As it prepares to host No. 15 Illinois on Sunday, Michigan (15-11, 9-7 Big Ten) finds itself on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble … but on the bubble nonetheless, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm. The Illini, meanwhile, are trying to stay in the running for a regular-season Big Ten title with the likes of Purdue, Wisconsin and Ohio State.
It was just a week ago that Wolverines’ head coach Juwan Howard struck Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft in a postgame incident that landed Howard a five-game suspension. While the timing could hardly be worse for a Michigan team in need of a strong finish, the program is fortunate to have Phil Martelli standing in for Howard. The associate head coach came to Michigan in 2019 after a storied 24-year run at St. Joseph’s and coached the Wolverines to a big 71-62 win over Rutgers on Wednesday.
Illinois (19-8, 12-5) enters off an 86-83 loss to Ohio State in which a furious late rally came up just short after Illini coach Brad Underwood was ejected for picking up two technical fouls. Illinois won the first meeting between these teams 68-53 at home on Jan. 14. The Wolverines are 8-4 since then, however, and they should get considerable boost from their home crowd as an NCAA Tournament bid hangs in the balance.
How to watch Illinois vs. Michigan live
Date: Sunday, Feb. 27 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Crisler Center — Ann Arbor, Michigan
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
Illinois vs. Michigan prediction, picks
Featured Game | Michigan Wolverines vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois star big man Kofi Cockburn fouled out with 4:33 left in the loss to Ohio State on Thursday after playing just 24 minutes and shooting just 5 of 15 from the floor. He’s not the type of player to post consecutive poor games. Look for the Illini to win a close one to stay in the Big Ten title race. Prediction: Illinois 75, Michigan 72
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