Here are some interesting prop bets for the NCAA Tournament opening round of Michigan vs. Howard and Michigan State vs. North Dakota State (all from DraftKings):
Michigan vs. Howard
➤Yaxel Lendeborg 16+ points: -120
Assuming the Big Ten Player of the Year isn’t slowed by an ankle injury, this seems like a safe bet. After scoring 27 in the season finale against MSU, Lendeborg was held in check through two games at the Big Ten tournament. But his 20 against Purdue should make this an easy bet.
➤Race to 10 points: Howard +425
Don’t expect Michigan to be in any real trouble in this game, but with Howard already in a rhythm after playing Tuesday, a potential quick start can’t be ruled out. That means there is pretty decent value here.
➤Morez Johnson Jr. under 21.5 points and rebounds: -125
There’s a better payout on the over, but the sophomore forward has failed to go over this total in each of the last three games. Of course, in the three games before that to close the regular season, he went over the total. Tough call.
➤Michigan and Howard total over 151.5: +4000
There’s a reason the payout is so big on this and it’s because Howard would really have to be rolling to reach it. But hey, the Bison scored 86 in the First Four win over UMBC, so throw a few bucks here and it could pay big.
➤Michigan total points under 91.5: -120
Again, the Wolverines will likely cruise in this one to an easy victory, but they haven’t surpassed this total since Feb. 5 at home against Penn State. Could a breakout come on Thursday? Sure. But it might not be a safe bet.
➤Bonus: Michigan to win the NCAA title: +370
Right now Duke is the favorite to win it all at +350 with the Wolverines right behind them. Arizona checks in at +380 and Florida is +750. In terms of value, it’s better to take Michigan here than to reach the Final Four, which stands at -130.
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Michigan State vs. North Dakota State
➤Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jaxon Kohler 15+ points each: +221
Fears seems like the lock in this two-player bet. He’s scored 15 or better in each of the last four games and the last time he failed to reach double figures was in December. Kohler is the wild card. He scored only seven against UCLA but went for 21, 15 and 23 in the previous three.
➤Jordan Scott 3-pointers 2+: +120
Scott had things going in February, but the freshman has cooled down the stretch. He was 2-for-6 against UCLA but before that he hadn’t made more than one in a game since the Feb. 17 win over the Bruins.
➤Race to 10 points: North Dakota State +205, Michigan State -285
The Spartans have been prone to slow starts at times this season, and while they’ll likely be dialed in after the sluggish start last weekend against UCLA, there’s good value in taking North Dakota State to have success in the first few minutes.
➤Michigan State and North Dakota State total under: 143.5
Most might expect a lot of points as the Bison shoot the ball well and the Spartans like to run. But MSU won’t have to worry about helping in the post and NDSU defends well in transition. MSU might cover, but it might not be a shootout.
➤Michigan State winning margin by 14-16: +500
This feels like the sweet spot for the Spartans, who should win but likely won’t sweat too much. It’s good value, but if you’re feeling like it will be a slog for MSU, how about +900 to win by 7-9 points?
➤Bonus: Michigan State to win the NCAA title: +5500
Why not, right? It will pay well, for sure, but that’s what happens with long odds. How about just reaching the Final Four? It’s +700.
Matt Charboneau is a freelance writer.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Interesting prop bets for Michigan, MSU in March Madness opening games
Reporting by Matt Charboneau, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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