Wolverines vs. Fighting Illini Prediction
The fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines will look to improve to 2-0 in Big Ten Conference play tonight as they play at the Illinois Fighting Illini. Can Michigan navigate the tough road test?
Game Snapshot
651 Michigan Wolverines at 652 Illinois Fighting Illini
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
State Farm Center at 9PM ET
TV: BTN
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According to oddsmakers, the Fighting Illini are a 1.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total sits at 145 points. As of Wednesday morning, 85 percent of public bets are pouring in on visiting U-M. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Wolverines race past Hawkeyes
Michigan secured a 103-91 home win over Iowa Friday night in its Big Ten Conference opener to improve to 8-1 overall. The Wolverines led 50-38 at halftime en route to the victory. Franz Wagner paced U-M with 18 points on 4-of-10 shooting including 1-of-5 from 3-point distance plus 9-of-10 at the free throw line. He also pulled down two rebounds. Jon Teske contributed 16 points, five boards, four blocked shots and three assists. Zavier Simpson had 16 points, seven assists, six caroms and two steals. Isaiah Livers tallied 14 points, six rebounds and three dimes. Eli Brooks accounted for 13 points, five boards and four assists. Brandon Johns Jr. added 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Illini edged by Terrapins
Illinois blew a 15-point advantage Saturday afternoon in a 59-58 defeat at Maryland. The Fighting Illini (6-3 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) led 39-25 at halftime before struggling after the break. Trent Frazier paced Illinois with 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting including 2-of-6 from 3-point range plus 5-of-6 at the charity stripe. He also registered two rebounds and two steals. Andres Feliz added 11 points, five boards and two assists off the bench.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Michigan
The Wolverines are 5-0 ATS in their last five Wednesday games. Michigan is 5-1 ATS in its last six games overall.
Illinois
The Fighting Illini are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 Wednesday games. The favorite is 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings.
Prediction:
It is strange to see Michigan as the underdogs here after all it has done this season. While Illinois is a decent squad, it has lost its two games versus top 80 teams to Arizona and Maryland. The Terrapins roared back after struggling in the first half and I’m not sure the Illini has a killer instinct yet like the Wolverines do. I’d rather take my chances on the fifth-ranked team as a dog here, even despite unranked teams being favored over ranked opponents does have a success rate that is fairly high.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES +1.5