Following a rough stretch at the payout window, the Michigan Wolverines could be back in favor with gamblers. Michigan scored its biggest win of the season on January 30 with an 83-71 win over the Michigan State Spartans. It was a prime-time nationally televised renewal of one of the most heated rivalries in sports. Most important of all, it was the first payout by the Wolverines after seven failures against the spread. Michigan entered the game ranked third nationally and delivered in its biggest game to date. Michigan regained control of the Big Ten race.
Meanwhile, the Arizona Wildcats are rolling as one of the most profitable teams in college basketball betting. Arizona ranks with Michigan and Duke as the three top betting favorites to win the 2026 national championship. The Wildcats are undefeated and are off until February 7, giving them a chance to catch their breath and prepare for the stretch run. Arizona leads the Big 12 Conference.
Similar to Michigan, the Duke Blue Devils have lost only one game this season. Duke leads the upstart Clemson Tigers by one game in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In a similar way to Arizona, the Blue Devils have been printing money lately. Overall, Michigan, Arizona, and Duke are full-court teams that play a complete brand of basketball. That trait will serve them well when the NCAA Tournament begins.
Michigan Wolverines Rout a Hated Rival for Resurgence
Head coach Dusty May continues to lead one of the most impressive sports betting.
runs in college basketball. Michigan is 20-1 straight up, 10-11 vs. the spread, and 8-13 under the total. Michigan ranks 9th nationally in scoring offense and 47th in fewest points allowed. Of great concern is the Wolverines’ lack of profitability, but that may begin to change after the win at Michigan State.
Senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg leads Michigan with 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Lendeborg came up aces against Michigan State, scoring 26 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Additionally, Elliott Cadeau scored 17 points and dished out six assists for the Wolverines, who secured their sixth straight win. Morez Johnson Jr. contributed 12 points, while Trey McKenney added 10, as Michigan maintained the lead for more than 36 and a half minutes.
The Wolverines held a 62-59 lead with 5:50 left after a 3-pointer by Will Tschetter and two free throws from Johnson. Next, the Spartans trailed by one when Johnson slammed home a dunk with four minutes remaining. And then Cadeau drained a 3-pointer 52 seconds later as the Wolverines took a 69-63 lead with 3:08 left. Fears made two free throws with 2:48 remaining, but Lendeborg responded with a layup 15 seconds later.
Johnson’s layup with 1:27 left made it 73-65, and Lendeborg added two free throws 20 seconds later as Michigan pulled ahead by 10 en route to closing it out.
In sum, the Wolverines made 44.1% of their shots. They made 8 of 21 shots from 3-point range, ending their four-game losing streak against Michigan State. The Spartans connected on 36.7% of their attempts and were just 4 of 23 from behind the arc while playing on coach Tom Izzo’s 71st birthday.
Michigan returns to the College Hoops hardwood on February 5 with a home game against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. ET with coverage on FS1. Next is a February 8 road game vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. ET with coverage on CBS.