Michigan takes on Illinois following Swords’ 22-point performance

By Canadian Press on March 2, 2025.

Michigan Wolverines (19-9, 10-7 Big Ten) at Illinois Fighting Illini (21-7, 11-6 Big Ten)

Champaign, Illinois; Sunday, 1:30 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Fighting Illini -1; over/under is 138.5

BOTTOM LINE: Michigan visits Illinois after Syla Swords scored 22 points in Michigan’s 79-66 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Fighting Illini have gone 14-2 at home. Illinois is 1-0 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Wolverines are 10-7 against Big Ten opponents. Michigan is 1-0 in games decided by less than 4 points.

Illinois makes 43.4% of its shots from the field this season, which is 2.9 percentage points higher than Michigan has allowed to its opponents (40.5%). Michigan has shot at a 45.4% clip from the field this season, 5.5 percentage points greater than the 39.9% shooting opponents of Illinois have averaged.

The Fighting Illini and Wolverines face off Sunday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Genesis Bryant is averaging 14.9 points and 3.9 assists for the Fighting Illini. Kendall Bostic is averaging 14.3 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 48.8% over the last 10 games.

Swords averages 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Wolverines, scoring 15.9 points while shooting 35.5% from beyond the arc. Olivia Olson is averaging 16 points and 5.3 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Fighting Illini: 8-2, averaging 70.6 points, 33.0 rebounds, 16.1 assists, 4.6 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 43.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 60.8 points per game.

Wolverines: 6-4, averaging 72.3 points, 31.0 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 6.8 steals and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.3 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press