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Michigan Wolverines at Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Pick

It may be the middle of December, but we’re still getting a midweek Big Ten college basketball game between the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines and the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Wolverines are listed as 10-point favorites on the road with an over/under of 142.5 points.

Thus far, it’s been all chalk for the Illini. They’ve beaten the teams you’d expect them to beat but have lost against all of their major-conference opponents. To be fair, their three losses have come against the likes of Arizona, Miami, and Maryland, with recent losses to the Hurricanes and Terrapins coming by a combined three points, so Illinois has managed to stay competitive against good teams.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines have become the talk of college basketball under first-year head coach Juwan Howard. Michigan began the season unranked but is now firmly on the radar after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis, which included wins over top-10 teams in North Carolina and Gonzaga. There was a slight setback with the Wolverines losing to Louisville in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, but they bounced back over the weekend with a 103-91 win in their Big Ten opener against Iowa.

New Stars Shine

Michigan may have lost its top three scorers from last season, but last year’s complementary players are this year’s stars. The Wolverines have four players averaging in double figures in points, led by Isaiah Livers and Jon Teske, who are scoring 15 and 14 points per game, respectively. Not to get lost in the shuffle is point guard Zavier Simpson. The senior is dishing out 8.7 assists per game and has also increased his scoring by nearly four points per game thanks to an improved three-point shot.

Through nine games, only top-ranked Louisville has been able to get a handle on Michigan’s offense. Outside of Teske, the Wolverines had terrible struggles against the Cardinals, and even Teske needed 18 field goal attempts to score his 18 points. The problem is that not many teams have the talent on the defensive end of the floor to match up against Michigan for 40 minutes.

One Good Half

In their last game against Maryland, the Fighting Illini was able to muster one good half on the defensive end, limiting the Terrapins to 25 points in the first half. However, Illinois struggled to hold on in the second half, losing by a single point despite leading most of the game. It was a similar story against Miami and Arizona. Once those teams got rolling, the Illinois defense was helpless to stop them.

The silver lining for the Illini is that they have displayed plenty of offensive firepower this season, albeit against weaker teams. It’s a true inside-outside combination for Illinois with center Kofi Cockburn, who averages 15 points and over 10 rebounds per game. He’s complemented by guards Ayo Dosunmu and Andres Feliz, who both score over 14 points per game.

Not Going To Cut It

Despite a couple of close losses over power-conference teams earlier this month, Illinois doesn’t have what it takes to keep up with Michigan. The Illini lack the defensive chops to slow down Michigan’s balanced attack, nor do they have the outside shooters that can help them keep pace in a shootout. Bet on Michigan to win and cover against Illinois.

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