While there is still a lot of battling going on in the bubble for those teams who have not yet punched their 2019 March Madness ticket, there is also a battle raging at the top of the rankings among those teams who know that they are in. The reality is that there is no easy path to the national championship game, but things can be made that much more manageable by landing one of the top two seeds in the region when the bracket is released. With that in mind, you can bet that the top-ranked teams will not be taking their foot off the gas as the regular season winds down.
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Those top seed spots are the equivalent of gold dust, and with changes happening daily at the top of the national rankings, teams know that there is work to be done to land those prime spots. Michigan is very much in the conversation for one of those top seeds in the bracket, so look for them to come out strong at home versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Thursday night. The Wolverines are in as a 12 point favorite, with the point total set at 130 ½.
Nebraska vs Michigan NCAAB Odds, Preview & Prediction
“I grew up on a farm. We pruned a lot of trees. The only way you get great fruit is if you prune trees. We got pruned on Sunday.”
John Beilein believes @umichbball’s loss to MSU came at the perfect time. pic.twitter.com/CFtPtA8TR2 — Brad Galli (@BradGalli) 28 de febrero de 2019
- When: Thursday, February 28 at 7 PM EST
- Where: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- NCAAB Odds: Michigan Wolverines -12 (Total 130.5)
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Why bet on the Nebraska Cornhuskers?
At this stage of the season, the only thing that the Nebraska Cornhuskers have to play for is to try and close out the regular season with a winning record. They are 15-13 heading into their Thursday night game with the Michigan Wolverines, but they have now lost back to back games and have 2 more games to come against ranked opponents after this one. They need to win 1 of their final 3 to ensure a record above .500 in the regular season, but that is certainly not a given.
Nebraska have managed just 1 win against Michigan in their last 10 meetings, plus they have just 1 win in their last 7 road games overall. They are a mere 1-6 SU versus ranked teams this season and are 3-6 ATS on the roads, although they have gone 3-2 ATS as a road dog.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 71.89
- Field Goal Percentage: 43.00
- Three-Point Percentage: 33.86
- Free Throw Percentage: 70.82
- Total Rebounds: 36.11
Defense
- Total Score: 64.46
- Field Goal Percentage: 40.51
- Three-Point Percentage: 30.89
- Free Throw Percentage: 69.21
- Total Rebounds: 38.04
Why bet on the Michigan Wolverines?
It was a disappointing start to the week for Michigan, who went down 77-70 to Michigan State in their own building, taking their season record to a still impressive 24-4 in the process. It has been a bit of an uneven finish to the season for the Wolverines, with their shot at winning the Big Ten regular season title probably going out the window with that loss to the Spartans.
That said, they will close out the season with a game against their in-state rivals, but they need to also get a win here, as well as against a ranked Maryland team fighting for their playoff lives, before they get to that game. The Wolverines have been a little disappointing against the spread at home, going just 8-9 ATS.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 70.32
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.77
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.54
- Free Throw Percentage: 69.50
- Total Rebounds: 35.18
Defense
- Total Score: 58.36
- Field Goal Percentage: 39.97
- Three-Point Percentage: 29.84
- Free Throw Percentage: 65.97
- Total Rebounds: 34.43
Nebraska vs Michigan NCAAB Betting Trends
- Nebraska is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- Nebraska is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nebraska’s last 7 games on the road
- Michigan is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home
- Michigan is 24-1 SU in its last 25 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Michigan’s last 5 games at home
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
I don’t think that there is any doubt that Michigan win this one and given that they will have a bit of a chip on their shoulder after their loss to the rivals, I think they might just do enough to cover the spread.
Score: Nebraska Cornhuskers 60 – Michigan Wolverines 73
