In a somewhat unlikely matchup, the Wisconsin Badgers face the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday afternoon in the Big Ten tournament championship.
The pregame narrative: The top two seeds in the conference, Michigan State and Maryland, were ousted by these squads in the semifinals. I think Wisconsin gets it done today, and I’m backing the Badgers in a +300 parlay featuring John Blackwell and Danny Wolf.
Check out my Wisconsin vs. Michigan SGP predictions for the Big Ten title game on March 16.
Wisconsin vs. Michigan predictions
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Parlay: Wisconsin ML | Blackwell 15+ points | Wolf 15+ points (+300)
Wisconsin moneyline (-186): If you’re looking for a March Madness long shot, I think Wisconsin is a team worth taking a flier on. And this run to the Big Ten tournament final shows why.
The Badgers looked great in Saturday’s win over top-ranked Michigan State, holding a lead for the final 15 minutes.
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True to form, Wisconsin excelled at the free-throw line (22-of-28) and committed minimal turnovers (seven).
Michigan’s offence is a turnover machine, averaging 14.3 per game (343rd in NCAA Division I).
Also, the Wolverines lost two regular season matchups against Michigan State in the past month — by a combined 30 points.
Michigan did beat Wisconsin, mind you, but that was a 67-64 win way back in December. And the Badgers led by three in the final few minutes before producing five straight empty possessions at the end.
NCAA SGP legs
Blackwell 15+ points (-182): John Tonje is the centrepiece of Wisconsin’s offence and should be the best player on the floor on Sunday.
But assuming Michigan sells out to stop him, there should be plenty of offensive looks for Blackwell.
A Big Ten all-freshmen team selection last year, Blackwell is averaging 15.4 points in Year 2 with the Badgers.
He had 16 points vs. Michigan on Dec. 3, and things really picked up when the calendar flipped to January.
- 16.2 PPG since Jan. 1
- 13.0 FGA
- 15+ points in 12 of 21 games
Wolf 15+ points (-155): Wolf is the Big Ten’s top rebounder, but he also knows how to get buckets.
The Yale transfer is averaging 15.2 PPG since the start of February and has cashed this bet in four straight.
He shot 7-for-11 from the floor (2-for-4 from deep) in a 20-point performance against the Badgers earlier this year.
The free throw shooting comes and goes, but Wolf is a 7-footer who shoots 35.0% from outside and gets plenty of looks around the rim. He’ll be tough for the Badgers to stop.
Wisconsin vs. Michigan predictions made at 11:10 a.m. on 03/16/25
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.