Spread & Over/Under Predictions For Michigan vs. Rutgers

Michigan gets it going in the Big Ten Tournament against Rutgers.

With the regular season in the books, Michigan is now 17-14 as it prepares for the Big Ten Tournament and a slight chance at making the Big Dance. The Wolverines can pick up another Quad 1 win against the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers on Thursday afternoon.

All season long Michigan has gone back and forth between playing pretty solid basketball and basketball that's just not quite good enough to beat good teams, especially recently, late in games. Tomorrow, they'll get a chance to show how good and consistent they can be against a solid Rutgers team that they just beat on Feb. 23 in Piscataway.

Spread: Michigan -2.5

Just 15 days ago, when Michigan took on Rutgers in Piscataway, the Wolverines were 5.5-point underdogs. For tomorrow's matchup in Chicago, the Wolverines are 2.5-point favorites. Even though Michigan has lost two in a row, they've played pretty well overall and went to overtime against two good teams on the road. Rutgers has also lost two games in a row, but one was at home and the other was against Minnesota. Michigan knows that its playing for its tournament life and should be riding a slightly bigger wave than Rutgers. 

The Pick: Michigan -2.5 

Over/Under: 132.5

As for the point total, it feels like points could be at a premium in this one, again. Rutgers is an elite defensive team giving up around 60 points per game, good for top ten in the country. Picking a winner or the spread is tough in this one, but rolling with the UNDER feels like a pretty safe bet for the second matchup in a row. Two weeks ago, these two teams scored just 103 points combined. It seems like they'll both do a little better than that, but the under still feels like the safer play.

The Pick: Under