Final Four 2013 Predictions: What Are the Odds for Michigan to Win

Culture

Michigan is favored slightly over Syracuse in Saturday's Final Four game taking place in Georgia at 8:49pm EDT on CBS. Whichever team wins will face either Louisville or Wichita State in the National title game on Monday night. 

The two teams are both no. 4 seeds and have beat two no. 1 seed teams on their way to Saturday evenings games. Their pairing marks the first time two no. 4 seed teams have played against one another in NCAA history. 

The edge goes to Michigan because of players like Trey Burke. Sophomore point guard Burke has won just about every major award a player can win, most recently the Oscar Robertson Trophy and John Wooden Award. He's been averaging 18.8 points a game with 6.8 assists. Despite the pressure on Burke, he's remained consistent in his scoring and humble with each award he wins. He never forgets to thank his coach and other teammates. 

Michigan coach John Beilein hasn't taken the traditional path to the Final Four, as many will point out. Beilein will be the first to tell you that he hates possessions and turnovers with a unique passion, he's spent much of his time trying to get his team to run a better player-run offense. Something that hasn't always been easy for the three freshmen players on the team. The Wolverines will face a serious challenge against the Syracuse defensive scheme. 

The two players to watch tonight: Michigan's Trey Burke and Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams. The nation's top two points guards will face one another. Williams stands nearly half-foot-taller than Burke, but that's not something Burke is likely to let stand in the way. Williams shines in assists (averaging about eight assists per game), whereas Burke edges him out in natural scoring ability. 

The game's likely to be a close one but expect Burke to give Michigan the winning edge.

Here are the game times for tonight's Final Four match-ups:

Louisville vs. Wichita State, 6:09p.m. EDT, CBS

Michigan vs. Syracuse, 8:49p.m. EDT, CBS

You can also stream the games on-line here at March Madness Live, or download the app for your phone or tablet device.