Michigan Wolverines vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane Betting Odds, March Madness Pick

With help from a pair of recent runs deep into March, the Michigan Wolverines are 8-2 straight up and 7-2-1 against the spread over their last 10 NCAA tournament games. The maize and blue hope to begin a similar run when they take on Tulsa in a First Four matchup Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio.

Point spread: The Wolverines opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total was 143, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

March Madness pick, via Odds Shark computer: 74-66, Golden Hurricane

Why pick Michigan to cover the spread

Coach John Beilein's crew lost four of its last five games in the regular season and began the Big Ten tournament needing at least a couple of victories to secure an NCAA bid. Fortunately, it got them, nipping Northwestern in overtime and then hitting two three-pointers in the last 45 seconds to upset regular-season champion Indiana before bowing out against Purdue.

So Michigan is back in the tournament for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Wolverines, one of the better shooting teams in the country, own victories this season over fellow dancers Texas, Maryland, Purdue and Indiana, and only one of their losses came against a team that didn't make the tournament.

Why pick Tulsa to cover the spread

Coach Frank Haith's bunch started 4-0 this season, with a win over eventual Missouri Valley regular-season champion Wichita State, and ended by winning 12 of its last 16 games, finishing in a tie for third place in the AAC and earning an at-large invitation for the second time in the last three seasons.

The Hurricane also own victories over fellow dancers Connecticut and Temple and took three close losses to teams that made the tournament. Tulsa is led by its backcourt trio of seniors James Woodard and Shaquille Harrison and junior Pat Birt, who combine to average 43 points per game.

And we all know how valuable good guard play is in the NCAA tournament. If those guys are on, the Golden Hurricane could win this game outright.

Smart betting pick

Michigan is only 3-5 both SU and ATS since losing leading scorer Caris LeVert for the season to injury, and if the Wolverines aren't hitting their shots, they're in big trouble. The Golden Hurricane, meanwhile, are an experienced outfit starting four seniors, and they're dangerous as dogs, winning outright four times this season when getting points. The smart money here takes Tulsa.

March Madness betting trends

The total has gone over in seven of Tulsa's last eight games.

Michigan is 1-4 ATS in its last five games against teams with winning records.

Michigan is 6-0 SU and 5-0-1 ATS since 2013 as a March Madness favorite.

Tulsa is 7-2 ATS in March Madness since 2000.

All point-spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, and all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates, and get the free odds-tracker app for iOS or Android.