Not since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers has a men's college basketball team gone undefeated in a given season. Although the Nebraska Cornhuskers have become a buzz saw under Fred Hoiberg's guidance, all signs point to them suffering at least one or more defeats this year. Their first might come on Tuesday night when they face the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Should we expect it?
Well, according to the latest betting odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, No. 5 Michigan will be laying a whopping 10.5 points at home to the visiting Cornhuskers. We are talking about Michigan being -650 on the moneyline and Nebraska being at +420. That is quite the discrepancy. Although Michigan does have one loss on the year thus far, it actually works in the Wolverines' advantage in this Big Ten game.
Whoever comes out on top in this one could potentially be the team that ends up winning the league. Even though Nebraska is having quite the moment on the hardwood, Michigan has the far better basketball history in their favor. Furthermore, this one is at home. Yes, Michigan was probably going to be favored in this No. 5 vs. No. 3 matchup, but to see it be by double digits is certainly astounding.
What all must Dusty May's team do on Tuesday night to hand Nebraska its first loss of the season?
Latest betting odds have Michigan beating Nebraska quite comfortably
In Chris Peterson's latest post for GBMWolverine on the Nebraska at Michigan game, he pointed out two very interesting things at play here. The first is that Nebraska is incredibly tough to beat from distance. The Huskers can score at will from behind the arc and they also defend that area of the court fantastically. As for Michigan, the Wolverines seem to have a real advantage inside of the paint.
To put it simply, Michigan will need to play with an aggressive physicality when it comes to 2-point field goals on both ends of the floor. Surely, this is a game where Michigan has to avoid second-chance opportunities for the Huskers on offense. If they get an extra shot off from behind the arc, odds are, that is likely going through the cylinder. It may be a battle of finesse vs. brawn in this one.
Overall, what the latest betting odds are telling us is that Michigan should be capable of putting Nebraska outside of its comfort zone. This is untrodden territory for them as a program. For Nebraska to win, the Cornhuskers will have to out-execute the Wolverines for the duration. More importantly, this is a game where May will have to hold his own vs. Hoiberg on the sidelines. It is all about upstairs...
Should Michigan win this one, the chances of the Wolverines cutting down the nets goes up majorly.