Howard vs. Michigan First Round Game Preview, Picks, Betting Odds & Data

By Thom Cunningham | Mar 18, 2026, 6:22pm

The Howard Bison look to win their second ever March Madness game after defeating UMBC in their No. 16 play-in game on Tuesday. Bad news, though, as the No. 1 seeded Michigan Wolverines await for them in Buffalo. Let’s go through this Midwest Region matchup’s betting odds, data, insights and analytics for Thursday night.

Howard vs. Michigan Game Information

Date: Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
Region: Midwest
Location: Buffalo, New York
Venue: KeyBank Center

Howard vs. Michigan Betting Resources

Howard vs. Michigan Betting Odds

Howard vs. Michigan Betting Data

Howard Bison

Region Odds:
Sweet 16 Odds:
Elite Eight Odds:
Final Four Odds:
National Title Odds:

Seed: No. 16
Record: 24-10
Conference: MEAC
PS/G: 77.5
PA/G: 67.8
ORtg: 110.4
DRtg: 96.5

Michigan Wolverines

Region Odds:
Sweet 16 Odds:
Elite Eight Odds:
Final Four Odds:
National Title Odds:

Seed: No. 1
Record: 31-3
Conference: Big Ten
PS/G: 86.8
PA/G: 69.2
ORtg: 121.3
DRtg: 96.7

Howard vs. Michigan Key Players

Howard Bison

Bryce Harris – Last Game: 19 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists
Cedric Taylor – Last Game: 16 points, 6 rebounds

Michigan Wolverines

Yaxel Lendeborg (SR) – 14.6 ppg; 7 rpg
Morez Johnson (SO) – 13.1 ppg; 7.2 rpg
Aday Mara (JR) – 11.6 ppg; 6.9 rpg

Howard vs. Michigan Betting Analysis

Howard enters this game with some solid ATS numbers, including an 8-2 mark as an underdog and a 6-1 mark on neutral courts. The Bison have also covered the spread in 12 of 13 games. From a point total perspective, Howard is all over the map – but have allowed 93 points or more in four of five games against AP ranked schools. Michigan’s line at 91.5 might be worth a look, despite our score projection.

Michigan enters on a five-game ATS skid, its last covered game coming on Feb. 27 against Illinois. Michigan has failed to cover the spread in seven of eight games overall but has more traction in the point total market. Michigan has hit the Under in six of eight games.

Howard vs. Michigan Best Bet, Pick & Prediction

Our score projection slightly favors the Under, which will be tight but seeing some of the trends and the given score prediction we will hitch our wager to that wagon. While Howard at +30.5 also presents a great play and one worth taking if you don’t fancy the total, we’ll side with Michigan’s current 2-6 Under run along with Michigan going Under 147 total points in 18 of 19 NCAA Tournament games when playing at night.

If Howard’s trend of conceding 93 points scares you off the total, then take Michigan’s team total to go Over at 91.5 or take Howard’s spread. The latter is better, in our mind.

Score Prediction: Michigan 88, Howard 63
Best Bet: Under 152

Photo Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh

Thom Cunningham

Thom Cunningham is the Lineups.com News Editor and has been involved with sports media for almost two decades at Spectrum, VegasInsider.com, Oddschecker, VSiN and much more as a content producer - focused on the betting and gaming space over the last decade tracking insights, data analytics and covering various markets from the NFL to the Oscars.