (13.6 per game) last year. And it was ranked 240th in forcing them (10.6 per game).
• Howard's defensive performance was 19th-worst in the nation last year with 79.3 points allowed per game, but offensively it was more effective, putting up 77.5 points per game (80th-ranked in college basketball).
• Howard pulled down 30.6 rebounds per game (266th-ranked in college basketball) last year, while allowing 30.2 rebounds per contest (114th-ranked).
• Howard put up 15.8 dimes per game, which ranked them 46th in college basketball.
• Howard averaged 14.1 turnovers per game (ninth-worst in college basketball), and forced 11.4 turnovers per game (166th-ranked).

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