Michigan Basketball: 3 predictions, odds for Wolverines against Purdue

Michigan basketball travels to Purdue Saturday and here are three predictions, as well as odds for the Wolverines against the Boilermakers.

There’s no doubt that Michigan basketball is among the hottest teams in the Big Ten right now. But that doesn’t change the fact that winning on the road in the league is always tough and the matchup against Purdue will be no different.

Michigan defeated the Boilermakers in a tough battle at home earlier in the year that went into overtime and this time around could be very similar. The Boilermakers have lost three in a row but those were to Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State, all NCAA tournament teams.

Purdue may just be 14-13 overall, yet the Boilermakers are 7-9 the conference and still ranks as the No. 24 team according to Kenpom. Michigan basketball checks in at 13.

A big factor will be Isaiah Livers and whether or not he plays. Juwan Howard was very coy about his status when he talked to reporters Friday, so it’s hard to know what to expect with Livers, who didn’t even dress out against Rutgers.

Taking a look at the odds, the Wolverines are 2.5-point underdogs against Purdue, which isn’t a huge surprise because road teams in the Big Ten this year have struggled. Michigan has just two true road wins against Northwestern and Rutgers, which have come in the last two games away from Ann Arbor.

Coming into the game in Mackey Arena, the two teams couldn’t be going in more opposite directions. The Wolverines have won six of seven and are surging, while Purdue has lost three in a row and are barely hanging on to their NCAA tournament hopes.

Can the Boilers score a big win or will the Wolverines keep their run going? Here are three predictions.