The 12th-ranked Michigan Wolverines will make the trip over to Champaign for a Big Ten showdown with the Illinois Fighting Illini on Tuesday. Michigan brings a three-game winning streak to town with them, while Illinois has a matching three-game winning streak, with the most recent win assuring Michigan at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title. [ad-4468020]
12 Michigan Wolverines (21-7) at Illinois Fighting Illini (17-12)
Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: State Farm Center
City: Champaign, Illinois
Spread: Michigan -3
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Michigan can have the title all to themselves with a win on Tuesday, though they would be wise not to take Illinois lightly. The Fighting Illini won their first two Big Ten games, both at home, then proceeded to lose eight in a row in conference play. Now Illinois has won three in a row against conference opponents, with two of those wins coming away from home. The most recent win was the most impressive, a 53-46 win over then-No. 18 Michigan State in East Lansing.
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It’s been the Illinois defense which has carried the team through its current winning streak, limiting each of the Illini’s last three opponents under 50 points. Against Michigan State, the Illini held the Spartans to 39.1 percent shooting from the floor and racked up 14 steals. The Spartans managed just 18 points in the deciding second half. Spartans guard Gary Harris led all scorers in the game with 19 points – no other Michigan State player managed more than seven.
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As for the Illini, they had three starters score in double—figures, led by Tracy Abrams’s 12 on 4-of-9 shooting. Abrams also helped out with five steals, matching Rayvonte Rice for the game-high.
Michigan won its last game a little differently, on the back of some strong scoring. Guard Nik Stauskas hit on seven of 13 shots from the field and five of eight shots from beyond the arc for a game-high 21 points in Michigan’s 66-56 win over Minnesota. Guard Caris LeVert had 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting and forward Glenn Robinson III had 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting. As a team the Wolverines shot 50 percent from the field and knocked down nine three-pointers, winning despite recording only two steals and one block.
The Wolverines are 6-2 on the road in Big Ten play, but they’ve had some close calls on the road, winning four of those games by five or fewer points. Building up a margin against an Illinois team that has held each of its last four opponents under 50 points will be tough, but the Wolverines are only giving away three points, and with the conference’s regular season title within reach, the team won’t want to have to wait for Saturday’s home date with Indiana.
The Wolverines are 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings between these teams.
The play: Michigan -3
