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
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
Who wins every college basketball game? And which teams could sink your bankroll? Visit SportsLine now to see how to pick every college basketball game, all from the model that simulates every game 10,000 times and has generated over $2,000 in profit the last four-plus years.
