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"All of our guys still have a long ways to go," Michigan
coach John Beilein told reporters. "We're playing talented teams
and we just have to make it through." Illinois is left to pick
up the pieces following a 96-80 loss to Indiana on Saturday. The
Fighting Illini ripped off six consecutive wins to close out the
non-conference portion of their schedule and seemed poised to
make a serious run at ending their three-year NCAA Tournament
drought, but have struggled in Big Ten action, losing two of
their first three games by an average margin of 20.5 points.
Illinois has lost 10 of the last 11 meetings with Michigan,
including a 78-68 defeat in Champaign last season, and they hope
to turn their fortunes around by winning their fifth straight
game at the State Farm Center.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, BTN
ABOUT MICHIGAN (11-5, 1-2 Big Ten): Moritz Wagner scored 15 of
his 17 points in the second half to spearhead the Wolverines'
late rally against Maryland but it wasn't enough as they dropped
their first game at Crisler Center since Nov. 30, 2016. Zak
Irvin added 15 points but committed five of Michigan's nine
turnovers while D.J. Wilson went 3-of-3 from beyond the arc en
route to 13 points against the Terrapins. Derrick Walton Jr.,
who was held to five points on 2-of-7 shooting, needs one more
assist to pass Manny Harris (366) for 10th place on the
Wolverines' all-time list.
ABOUT ILLINOIS (11-5, 1-2 Big Ten): Senior guard Malcolm Hill
poured in 19 of his 21 points in the second half of the loss to
Indiana to pass Andy Kaufmann (1,533) for 10th place on the
program's all-time scoring list. Jalen Coleman-Lands drained
five 3-pointers en route to a season-high 21 points while
Maverick Morgan added 18 points against the Hoosiers. "I'm not
by any means a moral victories guy as that's not my deal,"
Illinois coach John Groce told reporters. "I despise getting
beat but the way they battled for a majority of the game …
showed me a lot about our team."
TIP-INS
1. Michigan has committed 10 or fewer turnovers in 11 of 16
games this season.
2. Hill has scored at least 20 points in four consecutive games.
3. Walton leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage (91.8).
PREDICTION: Illinois 74, Michigan 69
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