College Basketball Pick: #23 Michigan Wolverines at Nebraska Cornhuskers

The #23 Michigan Wolverines (16-4 Overall, 5-2 Big Ten) will be in Lincoln tonight for a 9 p.m. E.T. tipoff at the Pinnacle Bank Arena as they take on the unranked Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-7 Overall, 4-3 Big Ten). The Wolverines are third in the Big Ten, two games behind conference-leading Purdue and Ohio State. The Cornhuskers are sixth in the Big Ten, three games out of first. Our Michigan plays Nebraska 2018 NCAA basketball Big Ten pick offers the Wolverines at anywhere from -4.0 to -5.0 and the over/under between 133.5 and 134.5.

Recent History

The Wolverines have lost two Big Ten games with the first being against then unranked Ohio State 71-62 on Dec. 4. They also lost to #5 Purdue 70-69 on Jan 9. In their next game against the #4 Michigan State Spartans on Dec. 13, they were victorious 82-72. In their most recent game, which was Jan 15, they made it past Maryland 68-67. The Cornhuskers were on a four-game winning streak when they met #13 Purdue on Jan. 6. The Boilermakers beat Nebraska 74-62. Since that loss, the Cornhuskers beat Illinois and Wisconsin and lost in OT to Penn State 76-74.

Matchup

Although these two teams are fairly close on points for with the Wolverines putting in on average 76.3 PPG and the Cornhuskers 73.5 PPG, they are further apart on point allowed, as Michigan is giving up just 62.8 PPG while Nebraska is allowing 70.3 PPG. Also, Michigan is hitting 47.8% of their shots, while tonight’s opponents are good on 42.5%. Michigan moves the ball a bit better, while the Cornhuskers are bit better on the rebound. Foul shooting goes to Nebraska, as they have a 70.5% success rate and Michigan comes in with a completion rate of 66.1%. Also, Nebraska goes to the charity stripe a lot more than the Wolverines.

Players to Watch

For Michigan, junior forward Moritz Wagner (14.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 56 FG%) is a tough inside presence with solid inside scoring chops and a keen three-point eye (42 3PT%). Junior guard Charles Matthews, who like Wagner is averaging 14.9 PPG, is averaging 5.2 RPG and 3.0 APG while competing 53% of his field goals. Along with bringing down 4.1 RPG and making 3.2 APG, senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman offers some good scoring skills, averaging 10.4 PPG.

In our Michigan plays Nebraska 2018 NCAA basketball Big Ten pick, three juniors play important roles for the Cornhuskers. Guards James Palmer Jr. (15.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 44 FG%) and Glynn Watson Jr. (11.9 PPG, 3.3 APG, 38 FG%) are essential point scores, while Watson is also a good playmaker. Center Isaac Copeland (12.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 46 FG%) anchors the frontcourt. Senior guard Anton Gill, who’s averaging 9.5 PPG, is an 83% foul shooter.

Our Michigan Plays Nebraska 2018 NCAA Basketball Big Ten Pick

We are thinking that this game could be a tight one. The Cornhuskers have a good team, and they are adept at foul shooting. Being on their home court in Lincoln will also help Nebraska. For those reasons, our Michigan plays Nebraska 2018 NCAA basketball Big Ten pick is the Cornhuskers at +5.0. We like the over at 133.5.

Summary Wolverines at Cornhuskers Picks- Nebraska at +5.0 and over 133.5