Michigan Basketball: 3 Bold predictions for Wolverines vs Rutgers

Who wins?

I was a little surprised to see Michigan as a nine-point favorite against Rutgers, but the more you dive into things, it does make sense, at least in the fact that on paper, U-M looks like a really tough matchup for Rutgers.

The Wolverines had some rust in the first half against Wisconsin and were able to play through it. Will they show any signs of rust in this game?

In the Big Ten race, every game is huge for the Wolverines as they are going to need to keep their winning percentage as high as possible to hold off the likes of Illinois and Ohio State, both teams Michigan will play down the stretch as the Illini game is likely to be rescheduled.

The one thing that is worrisome about Rutgers is that it has forced more turnovers than any other team in Big Ten play. U-M has struggled at times with turnovers and in just the second game back after a three-week pause, forcing the Wolverines into a bunch is the best hope for the Scarlet Knights.

And Rutgers will have some success with that, but I think Dickinson gets going inside, which allows Livers, Wagners and Chaundee Brown to get going from deep.

Michigan wins the battle inside and on the 3-point line, which is why the Wolverines will win a game that proves to be a bit of a grind but sees U-M pull away.

Final score: Michigan 70, Rutgers 60