Big Ten Championship Pick
Will Michigan complete a memorable weekend when it faces No. 24 Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship today at 3PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Wisconsin is the slim favorite in this game, as the Badgers are getting odds of -1 point against Michigan. The over/under total for the game has yet to be listed. These two split the season series, with both home teams winning. Michigan covered the spread in both games. These two meet today from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
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Michigan has had quite the week. It started with their team plane going off the runway on their way to D.C. The team finally got to the venue 90 minutes before their first game, but they have rattled off three wins this week to get to 23-11 on the season. The Wolverines have beaten Illinois, Purdue and Minnesota in these three days, covering in all three games to move to 15-16 against the spread on the season. U-M averages 74.9 points per game on offense this season while allowing 65.8 on defense. Over its last five, Michigan has put up 78.2 points per game. Derrick Walton Jr. is averaging 14.6 points and 4.5 assists per game to lead the team while Zak Irvin is adding 12.8 points per contest.
Wisconsin is coming off a 76-48 thumping of Northwestern. The Badgers have won three straight to move to 25-8 on the season. They have covered in all three wins as well and are 15-15 against the spread on the season. Wisconsin is averaging 72.4 points per game on offense while allowing 61.1 on defense. Bronson Koenig is leading the team with 14.2 points per game while Ethan Happ is adding 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest.
I haven’t been good at calling Wisconsin. The Badgers seemed to be in a funk, but have looked really impressive over the last week, handling Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern. Still, Michigan is too good a story for me to pass up. The Wolverines haven’t been lucking out in these wins, they are playing at a really high level and starting to get some big contributions from their starting five. Their spread offense should work out well against this Wisconsin defense and the Badgers will struggle to keep pace.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: MICHIGAN +1