One of the final Sweet 16 contests for the 2025 NCAA Tournament tips off Friday when the fifth-seeded Michigan Wolverines (27-9) face the South’s top-seeded Auburn Tigers (30-5) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Michigan has made its sixth appearance in the Sweet 16 over the past nine seasons, but it’s the first time since Dusty May was named the head coach. The Wolverines claimed the Big 10 Conference tournament championship to round out their strong showing this year.
Before the Tigers entered the NCAA tournament, the school lost three of its last four games. Auburn may have relinquished its stranglehold over the tournament’s top seed overall, but the SEC school has returned to form during the first weekend of the tournament, knocking off both teams by double-digit margins.
Can the Wolverines advance to their third Elite Eight in the last decade, or will Auburn advance for only the third time in the school’s history? We’ll cover that and provide our top three player prop bets from this Sweet 16 matchup.
Auburn Tigers F Johni Broome UNDER 28.5 Pts + Reb
The Tigers had a historic season, and senior big Johni Broome played a large role in Auburn’s fortunes. Broome averaged 18.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, helping the Tigers match the 2019 Final Four squad with the most wins in school history.
The 6-foot-10 forward hasn’t had much success to being his NCAA Tournament play, but the strength of his competition could have been a factor. Easier matchups against Creighton and Alabama State resulted in him failing to cover this player prop bet.
To advance beyond the Sweet 16, Broome will need a big game against a pair of future NBA players patrolling Michigan’s interior defense. Bettors should be wary that he’ll succeed in this task, taking the under on this prop wager.
Michigan Wolverines C Danny Wolf OVER 9.5 Rebounds
Michigan’s dominance has come inside this season thanks to a pair of seven-footers: centers Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin. Through the regular season, Wolf had 9.8 rebounds per game, ranking 12th in the NCAA in this category. He’s also pouring in 13.0 points per game for the Wolverines.
Bettors have to go back to the beginning of the month to find a contest where he didn’t finish with at least eight rebounds. Since entering postseason play, the junior is averaging a double-double, recording 14.0 points and 10.6 rebounds in his past five games. Expect Wolf to continue that dominance inside against the smaller Tigers, covering this player prop bet.
Michigan Wolverines C Vladislav Goldin OVER 17.5 Points
The other half of the Wolverine’s dominant duo is Goldin. This season, the 7-foot-1 center is scoring a team-best 16.8 points with the ninth-best field goal percentage, an incredible 61.6 percent. He’s also averaging 7.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per outing for Michigan.
In eight of his past dozen contests, Goldin has been golden, finishing with 20 or more points. Before that stretch, the Russian had only eclipsed 20 points twice in a 13-game stretch. Bettors should expect the senior center’s current scoring clip to continue, and he’ll finish with at least 18 points in this high-scoring affair on Friday.
Best Bet: Michigan (+9)
The Wolverines are a bad matchup for Auburn due to the team’s size. Few teams in the SEC feature a pair of seven-footers who are as talented as Michigan’s duo. Expect Auburn to struggle to make this high-scoring affair and take the Wolverines to cover this spread on Friday night.
