Michigan Wolverines vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/14/2022

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Friday, January 14, 2022

Venue:  State Farm Center, Champaign, IL

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Michigan +9.5, Illinois -9.5; Over/Under:  145 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Michigan +9.5, Illinois -9.5; Over/Under:  145 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Michigan +9.5, Illinois -9.5; Over/Under:  145.5 points

 

Michigan Wolverines:  7-6 (9th place, Big Ten)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  12-3 (2nd place, Big Ten)

 

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Michigan Wolverines:  2-3 last 5

Illinois Fighting Illini:  5-0 last 5

 

 

 

Michigan is coming into this game with a 7-6 record overall and they are 1-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 4th conference matchup of the year and they are currently 1-2 in their conference games this season. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games and are coming into this one on a 2 game losing streak after another loss in their last game. Their last win was against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds while their 3 losses in that span came against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the UCF Knights, and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in their last game. Hunter Dickinson led the team in points in that game with 25 while Moussa Diabaté was next on the team with 15 points. Eli Brooks led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Diabaté led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 45.8% from the field, 20% from 3-point range, and 76.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 72.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.8 PPG against them. Michigan has an ATS record of 5-8 this season and their O/U record is 6-7.

 

 

Illinois is coming into this game with a 12-3 record overall and they are 7-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 6th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 5-0 in their conference games this season. Their last loss was against the Arizona Wildcats but they have gone on a five-game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Saint Francis Red Flash, the Missouri Tigers, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Maryland Terrapins, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers in their last game. Trent Frazier led the team in points in that game with 29 while Kofi Cockburn was next on the team with 16 total points. Frazier also led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Cockburn led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 47% from the field, 36.8% with their three-pointers, and 63.2% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 80.5 PPG and the Illinois defense is allowing their opponents to average 65 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 8-7 this season and their O/U record is 10-5.

 

Illinois is coming into this contest as a 9.5 point favorite with the latest odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Illinois have been playing very well recently winning 5 straight games coming into this one and they have also won all 5 of their conference games this season so far. They have been playing very well in their games winning their last 2 road conference games by double digits and will now be at home for this game against a struggling Michigan side. Michigan has not been playing well in their recent games losing 2 straight coming into this one. They are also coming out of a covid pause for this game so their team still might not be at 100% and there have been many teams this season that have not recovered fully from covid after coming back and then proceed to lose a few games before getting grounded again. Illinois is hot right now and a struggling Michigan team coming off of a covid pause is not really the best situation to take Illinois down. The best wager to place in this game is on Illinois to cover the spread here.

 

Michigan Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, January 14, 2022 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Illinois 76 Michigan 60.

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Michigan Wolverines: 8-4 O/U as an underdog. 7-3 O/U as a road underdog or pick. 8-3 O/U in a road game where the total is 140 to 149.5. 9-5 O/U off a loss against a conference rival. 8-2 O/U off a road loss. 14-7 O/U after playing a road game.

Illinois Fighting Illini: 10-4 O/U in all games. 8-4 O/U as a favorite. 5-1 O/U as a home favorite or pick. 6-1 O/U in all home games. 6-0 O/U when playing only their 2nd game in a week. 16-8 O/U after scoring 75 points or more 2 straight games. 8-2 O/U after 1 or more consecutive wins.

 

 

Michigan Wolverines:  None.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  A. Hutcherson (G) out for season - Hernia. A. Curbelo (G) Out indefinitely - Neck injury.

 

 

“We're helping each other through it. That's where we are right now. It's frustrating for everyone — players, coaches, all staff members. We were looking forward to not having any type of shutdown.” - Head coach Juwan Howard on the covid-19 postponements.

 

 

“When I think back on this game, I’m gonna think about Coleman Hawkins. And then maybe the coming out party for Omar Payne. Couldn’t be happier for the young man with the way he’s stayed with it.” - Brad Underwood on his team’s win against Nebraska.

 

 

 

Eli Brooks 

H. Dickinson 

C. Houstan 

B. Johns Jr 

D. Jones

 

K. Cockburn

T. Frazier 

J. Grandison 

A. Plummer

D. Williams

 

 

PPG: H. Dickinson (16.1)

APG: D. Jones (3.8)

Reb/G: H. Dickinson (8.8)

 

PPG: K. Cockburn (22)

APG: A. Curbelo (5.5)

Reb/G: K. Cockburn (12.5)

 

Coaches:

Michigan Wolverines: Juwan Howard (3rd season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (5th season)