BREAKING: No. 1 Michigan To Face No. 16 Texas Southern In First Round

The Michigan Wolverines will face the Texas Southern Tigers in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The game will be played on Saturday, March 20, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., and broadcast live on CBS at 3:00 pm EST.

The Tigers defeated Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday by a score of 60-52 to punch their ticket into the first round of the tournament.

Texas Southern is led by senior point guard Michael Weathers who averages a team high 16.5 points per game. Additionally, Weathers leads the Tigers in both assists per game (3.6) and steals per game (2.2). Weathers is also responsible for hitting a game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation against Jackson State in the conference tournament semifinal, a shot that helped the Tigers advance to the championship game and ultimately into the NCAA tournament.

Texas Southern’s second leading scorer is 6-9 junior forward John Walker III. Walker III averages 12 points and 5.4 rebounds per game - both of which are second best on the team. Junior forward Joirdon Karl Nicholas serves as the problem in the middle, leading the Tigers in both rebounds (7.0) and blocks (1.2) per game.

The Wolverines are led by Big Ten Freshman of the Year Hunter Dickinson, who leads the team in points (14.2), rebounds (7.6) and blocks (1.4) per game. Though Michigan lost a significant contributor in senior forward Isaiah Livers, the Wolverines have plenty of replacements who are capable of filling the void.

Junior forward Brandon Johns started in place of the injured Livers against Ohio State and is averaging 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game - an average that will need to increase significantly if the Wolverines hope to make a deep run in the tournament. Senior guard Chaundee Brown is another player who can help soften the blow due to the loss of Livers. Brown has been a solid contributor for the Wolverines all season long, averaging 7.7 points and just under three rounds per game off of the bench. Last - but certainly not least - is sophomore guard Franz Wagner. Wagner is the type of guy who is capable of dropping 20-plus on any given night. Averaging 12.8 points per game, Wagner’s production is absolutely critical to the Wolverines success in the tournament.