College Basketball Odds Preview and Prediction: Elon Phoenix vs Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines are surging at the onset of the new college basketball season and they are looking to extend their searing charge to three straight wins as they host the Elon Phoenix on Friday night at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.

Pre-match odds indicate that the red hot Wolverines are head and shoulders above the competition, giving them a -27.5 handicap and -10,000 money line on American price. Their first two games were a success after they smoked the nets and displayed a no-nonsense type of basketball against the Creighton Bluejays and Appalachian State Mountaineers, respectively.

Preserving a well-established basketball reputation, we should not see Michigan slowing down anytime soon. Jon Teske anchors the ship with back-to-back double-double performances while Isaiah Livers and Zavier Simpson take turns in providing the needed support both on offense and defense.

After coming out swinging in their first two games, the Phoenix took a sudden dive as they fell prey at the hands of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in their third. Unfortunately for them, facing the Wolverines in a quest for a strong bounce-back is not a good idea at all. Elon has to face and endure an uphill climb to pull the rug from under Michigan. We don’t see that happening.

Marcus Sheffield must take his game a notch higher if Elon wants to at least provide a worthy challenge to Michigan. His 16 points, 6.3 rebounds and five assists per game average looks good on paper, but this does not seem enough to push the Wolverines against the ropes.

Michigan has been claiming the scalp of Colonial Athletic teams over the last eight games the team faced a squad from the conference. The trend also favors the Wolverines both straight up and against the spread. They are 13-7 ATS in their last 20 games, and 4-1 SU in their last five games.

Prediction:

This will be a blowout for Michigan. We expect them to launch an uprising right from the get-go and cover the spread at its conclusion. Go OVER on the Wolverines’ 82.5 total and UNDER on Phoenix’s 52.5 as this will be all one-sided, 84-56.