The Michigan Wolverines take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Greensboro, NC. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM on ESPN2.
In this particular matchup, the Demon Deacons are favored by 1 point on the spread with a moneyline of -115. The total is also set at 156.
Here are my Michigan vs Wake Forest predictions and college basketball picks for November 10, 2024.
Michigan vs Wake Forest Prediction
My Pick: Michigan -2.5
MyMichigan vs Wake Forest best bet is on the Wolverines spread, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Wake Forest vs Michigan Odds, Spread
| Michigan Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -110 | 156 -110o / -110u | -134 |
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 -110 | 156 -110o / -110u | +112 |
- Michigan vs. Wake Forest spread: Wake Forest -1
- Michigan vs. Wake Forest over/under: 156
- Michigan vs. Wake Forest moneyline: Wake Forest -115, Michigan -105
- Michigan vs. Wake Forest best bet: Michigan -2.5
Michigan vs Wake Forest NCAAB Betting Preview
I'm not sure I imagined Wake Forest struggling with Coppin State and North Carolina A&T, but here we are.
It's pretty easy to identify why the Demon Deacons have looked disappointing in two double-digit wins — Hunter Sallis scored 10 and 14 points on below 40% shooting in both games. The biggest factor in the offensive struggles is Wake Forest's problematic shooting — hitting only 24% of its 3s.
The good thing is Sallis will get rolling. He averaged 18 ppg last year and single-handedly dragged the Deacons within arms reach of an NCAA Tourney bid.
That said, one thing that helped Sallis was having another scorer next to him. Boopie Miller served that role last year, averaging 15 ppg, and now he's at SMU. Who's that guy this year? It could be Ty-Laur Johnson, who struggled in the first two games, or freshman Juke Harris, who hasn't played much in either game.
I'm more concerned about Wake's shooting since the roster clearly misses a shooter at the four. Andrew Carr, who played the four last year, opened the Deacons' offense and created space for Sallis. The combination of Efton Reid, Trevon Spillers, and Omaha Billew in the frontcourt is pretty rough since none of them are shooting well.
In just two games, Wake Forest dropped from No. 44 in KenPom's initial rankings to No. 62 in the rankings entering Sunday. Wake Forest projects to be a bubble team, so style points against inferior teams are a huge plus in the non-con.
The ideal path for Wake Forest to have a successful season is buying into defense. If the Deacons are a defensive-first team, as the numbers suggest, it would be a huge rise from last year's team, which ranked 59th in defensive efficiency.
Will Dusty May bring Michigan back to where it belongs?
The first game of May's time in Maize and Blue looked promising, beating Cleveland State 101-53.
With a team that features just a trio of returnees, can Coach May quickly get the fans to buy into his culture? A win on Saturday against an ACC foe would go a long way.
Nothing about Michigan's starting backcourt is eye-popping, like the ones May had at FAU. He starts veterans Nimari Burnett and Tre Donaldson, but Burnett could be handy here with his defense against Sallis.
If the guards can't score consistently, then freshman LJ Cason has a chance to contribute. Cason scored 14 points in his college debut and is the best scorer among Michigan's guards.
Michigan similarly deploys the two big starting systems with transfers Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf. It looks different, though. Wolf can handle the ball and attack mismatches, whereas neither Wake big wants to dribble outside of 8-10 feet. If May opts to go smaller, that's an option, with Will Tschetter and Sam Walters both having shooting and size.
The Wolverines won't have a ton of success attacking the paint against two dominant rim-protectors. They'll need to get a shooting rhythm quickly and make Wake Forest defend in space, which I think happens.
Wake Forest vs Michigan Betting Analysis
I don't have a ton of faith in Wake Forest turning things around to where I trust them against top 40/45 teams, which Michigan might be.
Between Wake's shaky guard play besides Sallis and the lack of shooting in the front court, Wake Forest's offense might just not be very good. To me, Wake Forest in 2024-25 is more like the 2022-23 team that won 19 games than the one that almost made the tournament last year.
I'll continue selling stock in a team I have little faith in.
