Michigan Wolverines vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 2/27/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan Wolverines vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Friday, February 27, 2026

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: ESPN+

State Farm Center is where the Illinois Fighting Illini (22-6) will try to beat the Michigan Wolverines (26-2) on Friday.

The Michigan Wolverines played Minnesota and earned the victory with a final of 77-67 in their last contest. Regarding personal fouls, the Wolverines left the arena with 9 while Minnesota recorded 9 personal fouls. They also made 12 of 34 tries from long range. Minnesota finished the game shooting 83.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 5 of their 6 tries. Furthermore, Minnesota pulled down 16 rebounds (1 offensive, 15 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Minnesota distributed 15 assists and had 8 steals for this contest. Regarding defending, Michigan allowed the other team to go 45.5% from the field on 25 out of 55 shooting. They also recorded 19 assists for the matchup as well as forcing 8 turnovers and having 3 steals. With respect to hauling in rebounds, they collected 37 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Wolverines buried 5 of 5 tries for a rate of 100.0%. Michigan finished with a 50.0% field goal percentage (29 out of 58) and knocked down 14 of their 33 3-point attempts.

Elliot Cadeau is one player who was a factor for the matchup. He accumulated 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting. He played 31 mins played and snagged 4 boards. He ended up going 60.0% from the field and also totaled 5 dimes.

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Michigan will play this game with a win-loss record of 26-2 on the season. They have an average of 89.1 points per game (7th in D-1) while going 51.0% from the floor. The Wolverines are connecting on 36.0% on shots from downtown (264 of 733) and 73.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Michigan is snagging 40.9 rebounds per game and has racked up 542 assists for the year, which is 2nd in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 12.1 times per game and as a squad are committing 15.9 fouls every game.

Defensively, the Wolverines are forcing their opponents into 11.9 turnovers every game and they draw 20.0 fouls. They surrender 29.5% on three-point shots while they are 55th in college hoops in points per game allowed (68.7). The Wolverines are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 37.7% (673 of 1,787) and they relinquish 31.5 boards per game as a squad. They are 18th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 301 conceded on the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Illinois Fighting Illini went home defeated by a final of 95-94 when they faced UCLA. The Fighting Illini recorded 20 defensive boards and 20 offensive boards totaling 40 in this contest. They coughed up the ball 9 times, while getting 2 steals in the matchup. UCLA had 21 personal fouls for this game which got the Fighting Illini to the charity stripe for 31 tries. They were able to knock down 25 of those for a clip of 80.6%. When it comes to shots from downtown, Illinois converted 13 out of 42 tries (31.0%). When the final whistle was blown, the Fighting Illini finished 28 for 69 from the floor which had them at 40.6%. The Fighting Illini permitted UCLA to knock down 34 out of 67 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 50.7% for the game. They shot 39.3% from 3-point land by hitting 11 out of 28 and ended up shooting 16 of 19 from the free throw line (84.2%). In reference to cleaning the glass, Illinois allowed UCLA to pull down 23 in all (7 on the offensive side).

Keaton Wagler was important for the Fighting Illini for the matchup. He made 5 out of 15 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and had 8 rebounds. He recorded 19 points in his 39 mins on the court and totaled 6 assists in this matchup.

Illinois has a record of 22-6 on the year. The Fighting Illini are committing 13.3 fouls per game and they shoot 79.2% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 14.9 times per game (120th in D-1) and they are turning it over 9.1 times per contest. Illinois has accumulated 2,384 pts so far this season (85.1 per contest) and they pull in 41.2 boards per game. As an offensive team, the Fighting Illini are connecting on 46.5% from the floor, which has them ranked 114th in college hoops.

The Fighting Illini defensively are ranked 62nd in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 69.0. They are forcing 7.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 40.7% from the field (34th in college). The Illinois defense surrenders 32.2% on shots from distance (236 of 732) and opponents are making 72.0% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 13.5 assists and 30.6 rebounds every game, which is ranked 189th and 19th in those categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Michigan

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