Michigan Basketball: How to watch, odds and predictions for Purdue

Michigan basketball will look to rebound Thursday night against Purdue and here’s how to watch and stream, plus odds and predictions.

In the Big Ten conference, with a schedule like Michigan basketball‘s, there are no breaks and that proves to be true as the Wolverines host Purdue Thursday night.

While the Boilermakers are just 9-6 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten, they are a very solid team in the Kenpom rankings, are one spot behind Michigan basketball, which is 19th. Purdue is 20th.

So it’s going to be a stern test for the Wolverines, who are also, most likely, going to be without Isaiah Livers, arguably their best all-around player.

Jon Teske may make the biggest impact overall for Michigan basketball, but Livers could be the hardest to replace. His ability to play the three or four is vital to Juwan Howard‘s ability to mix up different lineups and his deadly 3-point shooting was missed in a big way against Michigan State.

With or without Livers, the Wolverines have struggled to score away from home this season. The biggest issue has been an inability to make 3-pointers consistently, which was an issue again last Sunday in a loss to the Spartans.

For the season, Michigan is connecting on 37.5 percent of its shots from deep, but in three Big Ten games (1-2), U-M is making around 27 percent. Two of those games were on the road and even though the shooting percentages were bad, the losses weren’t a huge shock.

Big Ten teams have been tough to beat at home this season. From 1-14, there are no easy wins and using the home-court advantage tonight will be critical. Before making a final prediction and diving into more, here’s the key info to watch and stream.

Game Info:

Game 15: Michigan vs Purdue

When: 7:00 PM EST

Where: Crisler

TV: Fox Sports 1

Stream: Fox Sports 2 Go or Fubo TV

Radio: Radio: WTKA-AM 1050 (Ann Arbor); WWJ-AM 950 (Detroit), mgoblue.com

Odds: Michigan -5

Prediction

Purdue, like Michigan, is a team that has played much better at home than on the road. The Boilermakers knocked off No. 5 Virginia but scored just 37 against Illinois Sunday in an ugly loss.

Purdue also lost by double digits at Nebraska and failed to score 60 points, so the Wolverines should be able to lock down the Boilers defensively. It hurts not having Livers, but Teske should be able to dominate in this game and if he can win the battle inside against Purdue big man Matt Haarms, who is his team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, it will go a long way.

Michigan does have to figure out how to adjust because teams have been forcing Zavier Simpson to shoot more and it hasn’t worked well. Maybe giving David DeJulius more time or more chances in the screen-and-roll will help. U-M will also have some other adjustments, using some different actions to get good looks off those ball screens, allowing Simpson to be the distributor.

Purdue is an elite defensive team, ranked ninth according to Kenpom. Yet, Michigan is 26th and unlike the Boilers, its offense isn’t ranked 83rd. As long as the Wolverines can be productive shooting from deep and Teske avoids foul trouble, U-M should find a way to win. It has to afford falling to 1-3 in league play.

Final score: Michigan 65, Purdue 58