It is a Big Ten clash between one of the best and one of the worst in the conference as Illinois hosts Michigan. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Michigan-Illinois prediction, pick, and how to watch.

Michigan enters the game sitting at 8-16 on the year, and just 3-10 in conference play, last in the Big Ten. Games for them have not been very close overall. Since their win over Ohio State, Michigan has gone 1-6. They have lost all six of those games by ten or more points. Still, they do have a quality win in there, as they upset Wisconsin at home 72-68.

Meanwhile, Illinois is 17-6 in the year, and 8-4 in conference play, good for second in the Big Ten. They are also coming off a loss. Last time out they visited Michigan State. They had an eight-point lead with just over seven and a half minutes left to play. Michigan State would lose the gap and take a 77-76 lead with 2:15 left in the game. From there, Michigan State went on an 11-4 run and would win 88-80. This is also the second time thye have faced Michigan this year. It was a one-point game with under 15 minutes to play in the second half. From there, Illinois dominated and would go on to win 88-73.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Michigan-Illinois Odds

Michigan: +15.5 (-110)

Illinois: 15.5 (-110)

Over: 152.5 (-115)

Under: 152.5 (-105)

How to Watch Michigan vs. Illinois 

Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT

TV: Peacock

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Michigan Will Cover The Spread/Win

Michigan is currently ranked 103rd in KenPoms adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are ranked 65th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 179th in adjusted defensive efficiency this year. Michigan is 92nd in the nation in points per game and 78th in the nation in effective field goal percentage. Dug McDaniel leads the way this year on offense. He comes in with 16.8 points per game on the year, while also leading the team in assists with 4.7 per game. Second on the team is Olivier Nkahmhoua. He comes in with 15.0 points per game this year while shooting 50.4 percent from the field. Further, Terrance Williams II comes in with 12.2 points per game on the year.

Michigan is 102nd in the nation in rebounds per game this year. They are 288th in the nation in defensive rebounding rate this year. Nkahmhoua also leads the way here. He comes into the game with 7.4 rebounds per game this year. Also solid in rebounding is Tarris Reed Jr. He has 7.0 rebounds per game while scoring 8.7 points per game this year.

Michigan is 321st in opponent points per game while sitting 226th in opponent effective field goal percentage. Further, Michigan has struggled in the second halved of games. They are 331st in the nation in second half points allowed per game. Harris Reed has been solid here with 1.5 blocks per game, while Nimari Burnett has .9 steals per game. The major issue for this team is turnovers. They force just 9.8 turnovers per game, which is 330th in the nation. Still, they turn over the ball 12.7 times per game, which is 244th in the nation this year.

Why Illinois Will Cover The Spread/Win

Illinois ranks 11th in adjusted efficiency in KenPom rankings while sitting sixth in adjusted offensive efficiency and 41st in adjusted defensive efficiency. They are 19th in points per game this year while sitting 25th in field goals made per game this year. Terrence Shannon Jr. has been solid this year. He leads the team with 20.5 points per game of the year while shooting 45.9 percent from the field. Further, Marcus Domask has been good as well. He has 15.5 points per game this year while adding in 3.4 assists per game, the most of the team. Rounding out the top scorers is Coleman Hawkins. Hawkins comes in with 12.1 points per game this year.

What has been special about this Illinois team is the rebounding this year, they are fourth in the nation in rebounds per game. They are fifth in the nation in defensive rebounds per game while sitting 15th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game this year. Quincy Guerrier shines here. He comes in with 7.4 rebounds per game, helping his 10.7 points per game. Hawkins comes in rebounding well with 6.2 rebounds per game, while Ty Rodgers comes in with 5.5 rebounds per game.

On defense, Illinois is 119th in the nation in opponent points per game, while sitting 23rd in opponent effective field goal percentage.  Hawkins leads the team with 1.8 steals per game this year while having 1.2 blocks per game this year. Meanwhile, Shannon has just under a steal per game and 1.0 blocks per game this year.

Final Michigan-Illinois Prediction & Pick

Not only has Michigan struggled in wins and losses this year, but they have struggled heavily against the spread as well. They have covered the spread just three times in their last 18 games. Further, they have covered just once on the road in that period. Illinois has covered just the times in their last seven comes, still they are still the much better team in this one. Illinois has been great on offense, and Michigan has struggled consistently on defense this year, especially in the second half. Still, the spread is a lot to cover, take the over in this one.

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Final Michigan-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Over 152.5 (-115)