In a year without many Cinderellas, another fell by the wayside on Saturday.
The Midwest Region No. 1 seed Michigan Wolverines (33-3, 19-1 in Big Ten) defeated the No. 9 seed Saint Louis Billikens (29-6, 15-3 in Atlantic 10), 95-72, in the round of 32 to advance to the regional semifinals. All five Wolverines starters finished with double figures in scoring. Senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg led the team with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Michigan out-rebounded St. Louis, 42-27, and finished with a season-high nine blocks, including four by 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara.
The result knocks another mid-major from the men’s NCAA Tournament field, leaving the Utah State Aggies (29-6, 15-5 in Mountain West), VCU Rams (28-7, 15-3 in A10) and High Point Panthers (31-4, 15-1 in Big South) as the last remaining Cinderellas. Each is projected by KenPom to lose in the second round.
Another Cinderella stumbles as Michigan easily handles Saint Louis
Michigan’s victory is also a win for chalk. College basketball analyst Jeff Goodman noted after the conclusion of the round of 64 that favorites went 16-0 on Friday, and the trend continued with the dominant Wolverines performance…