NCAA Regional Final Michigan vs. Florida State: Preview and Prediction

Florida State and Michigan are just two more of the surprises that this tournament has given us. Michigan got hot in the Big Ten Tournament but with an extra week off seemed to have a hard time finding their rhythm during the first week of the Tournament. That all changed in the Regional Final where they torched a very talented Texas A&M team. Florida State was a team that people questioned if they should even be in the Tournament but after an upset of Xavier and a beat-down they administered to Gonzaga, there can be no doubt they belong in this here.

Keys to a Florida State Win?

The Seminoles will want to play the game uptempo. They are a long and athletic team that runs the floor very well. The Seminoles weakness coming into this Tournament has been on the defensive side of the floor, but so far they have been very good defensively. The Noles will look to spread the floor on offense to let their athletes go to work. On defense, they will have to be able to deal with Michigan’s 5-shooter lineup and there may not be a team better equipped to do that than the Seminoles.

Keys to a Michigan Win?

The Wolverines look like a team of destiny, as they have been on a magical run for the last several weeks. Make no mistake about it, the Wolverines are a very good team and they have one of the best coaches in the country. Michigan is a great defensive team and they will want to control the tempo of this game and keep Florida State out of rhythm.

Prediction: It is easier to slow a game down than it is to speed it up. Taking that into consideration, I initially leaned towards Michigan, but you can’t ignore the athletic ability of the Seminoles and if they can push the pace it will be lights out for Michigan. At the end of the day, I am going with the more disciplined Wolverines to win this game.

Michigan 69  Florida State 64