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College Basketball

Wednesday’s Tip Sheet

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The Big Ten gets a jump on its conference schedule this week with a number of big matchups on the board.

The two head-to-head conference showdowns highlighting Wednesday night’s college basketball slate starts with the Wisconsin Badgers on the road against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The second Big Ten battle of note pits the Michigan Wolverines against the Fighting Illini of Illinois

Wisconsin at Rutgers (Big Ten, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Rutgers -1.5, 125

Betting Matchup

The Badgers started conference play on a strong note with an impressive 84-64 victory against Indiana on Saturday as slight 1 ½-point home underdogs. They improved to 5-4 SU with 3-6 record ATS. The total went OVER 127 points against the Hoosiers after staying UNDER in Wisconsin’s previous three outings. Kobe King scored a career-best 24 points while shooting 54 percent from the field to pace the win against Indiana. Junior forward Nate Reuvers leads the Badgers in scoring with 15.4 points per game. He scored 20 points in Saturday’s contest.

Rutgers opened its Big Ten schedule on Sunday with a 77-65 road loss to Michigan State but it covered as a 14-point underdog. It has now covered in three of its last four games to improve to 4-4-1 ATS while winning six of the nine games SU. The total went OVER 141 ½-points in the loss to the Spartans. It has gone OVER in the Scarlet Knights’ last four games. Senior forward Akwasi Yeboah scored a team-high 17 points in Sunday’s loss. Sophomore guard Ron Harper Jr. is the teams leading scorer this season with 12.8 PPG. He put up nine points in that game.

Betting Trends

-- The Badgers are 5-1 SU in their last six Big Ten games with the total staying UNDER in seven of their last 10 games on the road.

-- The Scarlet Knights have gone 8-2 ATS over their last 10 conference games and the total has stayed UNDER in their last 10 games played on a Wednesday.

-- Last season’s two-game series was split 1-1 SU and ATS. Indiana has won six of the last eight meetings SU but the series is tied 4-4 ATS. The total has gone OVER in two of the last three matchups.

No. 5 Michigan at Illinois (Big Ten, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Michigan -1, 143

Betting Matchup

Michigan (8-1 SU, 6-3 ATS) entered the national rankings at No. 4 with impressive back-to-back victories against North Carolina and Gonzaga in a holiday tournament. The Wolverines went on to lose to No. 1 Louisville 58-43 as six-point road underdogs on Dec. 3 ahead of Friday’s 103-91 victory over Iowa as seven-point home favorites in their Big Ten opener. Franz Wagner led the way against Iowa with 18 points. All five Michigan starters ended that game in double figures with Brandon Johns Jr. scoring 12 points off the bench. The Wolverines are averaging 80.3 PPG.

Illinois blew a 15-point lead in Saturday’s 59-58 loss to No. 3 Maryland in its conference opener. The Fighting Illini are 6-3 SU with an even 4-4 record ATS. They closed as 10-point road underdogs against the Terrapins with the total staying UNDER 142 points. Illinois is ranked 10th in the nation when it comes to scoring with 83.9 PPG. Five different players are averaging as least 10 points a game led by freshman center Kofi Cockburn (15.4 points). He also leads the team in rebounds with 10.7 a game.

Betting Trends

-- The Wolverines have covered ATS in five of their last seven conference games and the total has gone OVER in four of their last six road games.

-- The Fighting Illini are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games played in December and they have failed to cover in seven of their last 10 Wednesday games.

-- Michigan as the 8-2 SU edge in the last 10 meetings with a 6-3-1 record ATS . The total has gone OVER in seven of those 10 games. Michigan has won the last two meetings by identical 79-69 scores.

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