Preview, spread, predictions for Nebraska at Michigan basketball

On Wednesday, the Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-13, 4-9 Big Ten) will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to face off against the Michigan basketball team (13-10, 7-5 Big Ten). The Wolverines are currently in a six-way tie for 3rd place in the Big Ten — only behind Rutgers (8-4) and Purdue (11-2) — so Wednesday’s game is essential for the Wolverines.

Michigan basketball is coming in hot

After a rocky start to the 2022-23 season, which includes a 6-5 nonconference record and a home loss to Central Michigan, Michigan basketball appears to be headed in the right direction. The Wolverines now have two Quad 1 wins (Maryland and Northwestern) and plenty of Quad 1 games remaining on their schedule to compensate for lost ground.

Michigan basketball has won three of its last five games, including two-straight victories over solid teams heading into Wednesday’s game. The Wolverines boast a road win over Northwestern (Q1) and a home win against Ohio State (Q2) over the past week.

Michigan basketball will look to extend its winning streak to three in a row against the Cornhuskers — if the Wolverines can pull it off, it would be the first time since November that Michigan won more than two games consecutively.

Previewing Nebraska basketball

It should come as no surprise that Nebraska is having a rough year on the court. The Cornhuskers are 4-9 in Big Ten play (12th in conference standings) and sit two games below .500 on the season.

Still, Nebraska is coming off of an impressive 9-point victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions last weekend, so the Huskers are nothing to play around with. If Michigan basketball gets the opportunity to put Nebraska away early, it must take it or risk allowing the Huskers to pull off a second-straight upset win.

Nebraska basketball is 1-4 in its last five, with losses to Penn State, Northwestern, Maryland, and Illinois.

Derrick Walker is the player to watch on Nebraska’s roster — Walker leads the Huskers (per game) in points (13.2), rebounds (7.4), and blocks (0.6), as well as averages 3.6 assists and 0.6 steals per game. Walker is a 6-9, 245-pound senior forward with explosive potential, and shutting him down will be essential to the Wolverines’ success.

The Huskers have few actual threats from behind the arc, though again, Derrick Walker could be a problem if he gets hot — he is shooting 50 percent from 3-point-range on the season. As a team, Nebraska shoots 31.4 percent from downtown, 44.6 percent from the floor, and 63.0 percent from the free throw line.

Odds, spread, predictions

According to ESPN analytics, the Michigan basketball team has an 81.4 percent chance of victory on Wednesday night. The Wolverines are favored by 10 points heading into the matchup, and the over/under is set at 137.5.

PICK: Michigan 78, Nebraska 66

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