Michigan Basketball: 3 predictions for Wolverines vs Michigan State
Who wins?
When I first looked at the spread, it definitely gave me some pause. It didn’t feel like Michigan basketball should have been the eight-point favorite it was against Illinois and on paper, a 12-point spread might make sense, especially against the No. 60 team in the Kenpom rankings.
But against Michigan State, you can throw the records out the window. Izzo has been very successful in this rivalry and in everything he’s done at Michigan State. His team will be ready for this, just as I expect Howard to have his team ready.
In fact, I’d expect Michigan to be frothing at the mouth for this one. Not because of their dislike for MSU, although that will certainly play a part, mostly to get the awful taste out of their mouth from Tuesday.
The Wolverines need to approach this game like it’s a Game 6 in a best-of-seven series and Game 7 is on the road. If Michigan drops this game, it would need to win in East Lansing to clinch the crown and that’s a situation U-M would surely like to avoid.
It won’t be pretty for 40 minutes, but I think Dickinson is tough enough and Livers hits enough big shots to put Michigan over the top. Yet, I think it’s closer than the experts think.
Next. 3 Keys to Michigan beating Michigan State. dark
Final score: Michigan 75, Michigan State 67