GAME:  #631 Illinois vs #632 Michigan
TIME:    3/2/2021 – 7:00p EST
SPREAD:  Michigan -7.5
TOTAL:      146.5

The #4 Illinois Fighting Illini (18-6, 14-4) have a BIG 10 game against the #2 Michigan Wolverines (18-1, 13-1) at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST. The Illinois Fighting Illini defeated Wisconsin in a big win without Dosunmu by a score of 69-74 while the Wolverines dominated Indiana in its last game by a score of 73-57. Illinois has 4 wins and 3 losses against ranked opponents this season, while Michigan has won 6 of its 7 games against ranked teams.

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI

The Illinois Fighting Illini are averaging 82 points on 50% field goal shooting along with 6.6 threes and 8.2 offensive rebounds per game. The Fighting Illini are allowing 73 points per game on 42% field-goal shooting while forcing 12.6 turnovers along with 7.1 steals and five blocks per game on the defensive end. The Fighting Illini are led by Kofi Cockburn who is averaging 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

The Michigan Wolverines are averaging 81 points on 51% field goal shooting along with eight threes on 40% three-point shooting.  The Wolverines are allowing only 63 points per game on 36% field goal shooting while forcing 10 turnovers along with 4.9 steals and 2 blocks per game on the defensive end. The Wolverines are led by Hunter Dickinson who is averaging 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.

TRENDS

ILLINOIS

• Over is 4-0 in Fighting Illini’s last 4 overall.
• Over is 4-0 in Fighting Illini’s last 4 games as an underdog.
• The Over is 11-2 in Fighting Illini’s last 13 road games.

MICHIGAN

• Under is 8-0 in Wolverines, last 8 games following an ATS win.
• Under is 8-1 in Wolverine’s last 9 games following a straight-up win.
• Wolverines are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning record.
• Under is 5-1 in Wolverines last 6 overall.

HEAD TO HEAD

• The favorite is 4-1-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
• The home team is 27-12-1 ATS in the last 40 meetings.

ILLINOIS vs MICHIGAN PREDICTION PICK

This will be the 4th game in 8 days for Illinois. The Fighting Illini is expected to be without leading scorer Ayo Dosunmu who averages over 20 points per game. You will want to check prior to tip if this is still true because it is the single biggest factor in this game.  In the previous 2 games without Dosunmu, Illinois dominated Wisconsin and Nebraska with impressive shooting performances. Illinois will have a real challenge this time without Dosumnu facing one of the best in the nation in offense and defense.  Michigan has won its last 12 home games, scoring an average of 81.3 points while giving up 63.8. Michigan has held opposing teams to 38.4% shooting from the field this year which is the lowest percentage among all Division I teams. If Dosunmu is not playing this should be another easy win for the Wolverines but if Dosunmu laces up then it could be a completely different game. Also, if Dosunmu is not playing the Under should come in however if he plays the Over will most likely be the play. The Bookie is taking the Michigan Wolverines to cover the spread. 

BETTING ANGLES:

The Bookie:         Michigan -7.5 / Under 146.5
Fade the Public:  Illinois / Under
Sharp Action:      Illinois / Under