The Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, MI. Tip-off is set for 3:45 p.m. ET on CBS.
Michigan is favored by 3.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -155. The total is set at 159.5 points.
Here’s my Illinois vs. Michigan predictions and college basketball picks for March 2, 2025.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Michigan Wolverines Prediction, Picks
My Pick: Illinois +3.5
My Illinois vs Michigan best bet is on the Illini spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Illinois vs Michigan Odds, Line, Spread
| Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -102 | 160.5 -110o / -110u | +128 |
| Michigan Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -120 | 160.5 -110o / -110u | -154 |
- Illinois vs Michigan spread: Michigan -2.5, Illinois +2.5
- Illinois vs Michigan over/under: 160.5
- Illinois vs Michigan moneyline: Michigan ML -154, Illinois ML +128
- Illinois vs Michigan best bet: Illinois +3.5
Spread
I'm taking the Illini on the spread.
Moneyline
I have no play on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I have no play on the total.
My Pick: Illinois +3.5
Illinois vs Michigan NCAAB Preview
As a Michigan basketball fan, I've been excited all year for this game because Illinois has beaten Michigan eight straight times.
I think Michigan is a better overall basketball team, but guess what? I hate this spot for a bunch of reasons.
Michigan is playing for a conference title, but it's overachieved this season as a whole.
The Wolverines are tied for first in the Big Ten despite Bart Torvik labeling them as the 10th-best squad in an 18-team league since the middle of January. That means they've been worse than Indiana and Northwestern in their last 10 games, which is insane.
Bettors, fans and the media are out on the Illini, but they're supposedly loving Michigan.
I'm putting my money in a wise spot, though, as it's going to come crashing down for Michigan. Michigan has been as bad at shooting the basketball as Illinois since January 18, as both of these teams are hitting 28% from 3.
I don't really trust positive variance for Michigan either because Roddy Gayle Jr. and Rubin Jones aren't the guys that are going to fix this. Plus, they have no depth, and Tre Donaldson looks like a shell of himself.
Illinois is one of the only teams in the country that's big enough to actually hang with Michigan down low. The Illini have huge positional size, and their 2-point percentage offense and defense is solid.
I think the big question for me is: What's Ben Humrichous' role? That's the reason I spent all of December and January thinking this would be a great matchup for Michigan.
However, against Iowa, Brad Underwood finally pushed Humrichous to the bench and threw him into a 14-minute role, even without Morez Johnson Jr. available. Underwood went all in on Will Riley.
Riley is all around better for what Illinois is trying to do on both sides of the ball — instead of trying to force Humrichous into this volume 3-point shooting role.
I see the right personnel tweaks, and I think the Illini are finally in the right spot at full health.
If we get the team we saw at Iowa, the Illini are definitively a better team than what Michigan has been for the last month.
So, give me the Illini, even though it hurts my heart.
