No. 3 Michigan aims to end a nine-game losing streak to No. 10 Illinois in a crucial Big Ten conference game on Friday night in Champaign, Illinois. A win would clinch the outright regular season title for the Wolverines. The Illini seek to rebound from a recent overtime loss at UCLA.
The matchup between No. 3 Michigan (26-2, 16-1 Big Ten) and No. 10 Illinois (22-6, 13-4 Big Ten) tips off at 8 p.m. ET at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, airing on FOX. Michigan enters as a 1.5-point favorite, according to betting lines. The Wolverines can secure the outright Big Ten regular season title with a victory, following their 77-67 win over Minnesota on Tuesday.
Illinois, tied for second in the conference with Michigan State and Nebraska, is coming off a 95-94 overtime loss at UCLA on Saturday, where they blew a 23-point lead. The Illini have dominated this series, winning nine straight games against Michigan since a 79-69 victory for the Wolverines on Jan. 10, 2019, in Champaign. That game featured scoring leaders Ignas Brazdeikis for Michigan and Trent Frazier for Illinois, under coaches John Beilein and Brad Underwood, respectively.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates the game 10,000 times and gives Illinois a 75% chance to cover the +1.5 spread, assigning a B grade to that pick. Expert Chip Patterson backs Illinois at -105, citing their motivation after the UCLA defeat. "Illinois has had all week to stew over blowing a 23-point lead in an overtime loss at UCLA last Saturday. So while Michigan had a bit of a palate-cleanser from the Duke game with its win against Minnesota at home, I think the Illini are going to be breathing fire," Patterson said. He highlighted Illinois' advantages in the backcourt with Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell over Michigan's Elliot Cadeau and Nimari Burnett, plus comparable size against Michigan's frontcourt featuring 6-9, 6-9, and 7-3 players. Illinois ranks sixth nationally in rebound margin at 10.6 per game, which could challenge Michigan after Duke outrebounded them 41-28 in a recent upset.
Michigan's last loss to Illinois came in a context where the Wolverines were ranked second, underscoring the historical difficulty of this rivalry for them.
