DTM’s College Hoops Tourney Week Special | ILL vs. MICH
2 min read
BIG 10 TOURNEY SECOND ROUND
Illinois Fighting Illini (18-13) vs. Michigan Wolverines (20-11)
When: 12:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 9, 2017
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia
America’s Bookie Line: Michigan -6
TV Coverage: BTN
By Dan Leach
Follow Dan on Twitter @DanLeach971
Day two of the B1G tourney gets going with what should be an excellent contest between two teams hungry to punch at worst their at-large ticket to the NCAA Tourney. Michigan likely is in whether they win or lose this one with 20 wins on the season and solid resume. Illinois which had won five of six before losing to Rutgers in their regular season finale probably needs to win at least one if not two games in the Big Ten tourney.
Michigan is the type of team that if they get into the Big Dance could go on a run with their senior leadership in Derrick Walton Jr and Zak Irvin alongside standout big man Mo Wagner. Illinois can shoot it from everywhere and is also capable of getting hot and being able to hang with anyone as they showed in their late season run.
The Illini are going to need this game more and the question will be can Michigan, who knows they aren’t a shoe-in yet, but in much better position, can match Illinois’ intensity especially early in this one?
The easy answer is yes, and even with so much on the line for the Illini, I just see Michigan as having too much fire power and in the end will win this one somewhat comfortably. Look for Illinois to start pressing early in this one and that being to their detriment as Michigan will have all the answers when it matters most. If there were any questions for Michigan making the NCAA tourney they will be answered with a big win here.
7.8 DTM Bagels and Locks on the Wolverines (MICH -6)
Dan Leach was the world’s first human to live under the sea for more than 60 days, created what is now used as the International Olympic Flag, was the basis of Denzel Washington’s character Frank Lucas in “American Gangster”, Is often consulted on matters of national “Sports Security”, was the first human to interview Dracula, started the American Revolution on a dare, once sat in on drums with Led Zeppelin, and is a noted expert in the field of Time Travel.
