This could be an exciting Big Ten matchup to watch Friday night! It's time to continue our college basketball odds series with a Michigan-Illinois prediction and pick.

Michigan started off the season as the No. 4 ranked team in the nation. That turned out to be a terrible decision by the committee because even if Michigan wins out for the rest of the season, they still might not make it back to the top-5. They are 7-6 on the season and luckily for them, their last two games against No. 10 Michigan State and No. 7 Purdue were postponed, so those could have been losses as well. Michigan could very well be 7-9 right now so they need to really get it going. They are coming off a loss back on Jan. 4 to Rutgers.

Illinois is ranked 25 at the moment after starting the season 12-3. They are once against starting off hot as they did last season. Illinois had high hopes going into the NCAA Tournament last year, and it seems that this season will be the same. They come in as favorites Friday night against Michigan at home. Illinois has won their last five games but has a tough stretch of games coming up. A win tonight could get them into the top-20 by next week.

Here are the Michigan-Illinois college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Michigan-Illinois Odds

Michigan: +9 (-106)

Illinois: -9 (-114)

Over: 144 (-110)

Under: 144 (-110)

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Why Michigan Could Cover The Spread

Michigan is capable of covering this spread. The issue is that they are losing by double-digits to teams far worse than Illinois. This is a spread large enough to where they will cover if it's a nail-biter. The Wolverines need to be on their game Friday night. Hunter Dickison needs to control the paint and Eli Brooks and Caleb Houston need to find ways to score offensively. They will be facing a team that has a variety of scorers and one of the top scorers in the nation. 7-foot center Kofi Cockburn averages 22 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. Dickison will have one of the toughest assignments of his life and Cockburn can score and defend anyone in the nation. The Jamaican native shoots over 60% from the floor and has scored over 20 points in four of his last five games. If Michigan wasn't to cover this spread, Dickson and company will desperately need to find a way to stop him.

Why Illinois Could Cover The Spread

Illinois can cover this spread exactly how I mentioned above … but on the contrary. If Cockburn and their three elite guards can score at will, then Michigan won't stand a chance. This is a large enough spread where Illinois will need to be controlling the game from start to finish.  They have four players who average over 12 points per game so that tells you how good they are offensively. These teams are similar defensively so the outcome will be focused on who shows up in crunch time. If the game is close at the end, I'd assume Illinois would find a way to get it done with all their options. But they can't let Michigan hang close because they are good enough to steal a win. At the end of the day, Illinois is the better team and they are capable of covering this spread, they just have to go out there and dominate for all 40 minutes.

Final Michigan-Illinois Prediction & Pick

Michigan is 5-8 against the spread and Illinois is 7-6. Neither side is consistent so the past won't be a factor. Take Illinois to cover this spread at home because Michigan is not playing up to their potential.

Final Michigan-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Illinois -9 (-114)