College Basketball 2017 Lines: Michigan At Wisconsin

For teams that don’t really figure to be part of the March Madness picks picture, games versus ranked opponents often serve as a sign to how close that team is to being competitive. Of course, these games also have the possibility of showing just how unprepared a team is to go against the big boys. The Michigan Wolverines are at 12-6 on the season, and they will have their second test against a ranked opponent on Tuesday night when they go on the road to face a Big Ten rival in the form of the Wisconsin Badgers. The Wolverines were badly manhandled in their first crack at a ranked team, getting heavily blown out by UCLA, and they will be hoping to keep things a little closer here. Wisconsin are a half game back of Maryland at the top of the conference, and they will be looking at this game as an opportunity to keep the pace, or perhaps even sneak into the top spot. I expect Wisconsin to be quite heavy favorites coming into this Tuesday night duel.

In Depth Analysis On The College Basketball 2017 Betting Lines: Wolverines At Badgers

When: Tuesday, January 17 at 9 PM EST Where: Kohl Center, Madison TV: ESPN Live Stream: Watch ESPN NCAAB Odds: TBA    

Why bet on the Michigan Wolverines

The Wolverines have been a little up and down since starting conference play, going 2-3 so far, and struggling to find any sort of consistency. To make matters worse, they have played 4 games on the road this season, and have yet to pick up a win. It also doesn’t help that their recent record versus Wisconsin has been pretty grim, as they have gone just 2-8 in their last 10 meetings with the Badgers. Where they have been okay in those meetings is against the spread, with the mark at 5-5 in those 10 games. Michigan Wolverines are just 4-11 ATS this season, and have underperformed on the road, going 0-4 ATS in their 4 lined road games.

Why bet on the Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin will start this week with a 14-3 record, and will be considered a heavy favorite here given that they have yet to lose to an unranked opponent. They started last week ranked #18 in the nation, but it’s going to be interesting to see if they drop a little after losing to Purdue early in the week. One thing that they have in their favor coming into this one, other than their recent dominance over Michigan, is how well they have played at home this season. Wisconsin are a perfect 10-0 in their own building this season, and they have also gone 6-1 ATS in lined games played at home. That would appear to make them a pretty solid bet for this one.  

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

While strange things can sometimes happen in college basketball, the reality is that this is a game that should be straightforward for Wisconsin. They have been untouchable on home court this season, whereas Michigan has struggled badly on the road.

Michigan Wolverines 59 Wisconsin Badgers 71