Michigan basketball vs Texas A&M prediction: Who has edge in NCAA tournament second round
Five-seed Michigan basketball is on to the next round of the 2025 NCAA tournament.
The Wolverines hung on to beat 12-seed UC San Diego, 68-65, on Thursday night in Denver to reach the Round of 32 in the South region. Michigan will have Friday off before facing 4-seed Texas A&M on Saturday (5:15 p.m.) with a trip to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta on the line.
Michigan opened up a 10-point lead in the opening minutes of the game and led from nearly start to finish. But the Tritons had a late surge to briefly take the lead before Michigan closed the game with five straight points to walk away with yet another one-possession win.
Texas A&M is led by Wade Taylor
Texas A&M (23-10) beat 13-seed Yale, 80-71, in the game before Michigan's on Thursday night. A&M, coached by Buzz Williams, spent most of the game with a sizable advantage after jumping out to a double-digit lead early. Forward Pharrel Payne had a career-high 25 points off the bench and Wade Taylor had 16 points.
The Aggies earned the 4-seed in the South after finishing fifth in the competitive SEC conference season, led by a pair of strong senior guards, Taylor and Zhuric Phelps.
Unlike the undersized UC San Diego squad, Texas A&M has the length in the frontcourt to match Michigan. A&M is third in the SEC in rebounds per game (41.2) and first in offensive rebounds (16.2) while maintaining a plus-11.2 rebounding margin on average. Four Aggies average at least 4.9 rebounds per game.
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Texas A&M also tested in close games
Also like Michigan, Texas A&M is battle-tested in close games, with an 8-5 record in one or two-possession games, with a veteran roster containing eight seniors. Taylor is the unquestioned leader for A&M and earned his third straight All-SEC first-team selection by averaging 15.7 points and 4.3 assists.
Michigan basketball led by 7-foot duo of Vlad Goldin, Danny Wolf
Michigan has won four straight games, dating back to its run in the Big Ten tournament last week. First-year head coach Dusty May continues to succeed with the roster he put together mainly through the transfer portal, led by big men Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf.
The winner of the Michigan-Texas A&M game will advance to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta to face the winner of 1-seed Auburn vs. 9-seed Creighton.
Michigan prediction vs Texas A&M: March Madness second round
The Wolverines' turnaround season ends in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The pick: Texas A&M 83, U-M 78.
Jared Ramsey covers sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan vs Texas A&M prediction, pick for March Madness second round
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