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Posted at 1:30 PM EST

Second Round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament - Intrust Bank Arena - Wichita, Kansas

9:40 PM EST. Many viewers saw Houston and San Diego State go shot-for-shot down the stretch on opening night. The NFL Network's Rich Eisen tweeted, "The end of Houston-SDSU is the definition of March Madness. Fun, exciting basketball. It might have been a thrilling game for the casual observer, but for Houston's many backers in the market that night, it was a miserable finish that had them ripping up their tickets. It's so hard to come back on a team that cost you money, which might explain why so few are targeting the Cougars in this second round. However, if there was one positive, it was guard Rob Gray, who was the MVP of the first day, as he carried the Cougars on his back with 39-points. That dominant performance doesn't even tell the whole story. Gray took over in the final minutes when the Aztecs knew he was the only option and guarded him as such, but Gray would not be denied. Houston got nearly nothing from its other players on the floor, which might be a blessing, as they aren't likely to be as bad today. Make no mistake that Houston is a quality outfit that has better players than the market saw on Thursday.

Michigan’s seemingly easy 14-point win over Montana was anything but easy but few saw it, as it tipped off at about 10:45 PM EST. At the first media timeout on Thursday night, Michigan was down 9-0 to the Grizzlies. It was a dismal performance for the Wolverines who went multiple stretches of three minutes or more without putting the biscuit in the basket. Michigan also turned the ball over 14 times and hit only five of its 16 three-point attempts. Against almost any other team in the country, the Wolverines would have been in big, big trouble, but the Grizz could only muster 19 second-half points. There was a nearly 10-minute stretch where Montana did not score a basket, and still, it had a chance to cover the double-digit spread. The Wolverines were brutal at the line as well going just 14 for 22, which will not serve them well if they are locked in a close game today. Michigan looked like a team that hadn't' played in nearly two weeks and slept walk through round one. If you cashed on a Michigan cover, thank your lucky stars and stay away from the Wolverines today. While we urge folks to not get influenced by just one game, it’s not just one game for the Wolverines. They had several ugly performances this year and they looked tired and mentally drained after reaching their peak just to get here. This a game the Maize and Blue will likely lose outright and we’ll play it accordingly. 

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