The Wisconsin Badgers got the better of the Michigan Wolverines in these two teams’ most recent showdown. That should be enough motivation for the Wolverines to beat Wisconsin this Saturday in Ann Arbor, where thousands of Wolverines fans will let the Badgers hear it. Will the Badgers sweep their regular season series with Michigan? Or will the Wolverines get back at Wisconsin?
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Betting Preview for the Wisconsin Badgers vs. Michigan Wolverines College Basketball Game on February 9, 2019
Where: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor
When: Saturday, February 9, 2019, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Wisconsin Badgers (odds) vs. Michigan Wolverines (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers (16-6 Overall / 8-3 Conference)
The Badgers had another nice week. They went 2-0 SU last week with a quality road win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Jan. 30 and a victory at home against No. 21 Maryland Terrapins last Saturday, 69-61. That extended their winning streak to five wins, a stretch that includes a surprise 64-54 takedown of the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines in Madison on Jan. 19. The Badgers have a date with the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road this coming Wednesday before meeting the Wolverines again. The Badgers managed to beat Wolverine with their excellent defense and heavy dosage of Ethan Happ. The Badgers held Michigan to only 40.7 percent from the field and just 5-for-18 from deep. Wisconsin’s perimeter defense has been fantastic with teams making just 31.6 percent from distance against Wisconsin. Happ, meanwhile, scattered 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds with a 12-for-22 shooting in 33 minutes. He’ll definitely have a target on his back on Saturday, so the likes of D’Mitrik Trice and Brad Davison will have to put in extra work. The two combined for only 14 points in the win over Michigan.
Wisconsin is 6-4 straight up (SU) in its last 10 road games against Michigan.
Betting on the Michigan Wolverines (20-2 Overall / 9-2 Conference)
Just when the Wolverines were looking like a dominant national force again with consecutive wins following the loss to Wisconsin, Michigan got tripped up again. Michigan saw its three-game winning streak come to a halt last Saturday, losing to unranked Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, 74-59. Nevertheless, the Wolverines are very much in the race for the conference title. The focus for now is getting back on their feet in a grand way, and the game against a rampaging Wisconsin unit is a perfect chance for John Beilein’s team to do it. Michigan needs to recover its shooting touch after throwing countless bricks in the Iowa game in which the Wolverines shot just 32.3 percent from the field and 8-for-23 from the 3-point area. That’s especially true for Charles Matthews, who had a salty 2-for-12 shooting line against Iowa. He’s third on the team with 12.6 points per game, and his production could be the barometer for success of Michigan, which got just five points from him in the earlier meeting with the Badgers.
The Wolverines are 14-0 SU but just 6-8 against the spread (ATS) when playing at home so far this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Michigan evens it up with Wisconsin with a 74-66 win.
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