The Illinois Fighting Illini (12-4) travel to face off against the Michigan Wolverines (7-10) on Thursday, January 18th. This game will be played at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor and televised on FS1. Michigan is coming off a win in their previous game, while Illinois is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Maryland. Tip-off is set for 8:30 ET.

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Michigan Wolverines

The Illinois Fighting Illini Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Illinois enters this game as a 2.5-point favorite, and they have gone 10-2 this season when favored. They are 12-4 overall, and they have gone 3-2 in Big Ten play. On the road, they have gone 2-2 this season, and they have a scoring margin of +7.5 points per game.

Most recently, Illinois lost to Maryland by a score of 76-67. Over their last 10 games on the road, they have gone just 2-8. This season, their average scoring margin at home is +16.5 points per game.

Illinois’ ATS record this season is 8-6-2, and they are 3-0-1 vs. the spread on the road. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Illini are 5-4-1.

This season, the over/under record for Illinois games is 9-7. So far, the average point total in their games is 149.1, which is higher than the average over/under line in their games of 146.5. For the year, the average margin between the average point total in their games and the average over/under line is 2.6 points. In their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 147 points. Over their last five games, the over/under record is 4-1 and the average point total is 155 points. On the season, 10 of their games have finished with more points than today’s over/under line of 153.5.

The Michigan Wolverines Are Coming Off A Win

Michigan will be looking to build off their 73-65 win over Ohio State, and they are 4-6 this season when they are the favorite. So far this year, the Wolverines are 4-7 at home, and their average scoring margin at home is +2.8. They have gone 1-2 in their last three games at home and over their last ten games at home, they are 3-7.

For the season, Michigan is 7-10, and they are 2-4 against Big Ten opponents. As the underdog, they are 2-4, and they have gone 2-3 on the road this season. Their average scoring margin on the road is +2.0, and they have lost their last two road games.

Michigan’s ATS record this season is 5-11, including a mark of 3-8 at home. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Wolverines have gone 6-4 vs. the spread. At home, their ATS record is 1-8 in their last 10 games.

Michigan’s over/under record for the season sits at 10-6, and today’s line of 153.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (149.6). So far, eight of their games have finished with more points than today’s OU line, and their last three games have an average scoring total of 136 points.

Illinois Offense Breakdown

In contrast to their season average of 81.7 points per game, the Illinois had a below average performance. They scored 67 points against Maryland and had a field goal percentage of 32.8%. Terrence Shannon Jr. is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 21.7 as they approach today’s matchup. In addition, Marcus Domask brings a PPG average of 14.9 into the game.

Name	PPG	REB	AST
Terrence Shannon Jr. (G)	21.7	4.5	2.5
Marcus Domask (F)	14.9	4.6	3.2
Quincy Guerrier (F)	11.1	7.3	0.2

Michigan Offense Breakdown

Against Ohio State, the Michigan had a tough time putting up points compared to their season average of 79.7 points per game. They scored 73 points and posted a field goal percentage of 42.2% in the game. Leading the team in scoring was Olivier Nkamhoua with 20 points. Terrance Williams II also added 18 points for the Wolverines.

Name	PPG	REB	AST
Olivier Nkamhoua (F)	17.1	7.5	2.6
Dug McDaniel (G)	17.6	4.1	5.0
Terrance Williams II (F)	12.9	4.2	1.4

Illinois Team Defense

In the current season, the Illinois defense has excelled, sitting 78th in the nation by allowing 67.4 points per game. In their previous game vs. Maryland, the Terrapins finished with a field goal percentage of 32% and a total of 76 points vs. Illinois.

Michigan Team Defense

So far, the Wolverines’ defense is ranked 252nd in the country at 77.0 points per contest. Against Ohio State in their most recent game, the Michigan defense gave up a total of 65 points while allowing Ohio State to hit 42% of their shots.

Fighting Illini vs Wolverines Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Fighting Illini have a straight up record of 2-8 while going 6-3-1 vs. the spread. The team averaged 75 points per game in this stretch.
• Although Michigan has a straight up record of 2-3 in their last five home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 2-3. The team averaged 78 points per game in these games.
• As the betting underdog, the Wolverines have an ATS mark of just 6-4 in their last ten games. Michigan posted a straight up mark of 3-7 in these matchups.
• Although the Fighting Illini have a strong straight up record in their last three games as the betting favorite, they have not done as well vs the spread going 1-2.

Fighting Illini vs Wolverines Prediction

Coming in as the underdogs at +2.5, we have the Wolverines as the way to go on the point spread. Not only do we have them covering, but our projections show they have a good one of winning this one straight-up, if you’re looking for a higher payout on the moneyline.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 153.5 and our model has the Fighting Illini and Wolverines finishing with a combined 143 points. Our pick is to take the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.