Two schools with a notable tie will face off tonight in the Players Era Festival, but there’s more to tonight’s Michigan vs. San Diego State matchup (10:30 p.m. ET, truTV) than their mutual links with retired coach Steve Fisher.
Fisher famously led the Wolverines to their lone national championship in 1989 after taking over for Bill Kreider before that year’s NCAA Tournament, and he coached the team from that point until 1997. After an unceremonious end to his tenure, he resurfaced at San Diego State in 1999 and turned a perennial loser into a perennial winner before retiring in 2017.
The program’s success has continued under his former longtime assistant Brian Dutcher, and a 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 seasons is the expectation for the Aztecs.
A double-overtime loss to Troy last week shouldn’t knock them off course too much, but that makes coming away from the Players Era Festival with at least one win a must.
Michigan will hope to avoid the upset bug vs. San Diego State, as this week could be big for helping the Wolverines land a top March Madness seed. The Wolverines have close wins over Wake Forest and TCU already, but if they can defeat three expected tournament teams in Las Vegas, their tournament resume will receive the best possible boost.
It all starts tonight against the Aztecs, who will want to get back to their principles after allowing 108 points to Troy. Will they? Read on for our Michigan vs. San Diego State prediction and best bets. Also, get the best betting odds from top online sportsbooks such as BetOnline below.
Michigan vs. San Diego State Prediction and Best Bets
Prediction: San Diego State to win
It was a double-overtime game, but San Diego State allowing 89 points and 108 total to Troy last Tuesday was an out of character performance.
After all, this is a program that, even with that game included, has allowed 80+ points half as many times (seven) in the last six-plus seasons as it did in Dutcher’s first two seasons as head coach.
Another rarity for the Aztecs is losing consecutive games in the regular season, which is something that they have done just three times in the last six-plus seasons.
Obviously, the past doesn’t mean all that much for the present. But that kind of consistency should put Michigan on alert tonight vs. San Diego State, particularly when they have already had to survive a couple of close shaves against Wake Forest and TCU.
For all of the depth and experience that Michigan has, some bumps in the road may need to be expected when your core largely consists of players who are making a step up in role or competition being counted on to be more consistent than they have historically been.
Top Players for Michigan
- Yaxel Lendeborg: 15.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.0 APG
- Morez Johnson Jr.: 13.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG
- Aday Mara: 11.5 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 3.0 BPG, 2.3 APG
Top Players for San Diego State
- Magoon Gwath: 20.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.0 BPG, 2.0 SPG
- Reese Dixon-Waters: 15.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG
- Miles Byrd: 13.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.3 SPG
The potential for success is high, but the potential for frustration is also high. And tonight could be a frustrating night for the Wolverines against an opponent who is at its best when it is frustrating the life out of the other team.
Backing San Diego State to upset a top-10 team when the Aztecs allowed more nearly 90 points in regulation to a Sun Belt team last time out may be one of my bolder moves, but it’s a move made with confidence.
A loss wouldn’t be detrimental to the high hopes and dreams that Michigan has, but I think a motivated Aztecs squad is a bad matchup for this Michigan team where it currently is.
Michigan vs. San Diego State Best Bets
San Diego State +6 (-108 at BetOnline)
In my view, this is a lot of points in this particular spot. If this was in January or February, the sentiment might be different. But at this juncture of the season, I foresee a troublesome time for the Wolverines tonight. Part of it is trusting San Diego State’s blip against Troy to be just that, and part of it is not having a lot of trust in a very talented but unpolished Michigan team yet.
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