We have a David versus Goliath battle on Thursday night with the Michigan Wolverines, the cream of the crop in the Big Ten, traveling to Champaign to take on a struggling Illinois Fighting Illini team that’s to this point lost four straight.
The Illini are a mess, mired in a tough losing streak that includes teams like Missouri and Florida Atlantic. Now, things get even tougher with a bout against the No.2 team according to the AP. Michigan has yet to lose a game all season and are posed to roll through the Big Ten.
With the struggles of the Illini can they even keep this game competitive or will the Wolverines run away with this game on the road like they did against a much better Villanova team back at the start of the 2018-2019 campaign?
NCAA Basketball Betting at Bookmaker.eu
Michigan Wolverines vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Date and Time: Thursday, January 10, 2019, 8 p.m. ET
Location: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Wolverines vs. Fighting Illini TV Coverage: FS1
Michigan enters play 15-0 in thus far, including four conference wins as the Wolverines are poised to win the Big Ten.
The Wolverines’ latest win came against a ranked Indiana team, 74-63. Michigan held the 42.6-percent shooting from the floor. Jon Teske was a strong defensive presence inside while Charles Matthew recorded four steals.
Michigan is one of the best defenses in the nation according to KenPom’s adjusted defensive rankings. This is certainly a defense first team, but it can hold its own offensively as well.
Despite a more deliberate pace of play, the Wolverines have three players scoring at least 14 PPG and shot 50-percent from the floor as a team against Indiana. Four players hit double-digits in the game.
On the outside, Jordan Poole and Charles Matthews both scored 18 while Zavier Simpson adding a dozen points while shooting 5-for-10 from the floor. Ignas Brazdeikis was the lone forward to reach double-digits though Teske did contribute on defense.
The team missed Isaiah Livers who missed another game. He’ll be a game-time decision again on Thursday and is a strong shooter from the wing, able to push towards the basket and also possessing a reliable jump shot.
Even if Livers is out, the team still has Brazdeikis and Teske under the basket with exceptional defense and strong scoring ability. Brazdeikis leads the team in scoring, after all, with 16 PPG.
Overall, this team just knows how to win. Offensively, they’re good enough and defensively they’re elite. They’ve held the opposition to 67 or fewer points all but once and in that game, the team exploded offensively to score 89 and win 89-78 against South Carolina.
On the other side of this matchup, Illionis is just flat-out out matched. The Fighting Illini were 4-7 in a rather easy non-conference schedule and 0-4 so far in the Big Ten.
Offensively, the team is scoring just 73 PPG and will be hard pressed to come close to that against Michigan. Illinois is shooting just 42.4-percent from the floor as a team and while there are a few quality players on the outside, the team is mediocre at best shooting from beyond the arc.
The team’s taken a step back offensively to this point from a team with just four conference wins last year and seem to have just as bad of a defense as a year ago.
There is some talent on the team. Trent Frazier, Ayo Dosunmu and Aaron Jones form an okay backcourt. Giogi Bezhanishvili has had some good games and some questionable ones inside. The freshman has some talent, but he and the rest of the frontcourt figure to be overmatched inside.
This team has lost four straight and seven of nine for a reason. It’s gotten wins against UNLV and East Tennessee State, but has fallen short against any real competition with losses to Notre Dame, Nebraska, Ohio State and Indiana amongst others.
The team is winless in four conference games and now takes on the best team in the conference. That’s not a good formula, even if the game is at home. After all, Illinois dropped its last home game against Florida Atlantic, a team not even in the same realm as the Wolverines.
Live Betting
There could not be two more different teams. Michigan’s defense should have its way with Illinois while the offense manages enough to make this a lopsided affair. The only thing standing in the way of a true blowout is the venue and a possibility of the Wolverines overlooking the Illini coming off a win over a tougher Indiana team. The Big Ten is Michigan’s for the taking and the team could be looking ahead to more formidable opponents.
Michigan should get the easy win, but watch how Michigan approaches this game early. If they have the foot on the pedal, look for the Wolverines to cover the spread with Illinois rolling over. If, however, the Fighting Illini are shooting well early, they may be more inclined to fight until the end, opening up some live betting opportunities to be exploited at BookMaker.eu if Illinois can at least be counted on to battle into the second half.
Key Player
Trent Frazier is Illinois’ leading scorer. Michigan’s defense is stout and will slow the Fighting Illini at every chance and that includes Frazier.
Frazier’s struggled lately with 26 points combined over his last three games. That’s a clip of just 8.67 PPG, well below his 14.9 PPG for the season. Prior to those three games, Frazier had scored 28 in a loss to Missouri and 25 in the team’s most recent win. He’s been very up-and-down offensively and against a defense like the Wolverines’ the Illini need him to be on his game, shooting upwards of 50-percent from the floor like he’s capable.
If Frazier goes quiet in this one, it’ll be a rather easy, blowout victory for Michigan.
Wolverines vs. Fighting Illini Live Betting
Count on the Wolverines getting the easy win over Illinois despite having to play this one in Champaign. This Illinois team has struggled all season against far lesser teams.
Michigan has beaten down teams like Villanova, UNC and Purdue. They’ll have no issues against the Illini regardless of venue. This defense can shutdown elite offenses so it will hold the Fighting Illini at bay with relative easy. As for the offense, the Wolverines always score enough and they’ll easily do that again here on Thursday night.
Check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for Tuesday’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Michigan 71, Illinois 53
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