Go With Illinois As A Double-Digit Favorite vs Michigan
The Michigan vs Illinois Preview Has the Host Fighting Illini As Heavy Favorites
After a Loss to Michigan State, Illinois Is Expected to Rebound
Illinois goes for the season sweep against Michigan with the Michigan vs Illinois preview listing the Fighting Illini as a double-digit favorite for just the second time in the last 30 meetings.
Illinois goes for its eighth win in a row against the Wolverines after rolling to a 15-point win on Jan. 18.
The Fighting Illini has fallen 2.5 games behind first-place Purdue in the Big Ten standings as Illinois is 3-4 on the road this season. Michigan is alone in last place in the Big Ten standings.
The college basketball spread has Illinois as the 16-point favorite with -1500 odds to win outright. The Moneyline is set at +850 for Michigan to pull off the upset.
When looking at the NCAA basketball odds, Illinois is 14th at +4000 in the odds to win March Madness.
Illinois fell four spots to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll and tumbled from 12th to 14th in the USA Today coaches poll.
When it comes to the potential NCAA basketball bracket, keep in mind that Illinois is 14th in the NCAA NET rankings despite a 3-5 record in Quad 1 games.
Keep reading for more on the Illinois and Michigan matchup.
Michigan vs Illinois 
Day/Time:
Records: Michigan (3-10 in the Big Ten)/Illinois (8-4 in the Big Ten)
Location: State Farm Center, Champaign, ILL
Streaming: Peacock
More Bark Than Bite For the Wolverines
Coming off the football team’s magical run to the national title, the basketball campaign has not been one for the ages. Just five NCAAB players have appeared in all 24 games with the leading scorer Dug McDaniel the latest player to miss time.
Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua had been one of the few consistent producers as he scored in double figures in 17 of his first 18 games. However, over the last five games he is averaging just 9.4 points on 36% shooting as the Wolverines have sunk to the bottom of the Big Ten standings despite a recent upset of nationally ranked Wisconsin.
Michigan has lost its last four road games by an average of 19.5 points. That is something to consider when looking at the Michigan vs Illinois preview.
Michigan covered in six of its last seven games.
Illinois Looks To Rebound
Illinois got away with a less-than-stellar performance against Nebraska with the Fighting Illini winning in overtime. However, the defensive issues that came up in that win resurfaced less than a week later when the Fighting Illini allowed an unranked Michigan State to shoot 53% from the field in an eight-point win over Illinois.
That started a stretch of six wins in a row against unranked college basketball teams so perhaps seeing the struggling Wolverines is just what the Fighting Illini needs to rediscover some confidence.
Terrance Shannon scored 28 points in the loss to Michigan State but he was just 7-for-19 from the field. The good news is that he is shooting 48% at home this season compared to 41% on the road. Keep that in mind when it comes to the Michigan vs Illinois preview.
The total has gone over in seven of Illinois’ last eight NCAAB games.
Michigan vs Illinois Last Meeting
Coleman Hawkins had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead four starters scoring in double figures as the Fighting Illini won 88-73 as a 2.5-point road favorite on Jan. 18.
It was the third straight Michigan-Illinois game to go over the total as a pair of foul shots by Illinois’ Marcus Domask with 1:24 left went over the total.
Michigan vs Illinois Betting Preview
The timing might not be the best for Michigan as the Wolverines face an Illinois team coming off a loss.
Illinois is 4-0 with an average scoring margin of 18.8 points.
Illinois is 12-2 at home this NCAAB season with the Fighting Illini being favored in each of those games. Illinois is 5-7-2 against the spread in those games. Michigan is 2-5 both outright and against the spread as a road favorite.
Illinois is 15-3 as a favorite this season while Michigan is 3-8 as the underdog.
Michigan has failed to cover in each of its last five games as well as in two of the last 11 games against Big Ten teams.
The total has gone under in four of Michigan’s last seven games.
Nine of the last 11 games that Illinois played against Big Ten teams went over the total. The total is set at 153.5 for this game. Dating back to 2007, that would be the highest for a game between the Wolverines and the Fighting Illini.
Michigan is 179th in defensive efficiency according to the Pomeroy college basketball database and the Wolverines go up against an Illinois team that is sixth in offensive efficiency.
It could be a little risky going with Illinois to cover as a 15.5-point favorite but this Michigan team is a mess so picking the Fighting Illini seems like the smart option. Illinois has covered in five of its last seven games as a double-digit favorite.
For NCAAB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
