Game Time: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 7th, 2021

Venue: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska

Where to Watch: ESPN

DraftKings: Spread: Michigan -7;  

BetMGM: NL

PointsBet:  NL  

Michigan: 0-0 conf, 5-3 overall (Big Ten)

Nebraska: 0-1 conf, 5-4 overall (Big Ten)

A Big Ten matchup between opponents that will face each other twice this season.  Michigan won their last basketball game on Saturday against San Diego State 72-58… I’m betting no one at Michigan saw it. The Michigan faithful were more wrapped up in touchdowns, interceptions, sacks,  and finally beating Ohio State in football on ABC.  Michigan proved they were the better football team and more than just a top-10 team… the kids stormed the field with a season-high euphoria. Even the parents and girlfriends of the Michigan Wolverines basketball team players were not watching!

The Michigan basketball team will get more eyeballs on Tuesday… but they will need to start winning soon if they expect to cause any Euphoria.  They have already lost to Seton Hall, #11 Arizona, and North Carolina… which would represent the only 3 teams of any quality they have played.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have lost their last two games to Indiana and NC State and they have #18 Auburn coming in the game after Michigan… They will have to win this game against Michigan or the Huskers season could be over before it really gets started.

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RECENT FORM

Michigan is 5-3 on the season, but 3-5 ATS.  They have logged 3 Overs and 5 Unders.  They are 0-1 in road games.

Nebraska is 5-4 on the season, but 4-5 ATS.  They have notched 5 Overs and 4 Unders.  They are a solid 5-2 in home games.

The Wolverines are 238th in offense and only scoring 69.3 points per game.  They are 87th in rebounds with 35.8 per game, 242nd in AST/TO ratio with 0.9, 179th in Blocks with 3.3 per game.  The Michigan Defense is as solid as defenses come under coach Howard… they absolutely need more or better offense.  The big downfall for Michigan scoring is what brings down a lot of college offenses… poor free throw shooting!  They are 271st in college basketball with a sad 66.7% FT percentage.

The Cornhuskers are 97th in PTS with 77.1 per game, 108th in rebounds with 35.2, 91st in AST/TO ratio with 1.2, and 171st in Blocks with 3.3 per game.  They have the same blocks (3.3) as the Wolverines but are ranked differently by a few spots… that is based on the amount of shots they have defended to get to that number.  The Huskers are shooting 72.6% from the free throw line… which is better but still not great.  They score an extra six points per 100 free throws than the Wolverines.

Our prediction for Saturday, December 5th is .. Michigan 76 - Nebraska 65

Michigan for the win and the cover.  Nebraska’s wins are against college basketball wallflowers.  Their stats are fugazzi.  The Over/Under line is not set yet… but I would go Over if the line ends up at anything 138 or below.  

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Michigan is 3-0 ATS versus Nebraska over the last 3 seasons.

Michigan is 2-0 ATS versus Nebraska at Nebraska over the last 3 seasons.

4-7 of this matchup at Nebraska has gone Over since 1997.

Mich: Forward, M. Diabate (illness) Quest

Neb: Guard, T McGowens (foot) Out indefinitely

Mich: C Hunter Dickinson, F DeVante Jones, F Caleb Houstan, G Zeb Jackson, G Eli Brooks

Neb: G Alonzo Verge Jr, G Bryce McGowens, G Keisei Tominaga, F Lat Mayen, F Derrick Walker

Michigan

Points: Hunter Dickinson 14.5

Assists: DeVante’ Jones 3.5

Rebounds: Hunter Dickinson 8.5

Steals: Eli Brooks 1.5

Blocks: Hunter Dickinson 1.1

Nebraska

Points: Bryce McGowens 17.3

Assists: Alonzo Verge Jr 5.6

Rebounds: Bryce McGowens 6.9

Steals: Alonzo Verge Jr 1.4
Blocks: Derrick Walker 1.3

Michigan:  Juwan Howard.  Coach Howard was himself a legendary Michigan Wolverine basketball player.  A member of the ‘fab five”, he went on to be the 5th pick in the 1994 NBA draft.  He played in the NBA for nearly 20 seasons and has two championship rings.  He then was an assistant coach for those LeBron James Miami Heat Championship teams.  Coach Howard took the head coaching job at Michigan in 2019… In 2021 he won the Big Ten Coach Of The Year award AND his team won the Big Ten Regular Season Championship AND the Sporting News Coach of the Year AND the Henry Iba Award ANd the AP coach of the year. At 48 years old Coach Howard has 30 years of the highest levels of basketball experience.

Nebraska: Fred Hoiberg.  Coach Hoiberg played college basketball at Iowa State and became a second round pick in the 1995 NBA draft.   He played 8-9 NBA seasons. He was named the Iowa State head coach in 2010, he had that job for 4 seasons before jumping a lot of steps to land the job as head coach of the Chicago Bulls.  He was fired after 3 lousy seasons and landed as the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhusker in 2019… Coach Hoiberg has no rings as a player… and his lone coaching award is the 2012 Big 12 Coach of the Year.