Big Ten Battle

The Big Ten has seen better times on the hardcourt, but the top team in the conference will be in action Thursday night (7 PM ET, ESPN) when the Wisconsin Badgers visit the Michigan Wolverines. The No. 11-ranked Badgers lead the way at 21-4 SU and 11-11 ATS; the Wolverines are in the middle of the pack at 16-9 SU and 9-13 ATS.

Although Michigan has fallen to +20000 on the March Madness futures market, this program has some things going for them – especially on offense, where senior guard Derrick Walton (+9.6 BPM) is putting up 17.6 points and 4.4 assists per 40 minutes while hitting 44.2% of his 3-point attempts. Walton was 3-of-5 from behind the arc in last month’s 68-64 loss to Wisconsin (–11.5) at the Kohl Center.

The Badgers (+3300 to win March Madness) may be the best the Big Ten has to offer, but they’re 2-6 ATS in their last eight games, starting with that narrow victory over Michigan. They’re also coming off a 66-59 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats, once again coughing up the cash as 11.5-point home favorites. Shooting just 66.6% from the free-throw line hasn’t helped their cause.