Big Ten battles atop the conference highlight the day in college basketball. One such fight features the Fighting Illini of Illinois (18-11, 10-8) in Ann Arbor to take on the first place Michigan Wolverines (22-6, 14-3).
Winners of two straight and seven of eight in February, Michigan sits tied atop the conference with Michigan State with three games remaining in the regular season. Michigan overcame Rutgers Thursday night, 84-82, Nimari Burnett’s 3-pointer at the buzzer provided the difference against the Scarlet Knights.
An uninspiring record of 4-4 in February has many wondering if Illinois needs at least one win in their last two games to earn an invite to the NCAA Tournament. After three straight losses, the Illini worked over the Iowa Hawkeyes Tuesday night, 81-61.
Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Game details & how to watch Illinois at Michigan
- Date: Sunday, March 2, 2025
- Time: 3:45PM EST
- Site: Crisler Center
- City: Ann Arbor, MI
- Network/Streaming: CBS
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates.
Game odds for Fighting Illini at Wolverines
The latest odds as of Sunday courtesy of BetMGM:
- Odds: Illinois Fighting Illini (+130), Michigan Wolverines (-155)
- Spread: Wolverines -3.5
- Total: 159.5 points
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Expert picks & predictions for Illinois at Michigan
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Fighting Illini & Wolverines game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Wolverines of Michigan -3.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 159.5.
Fighting Illini vs Wolverines: Top betting trends and recent stats
- Illinois has won outright 8 of the last 10 games against Michigan
- Illinois is 7-2-1 against the spread in their last 10 games against Michigan
- Michigan is 2-10 in their last 12 games against the spread
- The O/U is 2-4 in Michigan’s last 6 games
- Illinois is 1-4 against the spread in their last 5 games
- The O/U is 4-2 in Illinois’ last 6 games
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on NBCSports.com!
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· Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
· Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
· Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
· Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
