Michigan vs Northwestern Odds, Pick for Thursday

The Michigan Wolverines will pack their bags and travel to Evanston, Illinois, to face the Northwestern Wildcats.

Michigan put forth a valiant effort in a loss on Saturday against Michigan State, but it has even less weapons now.

The Wolverines are trying to put together a strong finish to a disastrous season. I don’t think anyone saw them comfortably making the NCAA tournament entering the year, but potentially finishing below 10 wins was certainly unexpected.

For a program with such a strong history and lineage, finishing at the bottom of the Big Ten is a total embarrassment.

Juwan Howard’s future is now in question, so him carving up some wins in the next few games could determine whether he’s coaching in Ann Arbor or not next year.

We know Dug McDaniel can’t play in road games, but now Olivier Nkamhoua suffered a season-ending injury. That means Michigan will play without its two most important players on a roster that’s only mustered eight wins.

McDaniel leads Michigan with 16.9 points per game and Nkamhoua trails closely behind with 14.8 points. Replacing nearly 40 points of production won’t come easy for Michigan, but how can the Wolverines do it?

Jaelin Llewellyn, Terrance Williams II and Nimari Burnett will all be used more than usual. Llewellyn and Burnett, in particular, could use strong scoring games — like they’ve put up in the past.

Williams is the biggest scorer of the bunch, though, as he's averaging 12 points per contest.

The Wolverines will look for more shot-creation and playmaking prowess from these three.

Northwestern looks firmly cemented as an NCAA tournament team — barring some Q3 or Q4 losses down the stretch. Losing outright against Michigan would fit the mold as a loss Northwestern can’t afford.

The Wildcats enter play at 18-8 and are coming off a win over Indiana in Bloomington.

Boo Buie is one of the true elite point guards in college hoops. Northwestern’s legendary guard averages 19 points and 5.2 assists a game while shooting a dazzling 41% from downtown. He’s not only a big-time scorer and passer, but Buie shines in the biggest moments.

When it’s a close game, it’s Buie time.

The Wildcats' shooting isn’t as potent without Ty Berry (out for the season), but Ryan Langborg is an elite marksman in his own right. He dropped 26 points in the win over Indiana and connected on over 40% of his tries from long distance.

The Wildcats feature more size without Berry, placing Nick Martinelli in Berry’s starting spot. The extra size could play in Northwestern’s favor against Michigan’s depleted interior options.

Without McDaniel, Michigan is getting waxed on the road. It's lost four of the five games sans McDaniel by 15+ points — only losing by seven against Maryland.

Plus, Northwestern is fully equipped to dominate bad teams, which is beneficial in more ways than one.

Adding another win is good, but adding some style points will help from a metrics perspective. And that's big for making the Big Dance.

Pick: Northwestern -11.5 (Play to -13)