Wolverines Set to Defy the Odds: What’s Driving Their Unstoppable Big Ten Streak?

Is it just me, or do schedule makers seem to be crafting Fridays into the new prime-time battleground? Yesterday’s Purdue vs. Michigan State showdown was a tasty appetizer, but tonight… oh, tonight’s the main course: Michigan, the third-ranked powerhouse with a nearly spotless 26-2 record, colliding with Illinois, a gritty tenth-ranked squad that’s been walking the tightrope in recent games. Michigan’s losses? A stumble against Wisconsin and a close call with Duke, leagues away from their usual Big 10 dominance. Illinois, meanwhile, is kind of like that perpetual almost-team — solid, determined, yet just a notch shy of championship-caliber magic. Hosting this contest helps, sure, but with their shaky home record and Michigan’s all-around versatility, this one looks pretty lopsided. So the real question is — can the Illini pull off the upset, or will the Wolverines keep cruising and cover the spread? Grab your popcorn, it’s going to be a fascinating night on the hardwood. LEARN MORE.

Michigan vs. Illinois, 8:00 ET

I’ve brought this up before, that the schedule makers seem to be trying to make some matchups a little more prominent than others. Yesterday, a Thursday, was traditionally a day left for the mid-level majors, not really the big games. We were blessed with a matchup between Purdue and Michigan State. While big matchups never guarantee a good game (see UConn vs. St. John’s from Wednesday), it does at least suggest that we should get a better game. I am pretty confident that we should get a great game between Michigan and Illinois as they square off on Friday night.

Michigan is currently the third-ranked team in the nation, and you can put them wherever you want, but they belong in the top four teams without a doubt. The Wolverines are 26-2 with their two losses coming against Wisconsin and Duke. The Wisconsin game was a bit of a surprise, as they dropped the game. It was one of those games where they probably just lost focus and lost the game. It is really hard to win at the college level, and these are still kids trying to figure it out. Against Duke, it was a game that didn’t seem to fit into their strengths. They lost 68-63. That was the fewest points they’ve scored in any game this season, and just the second time they’ve been held to under 70 points in a game. I’ve discussed multiple times in writing about the Wolverines how they seem to like to embarrass other ranked teams. However, against Big 10 opponents, they haven’t had quite as much success with blowing them out. The last four ranked opponents Michigan has faced have them going 3-1, with wins of three points, 12 points, and 11 points. The lone loss was to Duke, who is not a Big 10 team.

Illinois has put together a good campaign, but the Illini kind of remind me of a team like the Minnesota Timberwolves or the New York Knicks. They seem to be one of those teams that is good every year, but not quite good enough to win a championship. They are ranked tenth in the country, and, I guess, you could make an argument that they could make a run for the National Championship, but I just don’t think they have enough. They are 22-6 overall, and 13-4 in the Big 10. They have struggled significantly lately, going just 2-3 over their last five games. If they want to take any positive away from the games, they can take the fact that they’ve lost all three in overtime. They fell by three at Michigan State. Then they lost by two to Wisconsin at home, and Saturday, they lost to UCLA on the road by one point.

It is hard, when looking at the stats, to see where the Illini have an advantage. They are hosting the game, so being at home will help a bit, but they aren’t untouchable here. They’ve lost two of their six games at home, and both of them were to Big 10 opponents (Nebraska was the other). Michigan can, and does, play well everywhere. This is a complete roster. I think they are going to win this game with ease. When my friend, who is a big Illini fan, asked me a week ago what the line would be, I said Michigan -2.5. It is currently Michigan -1.5, so I like this game even more. Give me the Wolverines to cover.

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